Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers – Week 7

Another week, another four teams on bye in the NFL.

Fantasy football players are going to have to make due this week without Carolina’s Greg Olsen, Tampa Bay’s O.J. Howard and Pittsburgh’s Vance McDonald, not to mention Seattle’s Will Dissly, who was injured this past Sunday. It could be a worse week for fantasy players when it comes to missing tight ends, but there will still be many scouring their leagues’ waiver wires for one-week stopgaps.

Without further ado, here are my tight end waiver wire picks for Week 7!

TE Waiver Wire Options for Week 7

Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams – 54% owned

You would have thought Everett’s ownership rate would have gone through the roof coming on the heels of his career-best 136-yard game against the Seattle Seahawks two weeks ago, but he is still available in almost half of the leagues out there. And while some might think they were proved right for ignoring him because Everett only had two catches for nine yards against San Francisco, look closer at what really happened. Everett was targeted more often than any other Rams receiver except for Cooper Kupp, and he would have put up several more yards if QB Jared Goff could have hit the broadside of a planet.

Everett and his Rams are going to be a in a shootout this Sunday at Atlanta. The Falcons have a depleted defensive backfield that has been at the bottom of the pass defense rankings throughout the season. Everett should do well on the fast track at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, especially if Goff remembers how to play like he did in 2018. If you need a tight end and you are in a league where Everett is a free agent, by all means sign him to your fantasy club. Everett should be a top streamer selection as well.

Darren Fells, Houston Texans – 11% owned

Fells keeps moving up to loftier places in my column with every solid game he has. Over his last four games he has 14 receptions for 150 yards and three touchdowns. The man is going to blow away all of his career-highs by Week 10 at this rate. This is what can happen to a veteran journeyman tight end when Deshaun Watson is his quarterback and he has DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller distracting defenses and creating perfect mismatches for him.

Fells is 33 years old and is not going to win any gold medals in the 100-yard-dash or break 10 tackles during a 80-yard touchdown reception.  What Fells is proving, however, is that he can provide 30-50 yards per week and score some touchdowns as a secondary part of Houston’s high-octane offense. You might be able to do better on the waiver wire in your league, but chances are you would do worse right now if you went in another direction.

Noah Fant, Denver Broncos – 35% owned

Denver’s first-round pick this past April has suffered the usual growing pains that rookie pass catchers go through during their first NFL season. After averaging 32.5 yards per game over his first four outings as a pro, Fant has only managed 22 yards in his most recent two games. This is what you have to expect when you have a rookie tight on your fantasy squad. Just ask T.J Hockenson owners.

Fant has a couple things going for him this week. One is that he will be covered by a Kansas City defense on Thursday night that just allowed the tight end twosome of Darren Fells and Jordan Akins to catch nine passes for 108 yards against them. The other is that starting WR Emmanuel Sanders is dealing with a knee injury, so if he does not suit up then Fant will undoubtedly be targeted more often than usual. Pick Fant up now for this premium matchup and maybe he improves throughout the season and becomes a consistent point producer.

Other Tight End Options 

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles – 27% owned

Do not overreact to Goedert’s season-high five receptions, eight targets and 48 yards against Minnesota. Philadelphia had to abandon the running game about five minutes into the contest so Carson Wentz and his receiving corps cleaned up with garbage yards throughout the second half. Goedert is too talented to be a backup tight end, however. If you are in a dynasty league, stashing Goedert in the hopes of a Zach Ertz injury or an offseason trade is something to think about.

Rhett Ellison, New York Giants – 8% owned

Ellison is a one-week streamer option since Evan Engram has less of a chance of losing his job as Jimmy Fallon does. But Engram’s sprained knee might keep him off the field this Sunday, meaning Ellison could end up being the one finding openings against the worst defense in terms of covering tight ends this season, the Arizona Cardinals.

Luke Willson, Seattle Seahawks – 1% owned

Will Dissly is likely done due to an Achilles injury. We know Russell Wilson likes to throw to his tight ends as much as wife Ciara likes to sing. Willson will be the next man up in Dissly’s absence, so even though he will not produce as many fantasy points as Dissly did, he could see four-to-six targets on a weekly basis and score a few touchdowns before season’s end. 

Jeremy Sprinkle, Washington Redskins – 4% owned

Love the name, don’t always love his game. Sprinkle has only been able to sprinkle in occasional catches (nine in six games) on top of his usual blocking responsibilities. Who knows when Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis are returning, though? As long as Sprinkle is Washington’s top tight end and Case Keenum is the one throwing him the ball, taking a flyer on him in a deep league is not the craziest thing.

Don’t Forget About…

Chris Herndon IV, New York Jets – 37% owned

Herndon has burned so many fantasy owners this year that we should nickname him “Pyromaniac.” After serving a four-game suspension, he then strained his hamstring while practicing for his return. Herndon missed this past week’s Jets win and will likely miss this week’s contest as well, but keep him in mind for the long haul in case he comes back Week 8. Having Herndon as your tight end down the stretch could be beneficial, especially in 12 or 14-team leagues.

Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 18% owned

Stop the presses! Bruce Arians actually designed some plays this past week to get his tight ends the ball! The 47 receiving yards Brate racked up against Carolina was the most he had amassed in a game since 2017, and he has found the end zone twice over his past three games. Brate’s Buccaneers are off this week, however, so that might temper your excitement in regards to picking him up on the waiver wire right away.

Jordan Akins, Houston Texans – 23% owned

Akins is a distant fourth option at best in Houston’s passing attack behind wonderful wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller and the aforementioned Fells, and is arguably sixth in the pecking order if you rank running back Duke Johnson and No. 3 WR Kenny Stills ahead of him. Akins is physically gifted, however, and has a 72-percent catch rate this season (13 receptions on 18 targets), so you cannot totally erase him from your memory banks if you are a fantasy player.

Maxx Williams, Arizona Cardinals – 1% owned

Williams had not caught multiple passes in a game this season until this past week when he snagged three for 34 yards and a touchdown against hapless Atlanta. Is this a trend, or was this an aberration and will Kliff Kingsbury continue shunning his tight ends? The situation bears watching since Williams has some skills.

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