Dynasty Faceoff: Dalton Schultz vs. Noah Fant

For the avid dynasty football fan, there literally is no offseason. This brings time to evaluate rosters, consider and make trades, dig in on the draft prep and get ready for the rookie drafts happening in late spring and into summer. Many dynasty managers would argue that the offseason is even more fun than the regular season is, which may be true. With so many players and roster decisions to consider, we will be breaking down some players with similar value and ADP. Check this one out in Dynasty Faceoff: Dalton Schultz vs. Noah Fant.

Which side do you fall on in these popular player debates for 2022 and beyond? Let us know in the comments or on social media which side you are taking and why.

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Dalton Schultz

FantasyData Rank: TE11

FantasyPros Rank: TE11

Bryce Williams (@BryceNFL):

Dalton Schultz has perfect timing. Not only did he have a career season in the final year of his rookie contract, but his team is already paying another player at his position significant money. When you factor this likely to be a free agent and nearly half the teams are in flux as starters, it sets up Schultz as a certain beneficiary. His eight touchdowns and 100+ targets shouldn’t give teams much pause when offering him a contract. While landing spot is key, I pick Schultz in large part due to the leverage over being able to end up in a better situation than Fant. The Denver tight end now sits and waits on many other outside factors, such as a potential quarterback transition. Schultz has great blocking and finds the gaps in coverage well. A well-rounded tight end will always find a place on a team.

Tyler Posey (@coachtposey):

Schultz has been a great find for the Cowboys in the 4th round out of Stanford. When Blake Jarwin went down with an injury last season, Schultz stepped in and put together a very productive season posting a 63-615-4 line. Going into this season many considered that to be an outlier, but again he proved to be a very good tight end posting a 78-808-8 season building upon his previous year breakout. Many teams also may be seeking out top tight ends and Schultz becoming a free agent, there will be no shortage of suitors trying to add him. Considering his ability to control his destination and the uncertainty at the quarterback position for Fant, give me Schultz and the proven production.

Ryan Miner (@RyanMiner_FFB):

I’m not usually big on the tight end position in dynasty because if you don’t have the top 3-5, it gets ugly. Over the last two seasons, Schultz has put up TE1 seasons, thanks to Jarwin getting injured in 2020 (I’m not for injuries, but playing time helps). Schultz is also a free agent this off-season and could go anywhere. A nice landing spot would be the Los Angeles Chargers, as they have $58M+ in cap space. Fant on the other hand has not proved much. First-round capital with 170 receptions and a little over 1,900 yards. The hype was there, but overall I’m taking Schultz at a better draft pick and just better overall.

Stephen Brownholtz (@sbrownholtz1):

Schultz has progressed into a solid tight end for the Dallas Cowboys over the past two seasons. Schultz is a free agent this offseason, and many teams will be looking to fill their tight end position with a promising young player. Therefore, Schultz could demand a nice payday. Dallas has a lot of pass catchers to re-sign this offseason, such as Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson. If Gallup or Wilson were to depart in free agency, that would free up 123 targets. If Schultz is able to re-sign with the Cowboys and continue to grow a connection with Dak Prescott, he should continue to put up TE1 numbers.

Noah Fant

FantasyData Rank: TE10

FantasyPros Rank: TE9

Ryan Kirksey (@KirkseySports):

In the end, and especially in dynasty, I am always going to bet on talent and opportunity above all. Yes, as Bryce proclaimed, Schultz had perfect timing entering a free agency year. But he got there with Gallup out most of the year, Ezekiel Elliott playing on a torn PCL, and Cooper putting up the second-lowest yards per reception and catches per game of his career. What if Schultz goes into a tight end timeshare situation? Is he the alpha? Wasn’t Blake Jarwin supposed to be the guy in Dallas? Fant, on the other hand, is the 24-year-old, first-round talent that made scouts drool when he left Iowa.

Yes, the Bridgewater-Lock duo was a Rocky Mountain-sized problem. But Bridgewater is a free agent and if you think John Elway is going to go into next season with Drew Lock starting it may be time to reevaluate your process. What if it’s Aaron Rodgers? Or Russell Wilson? Or any quarterback not named Drew Lock? Then the scales tip heavily in Fant’s favor.

Aaron Schill (@aaron_schill):

Full disclosure, I’m probably higher on Fant than most people are, so keep that in mind here. In 2019, when Fant and TJ Hockenson both came out, I actually had Fant ranked slightly higher, but both of these tight ends out of Iowa came into the NFL looking like absolute stud prospects. In his first three seasons, Fant has finished as the TE17, TE8, and TE12 in PPR leagues, meaning he’s technically been a TE1 twice in three seasons.

Schultz on the other hand has finished as the TE70, TE114, TE11, and most recently the TE3. That’s not a typo either, in 2019 Schultz was literally the 114th ranked tight end, scoring 1.1 fantasy points, despite 16 games played. When he finished as the TE70, he played in 11 games. Obviously more recently, he’s been fantastic and just had himself a monster season as the TE3 overall. Regardless, it’s worth mentioning.

All that being said, Fant is still in my opinion, a far and away better prospect, and came into the NFL fairly raw, typically winning with his size and speed rather than his route running. He’s developed well and is basically a wide receiver at the tight end position. Despite a carousel of quarterbacks and inconsistency all around on this offense, he’s still produced and has only missed one game in three years. Fant is just 24 years old as well and we all know the Broncos are looking like a popular destination for a stud, veteran quarterback to land. Schultz also will be 26 next year and will be hoping to get paid this off-season, while Fant will be 24 and has already been signed by Denver to stay until at least 2024.

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