Through just one week of the 2024 fantasy football season, the “Bully Tight End” strategy is looking like a dud. Heading into the Monday Night Football games, only six tight ends scored at least eight fantasy points in half-PPR formats. Kyle Pitts was the only one among that group who was drafted near the top 10 at the position.

There are, of course, many more weeks to the season still ahead of us, so it’s not time to panic yet. However, players like Travis Kelce (4.9 points), Sam LaPorta (6.5), Dalton Kincaid (1.6) and Mark Andrews (2.4) are going to receive a lot of scrutiny a week from now if they don’t produce for fantasy rosters in back-to-back weeks. If you’re interested in giving those players a week or so to get round back into form, there are plenty of intriguing waiver options.

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This weekly column will help identify tight end options that are strong streaming options for the weekend ahead. Whether it’s due to bye weeks, injuries or overall lack of production, these tight ends are often widely available on the waiver wire (all are fewer than 50% rostered) and have matchups worth exploiting for fantasy football rosters.

Tight End Streamer Options for Week 2

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

Isaiah Likely (TE – BAL) vs. Las Vegas Raiders: 28% Rostered

After waivers run in most leagues overnight on Tuesday, Isaiah Likely is “likely” to be more than 75% rostered. That’s what happens when you lead the entire position in Week 1 with 12 targets, nine receptions, one touchdown and 21.6 half-PPR points. Mark Andrews was reduced to dust in their first game and Likely looked amazing.

Does this mean Mark Andrews will be completely useless this year? Certainly not. We should train ourselves to think of Likely as the new No. 2 WR in Baltimore because Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor are… likely… not the answer there. Likely was fifth in routes run in Week 1 among tight ends and was first among tight ends with at least 15 routes with 3.58 yards per route run, according to Fantasy Points Data.

There has been some healthy turnover of rosters, but the Raiders allowed the ninth-most receptions to tight ends in 2023. Both Andrew and Likely could see significant work in this game.

Juwan Johnson (TE – NO) at Dallas Cowboys: 3% Rostered

The New Orleans Saints involved both of their primary tight ends in the passing game during their dismantling of the Carolina Kitty Cats, sorry — Panthers — on Sunday. Juwan Johnson caught two of his three targets for 26 yards and a touchdown. The other Saints tight end, Foster Moreau, caught all four of his looks for 43 yards and another touchdown.

Unfortunately, however, Moreau was forced to leave that game late due to a concussion. If he is not able to go this Sunday against the Cowboys, Johnson could soak up all that receiving work in a game where the Saints are going to be forced to put points on the board.

Deshaun Watson looked abysmal against the Cowboys on Sunday, but tight end David Njoku was the one player who was able to earn fantasy points against them. Njoku caught four out of five targets for 44 yards and was able to effectively operate in the middle of the field. Look for Juwan Johnson to play the same role on Sunday.

Colby Parkinson (TE – LAR) at Arizona Cardinals: 6% Rostered

No tight end ran more routes in Week 1 (pre-Monday Night Football) than Colby Parkinson of the Los Angeles Rams. His 46 routes led the position, and his 86% route participation also was tops among tight ends. He was able to turn that time on the field into five targets, four catches and 47 yards. With Puka Nacua missing at least the next four weeks going forward, Parkinson’s role could be even greater.

There is very little competition in the tight end room for Colby Parkinson right now. Tyler Higbee is nowhere close to returning to game action and second-string tight end Davis Allen saw one target in a game that eventually went 65 minutes. Parkinson’s role seems to be secure and Matthew Stafford is also apparently a fan.

The only point of concern for Parkinson was the fact he had just 12 air yards on five targets. He won’t get many big gains or chunk plays that way, but with Nacua and his massive target share out, that opens up a lot of room for targets in the middle of the field. If your team has a tight end who suffered an injury or you just want a streamer off the waiver wire who might be heavily involved in a high-scoring affair, Parkinson is the right bet for Week 2.