Sleeper Files: Blake Jarwin
by Tommy Harvey
For 16 of the past 17 seasons, the Dallas Cowboys have had a future Hall of Famer
holding down their tight end position. Jason Witten, with his 1,200+ career receptions
and nearly 13,000 career yards, has moved onto Las Vegas to join the Raiders. That
leaves an incredibly massive void in the Cowboys offense.
Enter Blake Jarwin. At 6’5” 260lbs, Jarwin is an athletic freak. At his Pro Day in 2017,
he ran a 4.69 40 yard dash, displayed great explosiveness with a 34 1⁄2” vertical, and put
up 21 reps on the bench press. In his first 3 seasons in the NFL, Jarwin has been
reliable as a backup with 58 career catches, 672 yards, and 6 TDs.
Last season, Jarwin secured 31 catches on 41 targets for 365 yards and 3 touchdowns
in a backup role. With Witten gone, Jarwin will step into the spotlight as the Cowboys
starting TE. Witten was targeted 83 times in his final season in Dallas, catching 63 balls
for 529 yards and 4 TDs. If even half of those targets go to Jarwin, that could mean a
very productive season for the third year player out of Oklahoma State.
Not only Witten’s 83 targets vacated, but Randall Cobb took his 83 targets with him to
Houston when he signed with the Texans as a free agent. Between the two, 166
targets from the 2019 season have departed, and will theoretically need to be
distributed elsewhere.
In April, the Cowboys saw stud WR CeeDee Lamb fall to them with the 17th pick in the
NFL Draft. With an already potent offense that sports RB Ezekiel Elliott, WR Amari
Cooper, and WR Michael Gallup, it could be argued that there are not enough balls to
go around and too many mouths to feed. However, those targets that were left behind
from last season’s departed players will need to go somewhere. QB Dak Prescott will
have plenty of options, which could lead to another monster year for the quarterback
who is looking to set the market for QBs.
Stepping into a position that was previously held by a future Hall of Famer is never an
easy task, and Blake Jarwin has plenty to prove. His natural route running ability and
pass catching skills will go a long way in establishing him as a big part of the Cowboys
offensive game plan. If he can show the ability to block effectively, and can be trusted
in the run game, Jarwin could be a potential future Pro Bowl player.
2020 Prediction and Fantasy Outlook:
62 receptions 744 yards 7 touchdowns
Most pre-season fantasy rankings have Blake Jarwin ranked in the 18-20 range for TEs.
If Jarwin lives up to my projections, he would be a mid-to-low end TE1. He would be a
steal in most drafts where he is currently going in the 11th-12th rounds as the 18th TE
off the board.
Tommy Harvey has been producing and editing content for Dynasty Pros since the beginning. He is an avid fantasy football player, having played in various leagues for 15 seasons. While he specializes in dynasty leagues, Tommy also enjoys Redraft, C2C, Devy, IDP, Best Ball, and DFS. He also Co-Hosts of The Dynasty Pros Fantasy Show.