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 also 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.
The tight end pool is the shallowest of them all in terms of fantasy. Finding production there on a weekly basis can be incredibly challenging, especially for those who did not invest in one of the top TE options during their drafts.
How might one find success at the position? Well, one way can be by carefully playing the waiver wire week-to-week. The goal of this weekly article is to help fantasy managers do just that by finding low-rostered (under 70%) TEs in the best situations for that particular week.
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Tight End Waiver Wire Options for Week 15
Rostered Percentages based on Yahoo! Leagues as of the time of writing.
Isaiah Likely (BAL) at Jacksonville Jaguars: 55% Rostered
Likely should be higher than 17th in rostered percentage among tight ends. That’s a given at this point. No, he is not Mark Andrews, but Likely is coming off his best game of the campaign and has been targeted 13 times by Lamar Jackson over the last two games. Likely found the end zone for the first time this season in last Sunday’s OT win over the Rams, finishing with five catches for 83 yards overall.
The Jaguars have allowed the eighth-most yards to opposing TEs this season, and they did not fare well at all against David Njoku of the Browns in Week 14, allowing him to go for 91 yards and two scores on six receptions. Likely could be in store for another big performance.
Tyler Conklin (NYJ) at Miami Dolphins: 19% Rostered
Zach Wilson took back over at quarterback for the Jets this past Sunday, and that subsequently led to Conklin producing his best stat line in four weeks. Conklin secured four of six targets for 57 yards in the blowout win over the Texans, marking the seventh time this season that he has caught at least four passes. One of those previous efforts came in Week 12 against the Dolphins.
Chigoziem Okonkwo (TEN) vs. Houston Texans: 34% Rostered
Speaking of the Dolphins, they allowed Okonkwo to tie his season-high in receptions during a surprising loss to the Titans on Monday night, as the Tennessee tight end hauled in five of six targets for 46 yards. Funny enough, Okonkwo will simply switch opponents with Conklin this week. The Texans have given up the second-most receptions and third-most yards to the TE position this season, and Okonkwo will go into this matchup having averaged four catches for 51 yards over the last three weeks. There is certainly potential for Okonkwo to put together his best line of the season this Sunday.
Tucker Kraft (GB) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 10% Rostered
Another tight end who had a nice night during Monday’s NFL double-dip, Kraft set new season highs with both four receptions and 64 yards in a tough two-point loss to the Giants. With fellow rookie Luke Musgrave on injured reserve (IR) the past few weeks, Kraft has stepped up into the top TE role for the Pack.
The third-round pick out of South Dakota State has responded to the call, as he scored his first career touchdown back on Thanksgiving Day and has followed that up by catching seven of 10 targets for 101 yards over the last two weeks.
The Buccaneers have struggled to slow down opposing tight ends all season, surrendering an average of 5.8 receptions for 59.5 yards per game to the position. This past Sunday in Atlanta, they allowed the Falcons’ TEs to go for nine receptions, 99 yards, and a touchdown. Kraft has a golden opportunity in front of him.
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Nate Miller is a featured writer at FantasyPros and a 9-year veteran of the fantasy sports industry. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Miller_RotoDad.