Top 4 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Tight Ends (Week 13)

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Tight End

TIGHT ENDS

Written by Pat Fitzmaurice

Zach Ertz (WSH): 48% rostered

• Next Opponents: TEN, BYE, @NO
• True value: $3
• Desperate Need: $5
• Budget-minded: $1

Analysis: Zach Ertz turned 34 earlier this month, and now that he’s in the twilight of his career, Ertz has become a textbook example of a catch-and-fall-down tight end. Once a playmaker who had a 1,163-yard season in 2018, Ertz now offers little big-play potential. The thing is, Ertz is catching and falling down a lot these days. He has 49 catches for 466 yards and three touchdowns. Ertz has had six receptions and a touchdown in each of his last two games. And with Commanders RB Austin Ekeler likely to be sidelined with a concussion in Week 13, Ertz will have little competition for Jayden Daniels‘ short-range targets. Ertz looks like a low-end TE1 for Week 13, which makes him worthy of a bid if you’re hurting at the TE position.

Noah Gray (KC): 4% rostered

• Next Opponents: LV, LAC, CLE
• True value: $1
• Desperate Need: $2
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: A week ago, we had Gray listed in the Fool’s Gold section of this article. We’re buying in now, although the buy-in is at least partly schedule-related. Gray has scored four touchdowns over the last two weeks, with two against the Bills in Week 11 and two against the Panthers in Week 12. Gray dwells in Travis Kelce‘s shadow and hasn’t seen more than five targets in a game this season, but Gray’s receptions are becoming increasingly impactful. After taking advantage of a Carolina defense that has given up the most fantasy points to tight ends, Gray now gets a Week 13 date with a Las Vegas defense that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to tight ends. Gray is a viable streaming option this week.

Cole Kmet (CHI): 47% rostered

• Next Opponents: @DET, @SF, @MIN
• True value: $1
• Desperate Need: $2
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: After temporarily losing his way, rookie QB Caleb Williams has gathered himself and put together a couple of good games in a row for the Bears, making Kmet a reasonable TE option yet again. Kmet had three catches for 42 yards against the Packers in Week 11, then had seven catches for 64 yards Sunday against the Vikings. Kmet is a good player. The problem with picking him up is that his next two games come against the Lions and 49ers, teams that have been tough on opposing tight ends this season. The Lions have allowed the fewest fantasy points to TEs.

Mike Gesicki (CIN): 18% rostered

• Next Opponents: PIT, @DAL, @TEN
• True value: $1
• Desperate Need: $2
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: Gesicki had two targets and zero catches in the Bengals’ last game before a Week 12 bye. But over a three-game stretch from Week 9 to Week 11, Gesicki had 23 targets, 16 catches, 203 yards and two touchdowns, making him the TE5 in fantasy scoring over that stretch. Tee Higgins‘ return from a hamstring injury diminishes Gesicki’s target outlook, but Gesicki is still a capable pass catcher tied to Joe Burrow, one of the best pure passers in the game.