RADIO
If you have Oakland’s Darren Waller as the top tight end on your fantasy football team, then you are going to need a replacement this week.
This is the first four-team bye week of the season, so not only will fantasy owners be without Waller, they will also have to go in other directions if they have Indianapolis’ Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle, Chicago’s Trey Burton or Buffalo’s Dawson Knox. Your league’s waiver wire is going to be busier than Applebee’s once the appetizers are half-price. If you are in need of a tight end this week, you came to the right column!
Without further ado, here are my tight end waiver wire picks for Week 6!
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TE Waiver Wire Options for Week 6
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams – 17% owned
Los Angeles head coach and offensive mastermind Sean McVay gets plenty of accolades for his innovative system and getting the most out of the talent on his roster, but his one Achilles heel has been getting his tight ends involved in the passing attack. That finally stopped last Thursday night when Everett exploded for a career-high seven receptions for 136 yards. Everett should have also been credited with a touchdown but the referees missed it and the Rams opted to hand the ball to Todd Gurley on the one-yard-line rather than challenge the call on the field.
I know Everett has to share snaps at tight end with Tyler Higbee, who just signed a multimillion-dollar deal. I know McVay’s track record for ignoring his tight ends as much as I ignore my town’s pleas to recycle better. Everett is a weapon that if used properly could be one of the top 10 tight ends in the NFL. He has wide receiver skills and a tight end’s body. He can bowl over defensive backs and run around linebackers in the open field. McVay has to find a way to get the ball in Everett’s hands more than two-to-three times per game, and I bet he will after seeing what Everett can do when given the opportunity.
Chris Herndon IV, New York Jets – 38% owned
Herndon's return will be delayed as he is now set to miss two weeks with an injury. Fantasy owners have waited with baited breath for this wide receiver/tight end hybrid to make his way back onto the field after missing the first four games due to violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. I have been a broken record over my past three tight end columns talking Herndon up, but the fact is that the tight end pool in fantasy leagues is getting shallower every week. Herndon had over 500 yards in his rookie campaign last season and should do well when he returns to the field.
Pick up Herndon now for what he can do for you during the fantasy football season's most crucial weeks, not the next two weeks as he recovers from a hamstring injury suffered during practice.
Other Tight End Options
Matt LaCosse, New England Patriots -- 6% owned
I understand if LaCosse's three receptions for 55 yards this season is not making you jump off your couch and log onto your laptop so you can pick him up. Ben Watson has surprisingly been released by the Patriots, though, meaning that LaCosse will probably be New England's No. 1 TE for the foreseeable future. LaCosse gets a crack at the New York Giants' 28th-ranked pass defense on Thursday and might see a couple extra passes if WR Phillip Dorsett misses the game because of his hamstrung hamstring.
Darren Fells, Houston Texans -- 2% owned
Fells is a blocker more than he is a catcher. That said, he has three touchdowns over his last three games, and not many tight ends in the NFL can say that right now. Just know going in that he has no chance of having a 75-yard game for you anytime soon, nor will he keep this touchdown-per-week clip going for much longer.
Ricky Seals-Jones, Cleveland Browns – 19% owned
The inconsistent and underwhelming Seals-Jones was great in Week 4 when he had three receptions for 82 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown, but the jury is always out with him when it comes to providing solid fantasy value on a weekly basis. Case in point -- the big fat zero Seals-Jones posted on Monday night versus San Francisco. Seals-Jones will run routes this week against a Seattle Seahawks secondary that just allowed the aforementioned Gerald Everett to look like a John Mackey clone against them. Look for Seals-Jones to be a decent play, especially if No. 2 WR Jarvis Landry remains out with a concussion.
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals – 11% owned
Uzomah posted 66 receiving yards in the opening contest of the season, only to follow it up with 16 yards since. But with wide receivers A.J. Green and John Ross injured and fellow tight end Tyler Eifert a shell of his former self, Uzomah should still see three-to-six passes from Andy Dalton this upcoming weekend against a below-average and banged-up Baltimore defensive backfield.
Don’t Forget About…
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles – 28% owned
Four catches in four games (Goedert missed one due to injury) normally makes a player more droppable in fantasy leagues than popular. Goedert would be the top tight end on many NFL teams, though, and is only held back because he is second-fiddle to Zach Ertz, arguably the best tight end in the sport. An Ertz sprained ankle or separated shoulder would make Goedert very valuable very fast, however.
Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota Vikings – 20% owned
The good news coming out of Sunday is that Minnesota has finally found its passing game. The bad news is that despite throwing for 303 yards against the New York Giants, quarterback Kirk Cousins did not target Smith once. The future is still bright for this rookie, though, so he should not be forgotten in dynasty and keeper leagues, especially if Cousins keeps improving and starts aiming for Smith a little more as the season wears on.
Hayden Hurst, Baltimore Ravens – 16% owned
Hurst is overshadowed by Mark Andrews on the tight end totem pole in Baltimore. He is doing something right, though, if you look at his catch rate. Hurst and QB Lamar Jackson have successfully connected on 12 of their 15 attempts this year. You can never give up on tight ends who are former first-round picks. Look no further than Eric Ebron and what he gave fantasy owners in 2018. Keep Hurst in the back of your mind.
