TIGHT WALLET

Wait until late to grab a cheap end

In the second of a six-part fantasy football draft preview series, The Post looks at tight ends, defense/special teams and kickers. Next week: quarterbacks.

T ODAY’S Madman lesson in economics is supply-and-demand. When supply is limited, demand is high, and prices go up. When supply is ample, demand lowers, and prices drop.

Fantasy football offers a perfect example of these correlated factors.

Little Jimmy: Mr. Madman, what does correlated mean?

Good question, Jimmy. It simply means one factor influences the other. For example, there are many quality fantasy quarterbacks. Because t here are so many, you don’t have to pay a high price. You can wait until the second half of the draft and still grab a pair of solid QBs. On the flip side, there are just a few top tight ends.

Little Jimmy: He-he. You said “tight ends.”

Jimmy, behave. So back to my point, if you want a top tight end …

Little Jimmy: He-he. (disapproving glare toward

Jimmy) … you have to pay dearly, with a pick in the f irst three rounds. That is a price too high for many fantasy owners, so instead they decide to wait out the bull market and instead opt to shop at the tight end flea market.

Little Jimmy: Do they sells fleas at the flea market? I think, Jimmy, most anything you get at t he f l ea market proba bly comes with fleas. But what I mean is to buy a cheap version of something normally more expensive. In this case, drafting a cheap tight end. Little Jimmy: He-he. Last warning, Jimmy. Now, does anyone know the problem with buying cheaper alternatives? Anyone? Bueller? It means you have to be extra careful to know what you’re buying. For example … Little Jimmy: Whose Bueller? As in Ferris. Tweet at Ben Stein for more answers. If you shop for more urgent high-demand fantasy supplies like running backs and wide receivers early, then turn your attention to tight ends late, you might be shopping for players like Tyler Eifert, Jack Doyle, Cameron Brate, Trey Burton, Charles Clay and David Njoku.

Chances are, most of these guys are going to perform like the fleamarket draft choices they are. But chances also are that one of them will overperform his draft position, someone who is a real Burberry polo in a rack full of knockoffs.

If you know what to look for, you should have a pretty good idea which one is real and which are not. First, we look at coaches. Browns coach Hugh Jackson hasn’t favored tight ends recently in his offenses, but he did when he had a good one in Cincinnati — Eifert.

Little Jimmy: You said “I fart.”

That’s enough Jimmy. Now Eifert

(glare) is unreliable because of his injury history. But Jackson has talent at tight end he hasn’t had in a while, with Njoku entering his season second. And there is a new QB in Tyrod Taylor, who leaned heavily on his tight end in Buffalo, Charles Clay.

We don’t trust Clay’s new QBs, but we do trust Taylor. And behind him is rookie Baker Mayfield, and rookies sometimes lean heavily on the tight end as a safety valve. So Njoku is our favorite bargain. Does that help everyone understand supply and demand? Little Jimmy: What does correlated mean?