RADIO
Week 13 is the unluckiest week of the fantasy football season --- for those managers and teams who lose and do not end up making their league’s playoffs.
Even this late into the season, two teams are going to be on bye (Tampa Bay and Carolina), so fantasy managers will have to find a replacement at tight end if Rob Gronkowski is who they usually roll with. The good news is that in many leagues there are solid and serviceable tight ends still available on the waiver wire.
Normally by Week 13 fantasy GMs are stuck choosing between which broken-down backup tight end they will pick up and pray to get 35 yards from. Not this year! Here are the top tight end candidates to pick up in fantasy football leagues heading into Week 13...
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Top Tight End Waiver Wire Options
Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team
41% rostered
Thomas was dropped in 13 percent of fantasy leagues after laying the most golden of golden eggs in Week 12. Thomas should be back in everyone’s good graces after a holiday performance that fantasy managers were thankful for. Not only did he catch a TD toss, he threw a 28-yard pass and threw in a three-yard run for good measure. More importantly, for the 11th game in a row he was targeted by a Washington quarterback at least four times. Thomas is firmly a focal point of the offense in every respect now.
Thomas does not have a good matchup this week. He will face an undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers team whose defense has been among the top five in the NFL against the pass all season long. That said, between his high volume of targets, the fact he is in the midst of his best scoring stretch of the season (three TDs over past six games), and how Washington is using him in several different ways, Thomas is probably the best pick on the waiver wire in most leagues at the moment.
Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts
19% rostered
Indianapolis’ trio of tight ends have given fantasy managers more headaches than blabbermouth in-laws. It appears that Burton has finally emerged from the tight end threesome to establish himself as the most valuable of the group. He caught touchdown passes in back-to-back games (five TD in last seven games) and has been seeing more targets than veteran Jack Doyle or the improved Mo-Alie Cox in recent games. Burton has stayed healthy, and the fantasy managers who have him on their rosters might get wealthy in a few weeks.
Burton has a date with division rival Houston this weekend. The Texans have been at the bottom of the pass defense rankings throughout the season. They have also allowed Jacksonville’s Tyler Eifert and New England’s Ryan Izzo (both far from fantasy studs) to have their best yardage games of the year against their defense. Burton will make something happen inside the red zone again this Sunday and make the fantasy players who pick him up happier than an Italian seated in front of a bowl of angel hair pasta in pesto.
Other Tight End Options to Consider
Jimmy Graham, Chicago Bears
39% rostered
Graham has slowed down and lost lots of fantasy value over the course of the campaign. After scoring five touchdowns over his first five games, he has scored just once in his last half-dozen outings. Graham might be better off with Mitchell Trubisky under center rather than Nick Foles, though, and his next game is against a Detroit Lions team who just lost their head coach and general manager and is ranked 26th versus the pass. Using Graham in place of Gronk as a spot starter in your fantasy lineup is a move you won’t be criticized for.
Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys
22% rostered
Dallas’ offense is nowhere near what it was when Dak Prescott was running the show earlier in the season, but the Cowboys are beginning to play at least at an average level with Andy Dalton back as its leader. Schultz has been targeted 26 times in his last four contests and continues to somehow find pigskins flying his way despite Dallas having three talented wideouts who need the ball, too. Schultz might be facing an undermanned Baltimore team depending on how the Ravens’ COVID drama shakes out, so keep him on your radar.
Jordan Reed, San Francisco 49ers
25% rostered
Reed has not taken advantage of George Kittle’s season-ending injury as much as myself and other fantasy players thought he might (8-83-0 in last three games). He has a plus matchup against a disappointing Buffalo defense this week that allowed the likes of Dan Arnold and Jacob Hollister to post decent numbers against its unit during the past month, though.
Don’t Forget About…
Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings
14% rostered
Fantasy footballers should not pour dirt on Rudolph’s grave just yet. Even though Irv Smith Jr. is the better bet fantasy-wise when both tight ends are healthy, Rudolph has proven he can be a fantasy factor when Smith is sidelined. Rudolph had his best game of the season last Sunday (7-68) and is lined up against Jacksonville’s 29th-ranked pass defense this Sunday. If Smith cannot suit up, feel free to pick Rudolph up.
Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks
4% rostered
It remains to be seen if Dissly or Jacob Hollister will be Seattle’s top tight end in the wake of Greg Olsen’s injury. Keep an eye on what happens in Monday’s game against Philadelphia and if Dissly does well than take a flyer on him. Seattle's Week 13 game against the New York Giants would be favorable to whomever Seattle's No. 1 TE turns out to be.
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
1% rostered
Knox snagged his first touchdown of the season (about time!) this past Sunday and looks fine and fresh after his stint on the COVID list. Fantasy managers cannot expect him to save their hides this season, but he does possess value in dynasty leagues because the best is yet to come from him. Knox makes for a nice sleeper pick for a fantasy squad that is out of playoff contention and building a young roster for next season.
Drew Sample, Cincinnati Bengals
1% rostered
Sample has been a fantasy non-factor for most of his second season, but the promising tight end caught four of the five passes thrown to him by third-string signal caller Brandon Allen and turned them into 40 yards against the New York Giants. His fantasy future is brighter than his fantasy present, however, so he falls in the same category as the aforementioned Knox. Pick him up now to stash him for 2021.
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