Top 4 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Tight Ends (Week 12)

We will have you covered throughout the 2023 fantasy football season with our bevy of tools, including our Waiver Wire Assistant. Find the top available players and get detailed analysis on how potential waiver wire adds will impact your team. Of course, our team of analysts will also have written advice each week. Check out some of our top waiver wire targets for the week below. And here’s all of our fantasy football Week 12 waiver wire advice and targets.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets

TIGHT ENDS

Written by Derek Brown

Isaiah Likely (BAL): 3% rostered

Next Opponents: @LAC, BYE, LAR
True value: $8
Desperate need: $12
Budget-minded: $5

Analysis: Likely is the TE pickup of the week with the terrible news of Mark Andrews‘ season-ending injury. Likely has flashed big-time upside at various times in his brief NFL career. In five career games with at least 67% of snaps played, he has finished with at least seven targets, six grabs and 77 receiving yards twice. If he can grab a foothold in this passing offense with Lamar Jackson‘s passing skills arguably at the height of their powers this season, Likely could be a weekly TE1.

Cade Otton (TB): 20% rostered

Next Opponents: @IND, CAR, @ATL
True value: $1
Desperate need: $2
Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: Otton has made this column plenty of times this season as a matchup-based streaming option. In Week 12, the matchup is right again for Otton to sneak into the top 12 fantasy tight ends for the week. Otton has managed at least four receptions and 40 receiving yards four times this season, and he could make it a fifth against the Colts. While that might not sound like an amazing stat line, the bar is low for streaming tight ends to make it into TE1 territory. If you add a touchdown on top of any of those weeks, Otton would be a TE1. Indy has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points per game and ninth-most receiving yards per game to tight ends this season.

Luke Musgrave (GB): 46% rostered

Next Opponents: @DET, KC, @NYG
True value: $1
Desperate need: $2
Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: Musgrave has started to heat up recently, with at least four targets in each of his last three games while surpassing 50 receiving yards twice in that span. Jordan Love is coming off a strong performance in Week 11, and if he can build upon that in Week 12, Musgrave could be headed for a TE1 week. Detroit has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game and the 12th-most receiving yards per game to tight ends.

Jonnu Smith (ATL): 28% rostered

Next Opponents: NO, @NYJ, TB
True value: $1
Desperate need: $2
Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: Smith is the TE15 in fantasy points per game, ranking 12th among tight ends in red zone targets. Smith already has four TE1 weeks on his resume this season (TE3, TE12, TE4, TE5). He could add a fifth top-12 showing to the ledger in Week 12 against New Orleans, which has allowed the second-most receiving touchdowns and the 12th-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.