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If you are worried about who you are using at tight end in your fantasy football lineup this week, you have either qualified for your league’s playoffs or you are praying this is the week you win big bucks in a DFS tourney.
COVID is wreaking more havoc on the NFL and fantasy lineups these days than injuries, bye weeks, or poor officiating are. Luckily, it appears that most top-tier tight ends should be ready to go for their Week 16 tilts. But if you are a fantasy manager who needs a tight end upgrade for your playoff contest this week, there are a few warm bodies with outside chances of scoring touchdowns you could pick up in a pinch!
Here are the best available tight end options on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 16!
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Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 16 Waiver Wire
Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks — 36% rostered
Everett’s next game is not coming until Tuesday against his former team, the Los Angeles Rams, but unless he suffers an injury, he should remain one of the top tight ends on waiver wires. He has scored two TDs in his last three games and has the most advantageous schedule of any available tight end during fantasy football’s most important weeks – Week 16 and Week 17. Everett has home games against Chicago and Detroit during those crucial weeks.
James O'Shaughnessy, Jacksonville Jaguars — 2% rostered
Urban Meyer was obviously the problem when it came to finding ways to get the ball into O’ Shaughnessy’s hands. While I am obviously blaming Meyer for everything wrong with the Jags, O’ Shaughnessy has never played like a Hall of Famer or fantasy All-Star during his career. Jacksonville’s top tight end (with Dan Arnold sidelined) racked up a season-high 60 yards against Houston and next has a salivating matchup against a New York Jets defense ranked 27th against the pass that is as banged up in the secondary as Tyron Woodley was after that knockout punch from Jake Paul.
Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers — 55% rostered
Cook has two touchdowns over his last four games, but the longtime veteran has not had a 40-yard effort over his past half-dozen games. He should have no trouble getting open against a haphazard Houston Texans defense this week, though, and he should get more tight end targets with teammate Donald Parham Jr. sidelined after the scary concussion he suffered against Kansas City last Thursday.
Others Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Albert Okwuegbunam, Denver Broncos — 1% rostered
It is odd for me to tout the No. 2 TE on a team that probably is looking at Drew Lock running the offense for its next game, but Okwuegbunam has eight receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown over the past two weeks. Noah Fant’s presence only allows Okwuegbunam’s fantasy value to go so far, but his recent numbers are better than most tight ends’ on this list.
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings — 47% rostered
Conklin has stayed in this column longer than Lil’ Nas X’s “Old Town Road” stayed on the Billboard charts when it was being played to death on the radio. He does not have many games that will win fantasy managers their weekly games, but he is steady and consistent enough that he will not sink fantasy managers’ chances with a one-catch, five-yard clunker, either.
Evan Engram, New York Giants — 31% rostered
New York will have a revamped roster, especially on the offensive side, if management can work around salary cap concerns this offseason. Engram managers in dynasty leagues can only hope he ends up with an organization that has an above-average quarterback in 2022. In the meantime, he will have to catch dying quails from Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm from here on out and should be able to muster 25-50 yards per week for desperate fantasy managers.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears — 25% rostered
Magellan and Columbus could not help Kmet find the end zone this year (zero TD), but Chicago’s emerging tight end is averaging 44 yards per game over his last five contests and is on the upswing heading into his Monday game against Minnesota’s beat-up and beatable secondary. Kmet’s Week 16 game at Seattle is also a plus matchup for him.
Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns — 33% rostered
Hooper is one of 100 Browns who have been placed on the COVID list over the past week. He has two touchdowns over his past four games heading into his Monday night matchup, and on Christmas, he faces a Green Bay defense who had massive problems covering Baltimore’s Mark Andrews this past weekend.
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals — 14% rostered
Uzomah’s breakout games early in the season may have helped fantasy managers win games, but he has not been doing those managers any fantasy favors the past couple of months. Uzomah has not scored a touchdown or had a 60-yard game over his last seven contests. His saving grace this weekend is he faces a Baltimore defense that has run out of defensive backs and allowed Uzomah to roll up 91 yards and two scores against them the first time they played this season.
Do Not Forget About…
Foster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders — 21% rostered
Moreau has pulled a Mark Sanchez and fumbled his opportunity to step in for the injured Darren Waller and post season-saving numbers for fantasy managers who drafted him as an insurance policy. Waller’s whereabouts are unclear in terms of when he might return, however, so Moreau should still be on fantasy radars since he has a knack for getting into the end zone.
Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints — 5% rostered
Due to the lack of options on the offense, Trautman lucked in to being a de facto go-to guy in New Orleans’ passing attack in the three games (14-137-1) before a knee injury knocked him out of action. He returned Sunday night and posted a miserable 1-4-0 line, and his usage was stunted by Nick Vannett, who deserved time and targets after filling in admirably for Trautman while he was on IR. Trautman might be better in Week 16 after being another week removed from his knee injury, so do not forget about him.
Zach Gentry, Pittsburgh Steelers — 0% rostered
It is next-man-up time in Pittsburgh as Pat Freiermuth is out with his second concussion in a month and Eric Ebron is out for the season with a knee injury. The Steelers’ third-string tight end is not fast and has never scored a touchdown in his three-year career, but Gentry could be a low-cost play in DFS leagues since Ben Roethlisberger favors throwing to his tight ends inside the red zone.
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