Had you seen him at Malibu, with his shaggy beard and 6-foot-7 frame, Colby Parkinson could’ve passed for a daunting character from the set of Game of Thrones.
Winter is coming in Los Angeles.
Starting Sunday night at Detroit (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), don’t be surprised if the mammoth tight end has another starring role: The secret weapon in Sean McVay’s Rams offense.
ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder made a “bold prediction” that Parkinson will catch at least eight touchdowns from Matthew Stafford, rivaling the fantasy scoring generated by wideouts Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
Tyler Higbee, who tore both his ACL and MCL in January, will begin the year on reserve/physically unable to perform and miss at least the first four games. Prior to the injury, Higbee played no less than 86 percent of the Rams’ offensive snaps in any game over the past three seasons, Walder said. That leaves Parkinson, signed as a free agent from Seattle in March, poised to take off.
“I’m buying a major role increase for Parkinson,” Walder wrote. “I think the 6-foot-7 tight end will haul in quite a few short touchdown passes from Stafford while opponents focus on stopping Nacua and Kupp.”
Parkinson isn’t just great for shallow leagues in fantasy drafting, he might also climb the tight end rankings in 2024. He’s a complete, three-down tight end that fits the mold in McVay’s explosive offense. And now that the injuries that clouded his early career in Seattle are history, he sees himself as a cornerstone player.
“Someone who can play all three downs and be able to stretch the field at the same time,” Parkinson said after signing in March, “be able to stretch the seams and be a red-zone threat while also being dominant in the run game. That’s what I pride myself on.”