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 16

Rostered Percentages based on Yahoo! Leagues as of the time of writing.

Hunter Henry (NE) at Denver Broncos: 24% Rostered

Henry is dealing with a knee issue, so monitor his status. Aside from that, he is THE pickup at tight end this week. For those who were not ready to buy back into the veteran after his two-touchdown effort in Week 14, he showed that the connection with QB Bailey Zappe is real this past Sunday. Henry set new season highs in receptions with seven and yards with 66. He also hauled in his sixth touchdown of the campaign.

Bailey Zappe to Hunter Henry! Touchdown! pic.twitter.com/2cNL667t38

– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) December 17, 2023

Regarding the Broncos’ defense, no unit has given up as many touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season, and only one (Cincinnati) has allowed more yards. Lions’ rookie TE Sam LaPorta scored three times against the Broncos in Week 15. Henry is not likely to repeat that of course, but he has a great chance to get at least one TD.

Cade Otton (TB) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 34% Rostered

Otton definitely comes with risk, as he has just two catches in each of the last two games. However, he found the end zone in Week 14, and both of his receptions in Week 15 went for more than 20 yards. The matchup for Otton this Sunday is quite enticing, as the Jaguars defense has given up 13 grabs for 179 yards and three touchdowns to opposing tight ends over the last two weeks.

Otton is always on the field for the Buccs’ offense, as he has yet to play less than 90% of the snaps in any game this season. He does not see a high volume of targets very often, but the second-year pro has caught four or more passes six times through 14 games this season. A seventh such performance this week would hardly be surprising.

Tanner Hudson (CIN) at Pittsburgh Steelers: 4% Rostered

Hudson hauled in five passes for 49 yards in Sunday’s victory over the Vikings, marking the sixth time in the last seven weeks that he has had at least four receptions. In the one game of that stretch that saw him come up short of four receptions — Week 14 against the Colts — Hudson scored his only touchdown of the season so far. With all that in mind, it’s difficult to understand how his rostered percentage remains so low.

Jake Browning to Tanner Hudson Passing TD (5/1) pic.twitter.com/hYGSDbh1kQ

– NFL TD Videos (@NFLTDVideos2023) December 10, 2023

Hudson draws division-rival Pittsburgh this week. How have the Steelers fared against tight ends of late? Well, they have surrendered at least one touchdown to the position in each of the last four weeks, giving up five overall to TEs in that span. Hudson should continue his run of solid play on Saturday afternoon.

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.