Is the tight end position for fantasy football finally healing? Can we trust tight end scoring again after a big week for some of fantasy’s most-rostered tight ends? Fifteen different tight ends scored more than 10 PPR fantasy points before Monday Night Football kicked off, including big games from George Kittle, Brock Bowers Isaiah Likely and waiver wire hero Tucker Kraft.
However, some players like Mark Andrews and Trey McBride still couldn’t quite crack the top 10. If your frustration with these high-draft-pick tight ends is about to boil over, perhaps a new one is in order on your roster. We will look at some of those options today.
This weekly column helps identify tight end options that are strong streaming options for the week 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.
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Fantasy Football Tight End Streamers & Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 6)
(Rostered percentages based on Yahoo! leagues as of the time of publication.)
Cade Otton (TE – TB) @ New Orleans Saints | 37% Rostered
Cade Otton is on the rise. His roster percentage rose from 15% to 37% in just one week. Why? The first two weeks of the 2024 season started slowly for Otton, even though the Tampa Bay offense has been humming since just about day one. In Weeks 1 and 2, Cotton combined for just four targets, one catch and five yards. But in Week 3, that all changed. In Weeks 3 through 5, he has combined for 21 targets, 16 catches and 143 yards.
The Buccaneers have made a much more concerted effort to get Otton the ball, while still not making Mike Evans and Chris Godwin suffer as a result. The outcome has been an offense that is second in the league in passing touchdowns per game, third in team completion percentage and first in passing touchdowns as a percentage of scores.
Among tight ends, Otton now ranks eighth in targets, fourth in route participation and fourth in red-zone targets. With that kind of usage, big days will be ahead in one of the pass-friendliest offenses we have seen in 2024.
Tyler Conklin (TE – NYJ) vs. Buffalo Bills | 30% Rostered
Against the Minnesota Vikings in London, Aaron Rodgers decided to refocus his passing efforts on primarily two players. Garrett Wilson saw an incredible 22 targets and caught 13 balls for 101 yards and a score. Tyler Conklin saw another nine targets for six catches and 55 yards, one week after eight targets against the Denver Broncos.
NFL Week 5 TE Usage (No MNF)
1. George Kittle (23.6 exp half PPR)
2. Colby Parkinson (19.2)
3. Trey McBride (14.1)
4. Zach Ertz (13.8)
5. Brock Bowers (12.4)
6. Tyler Conklin (11.8)– Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) October 7, 2024
Wilson and Conklin are quickly becoming the only two reliable pass-catchers for volume in this offense. It still seems discombobulated at times, but at least Wilson and Conklin are receiving high-value targets. Conklin is top-two among tight ends in snap share, routes, route participation and deep targets. Conklin simply has no competition at the tight end position and Rodgers is learning he has true hands and is reliable (Conklin has a 100% true catch rate). The touchdowns have not come his way yet, but he is averaging over 10 yards per reception and is always the tight end on the field in the red zone. Scores will come his way at some point in the future.
Colby Parkinson (TE – LAR) vs. Las Vegas Raiders | 27% Rostered
If you have the roster space or the internal fortitude to navigate the Week 6 bye for the Los Angeles Rams, Colby Parkinson might be the best tight end option under 50% rostered. Just considering the upcoming schedule, Parkinson is set up for a strong next three games:
- Week 7: Las Vegas Raiders
- Week 8: Minnesota Vikings
- Week 9: Seattle Seahawks
Each team ranks in the top 12 of most fantasy points allowed to tight ends this season.
NFL Week 5 TE Usage (No MNF)
1. George Kittle (23.6 exp half PPR)
2. Colby Parkinson (19.2)
3. Trey McBride (14.1)
4. Zach Ertz (13.8)
5. Brock Bowers (12.4)
6. Tyler Conklin (11.8)– Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) October 7, 2024
Without Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Parkinson saw a crazy 13 targets last week, the most among all tight ends. That’s now 25 targets in the last three weeks. He has turned 14 of those into receptions. The Rams were primarily a run-first team in their first four games of the season but pivoted to a pass-heavy game script against the Green Bay Packers. Their 45 pass attempts were third in the NFL heading into Monday Night Football. Cooper Kupp is likely back in Week 7, but Parkinson will still be on for almost every play as Tyler Higbee remains out.
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