Fantasy Football: The truth Ertz, Eagles have the game's premier tight end

Zach Ertz is not a big fan of comparisons. Says that they disrupt focus, make you miserable.

"When I was younger and I would see guys get a lot of catches, I would wish I was in that offense," Ertz explained. "You have to be content with where you are at and improve the situation you are in. You can't be looking at other people's situations and wishing you were there."

That temperament, combined with some stability at the quarterback position, has helped him rise to his status as arguably the No. 1 tight end in football. Ertz has been gold in fantasy, that sleeper that everyone was hunting for in August.

The consensus in ESPN leagues had seven other tight ends being drafted ahead of him. Not just Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, but also guys like Delanie Walker and Kyle Rudolph. Ertz was an eighth-round pick on average. Gronkowski was a second-rounder. Kelce late third.

But it's Ertz who leads all tight ends in catches (39), receiving yards (494) and touchdowns (five). The production has led to, gasp, comparisons about where he stands among the best in the league.

"He's got to be one of the best all-around tight ends in the game easily," Eagles defensive end Chris Long said. "Kelce, Gronkowski, Ertz  —  those are the gold standard right now for tight ends."

Long, it's worth mentioning, played alongside Gronk last season as New England won the Super Bowl.

The arrival of Carson Wentz has stopped what Ertz called the "quarterback roulette" that took place in his first three seasons as an Eagle when Nick Foles started 18 games, Sam Bradford 14, Mark Sanchez 10 and Michael Vick 6.

"We've just been on the same page to a new level this season from last year," said Wentz, who has started the last 23 games. "A lot of that is that we're staying after practice  —  or we're getting extra reps in practice. Maybe we're watching film and sending video clips to each other. Different things like that. Obviously, it's paying dividends."

Ertz was nicked last year by the criticism he received after whiffing on a block in Cincinnati. He pledged afterward to do better and give "this city everything I have." He followed up that Bengals game with 10 catches for 112 yards and hasn't slowed down.

This year, Ertz (6-foot-5, 250) has scored at least one touchdown in three consecutive games and the five he has through seven games leads all tight ends.

"I love that guy," Long said. "He's the biggest part of this offense outside of Carson."

Saints WR Michael Thomas practiced on Thursday, so he's good to go. … Patriots WR Danny Amendola has only three catches in each of the last two games and is still dealing with a knee injury. Leave him on the bench. … Golden Tate's status is still up in the air. With the Lions playing at 8:30 on Sunday night, it might be a good idea to have Marvin Jones or Juju Smith-Schuster on stand-by if your league allows for late lineup substitutions.  Or just keep Tate benched if you have a better option. … Minnesota's Stefon Diggs (groin) practiced Thursday and is a mid-WR2 against Cleveland if he gets through Friday's work unscathed.

Quarterbacks: Andy Dalton had six TD passes and no interceptions in his first two games after the Bengals changed offensive coordinators. In the most recent two, he had three TDs and four picks. Star wide receiver A.J. Green (3-41) had his worst game of the year last week. The Bengals host an Indianapolis secondary that has given up the seventh-highest fantasy points total to opposing wide receivers. This will be Indy's first game against a top-10 WR. … Alex Smith's 15 touchdown passes without an interception are the third-best total to start a season. Only Denver's Peyton Manning (20) and Eagle Nick Foles (19), both in 2013, had more.

Wide receivers: Bumping Demaryius Thomas up to a WR2 despite Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian's recent lackluster play. The Broncos are playing the Chiefs, who have given up 13 touchdown receptions to opposing wide receivers, easily the most in the league. Could be plenty of chances for garbage-time points for DT and his fellow Denver wide receivers. … Speaking of the Broncs, Emmanuel Sanders (ankle) is trending toward missing this week's game. … There are 99 players with more receptions than the 18 posted by Washington's Terrelle Pryor, a consensus  third-round fantasy pick. Another receiver with just 18 catches is Martavis Bryant, who already has been declared inactive this week due to a severe bout of petulance.

Ed Barkowitz, who wishes LaVar Ball would just go away, has been writing about fantasy football since 2001.

Quarterbacks, Opp.

Running backs/PPR, Opp.

Wide receivers/PPR, Opp.

Tight ends, Opp.

This week/ESPN-run leagues

As of Thursday afternoon/Not including kickers/defenses