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 weekly 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.
Tight End Waiver Wire Options (Week 13)
Tyler Conklin (NYJ) at Minnesota Vikings
Tyler Conklin immediately leaped back into fantasy relevancy with the Jets’ switch at QB from Zach Wilson to Mike White. He only saw three targets during the Week 12 win over the Bears, but Conklin pulled in all of them for 50 yards.
White took to the skies for 315 yards against what had been a decent Bears’ pass defense for the most part this year. The Jets are clearly looking to be more balanced on offense moving forward. That should only continue to benefit Conklin as it did this past Sunday.
The Vikings have been somewhat susceptible against opposing tight ends. Just this past week, Patriots’ TE Hunter Henry was able to secure three of his five targets for 63 yards and a score opposite the Vikings. That seems like a reasonable projection for Conklin’s potential ceiling in a “revenge” matchup with his former team.
Juwan Johnson (NO) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Following three straight games with a touchdown, Juwan Johnson completely disappeared right along with the rest of the Saints’ offense in Sunday’s 13-0 loss at San Francisco. He did not come up with either of his two targets, snapping a streak of six consecutive multi-catch games.
Johnson will be looking to rebound this Monday night in what will be the Saints’ second game versus the Buccaneers this season. Back in Week 2, Johnson was able to haul in four of his seven targets for 40 yards against the Tampa unit. Tampa Bay features a solid defense overall, but one area of vulnerability has been defending tight ends.
The Buccaneers surrendered seven receptions for 38 yards and a score to the Browns’ tight ends in this past Sunday’s loss and now rank among the bottom-five teams in fantasy points allowed to the position on the season. Johnson is one of just four tight ends in the league with at least five touchdowns on the campaign. He has strong upside here.
Hayden Hurst (CIN) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Hayden Hurst has been nothing special this season. However, when looking at the current tight-end leaderboard, he can be found sitting seventh in receptions (46) and 10th in receiving yards (388) for the year.
Hurst turned in yet another unspectacular but solid effort with six catches for 57 yards in the Bengals’ Week 12 victory in Tennessee. He saw a season-high nine targets and was on the field for a pretty typical 66 percent of the offensive snaps. It was also Hurst’s fourth double-digit fantasy performance (PPR) on the season.
Hurst has a fair chance at another such output in this Sunday’s AFC Championship Game rematch, as it could turn into an offensive showcase. The Chiefs rank 21st in the league in passing yards allowed per game (233.5), and only two teams have given up more than their 22 passing touchdowns.
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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.