The tight end position matters greatly in fantasy football. They are not as flashy as their blazing fast, route-running counterparts at wide receiver. They do not get the same volume of touches as fantasy-relevant running backs. That can sometimes lead to them being overlooked or treated as an afterthought. Do not make that mistake.
Tight end is the shallowest position of them all. Finding production there on a weekly basis can be incredibly challenging, especially for those that did not draft or since manage to land one of the top handful of options.
Success can be found at the position by carefully playing the waiver wire week-to-week. The goal here is to help fantasy managers do just that by finding low-rostered (under 75 percent) tight ends sitting in the best situations for the particular week.
- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Quarterback Streamers
- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: D/ST Streamers
- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Kicker Streamers
Tight End Waiver Wire Options (Week 4)
Tyler Conklin (NYJ) at Pittsburgh Steelers
For the third time in four weeks, Conklin is a recommendation in this article. This could well be the last time, as his rostered percentage is sure to surge following the performance he just put up against the Bengals.
In Week 3, Conklin made a believer out of the remaining doubters. The 27-year-old caught all eight of his targets on the afternoon, gaining 84 yards in the process. Through three games, he now ranks third in targets (24), second in receptions (18), and seventh in yards (140) at the position.
Conklin found the end zone back in Week 1. He certainly has a shot to add to that total this Sunday against a Steelers defense that allowed David Njoku to run wild on them this past Thursday. The Browns tight end finished with 89 yards and a score on nine grabs. Look for Conklin to get plenty of balls thrown his way once again.
Robert Tonyan (GB) vs. New England Patriots
Tonyan has 14 targets in the Packers’ passing attack through three games. That is good enough for second on the team. He received half of those in Week 3 versus the Buccaneers. Though he finished the game with just six receptions for 37 yards, the result showed that the fifth-year pro is firmly entrenched as an option for Aaron Rodgers.
This Sunday, the Packers will square off with a Patriots defensive unit that has allowed a league-worst four touchdowns to opposing tight ends. Three of those scores came in Week 3 against the Ravens. Rodgers will almost certainly attempt to exploit the Pats’ secondary – which has given up the third-fewest fantasy points to WRs – in the same fashion.
Tonyan may not be in store for a ton of yards. The targets, especially in the red zone, should be in abundance.
Daniel Bellinger (NYG) vs. Chicago Bears
The Bears are not a favorable matchup. With that out of the way, let’s look at why Bellinger could be worth streaming in a pinch this week.
Bellinger is outpacing his teammates at the position in the snap share so far this season, and it has been growing in his favor by the week. The rookie is also seeing his involvement in the passing game increase. He caught his first career target for a 16-yard TD in Week 2. Then, on Monday Night Football in Week 3, he jumped from just one target up to five, hauling in four of them for 40 yards.
With veteran receiver Sterling Shepard‘s (knee) season now possibly over, the Giants will need someone to step up into the void. After being selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft, Bellinger should definitely be in the mix. It is well known how much Daniel “Dimes” Jones loves those short tosses.
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Nate Miller is a featured writer at FantasyPros and an 8-year veteran of the fantasy sports industry. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Miller_RotoDad.