RADIO
Week 14 is the week fantasy football managers in leagues are in one of three situations: They are in the first round of their playoffs, they are in the last week of their regular season fighting for a playoff spot, or their season is over and they are looking forward to fantasy basketball.
If you are in one of the first two categories, you must ensure your lineup is the best it can be. If your tight end has been spotty or cares more about blocking than catching passes, you must upgrade before your big game this week. In most leagues the only way to do that this late in the campaign is to find a better option on your league’s waiver wire.
Here are the top tight end candidates to pick up in fantasy football leagues heading into Week 14!
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Top Tight End Waiver Wire Options
Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team
40% rostered
What else is there for me to say about Mr. Thomas? The guy has been featured in my column for about six weeks in a row, and usually in this section when I give the top two tight end options an extra paragraph. Without a doubt he is likely the top tight end available in the 60 percent of leagues he remains available in, especially now after he obliterated Pittsburgh's top-ranked pass defense for a season-high nine receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown this past Monday night.
Thomas has been targeted in every game he has played in this season and has caught touchdown tosses in three of his last six contests. He also ran the ball a couple times and thrown the ball in recent weeks, so he is becoming the mini version of Taysom Hill. Washington’s only decent wide receiver is Terry McLaurin, so that is why Thomas is a pivotal player in Washington’s passing attack. There is no reason to think Alex Smith will stop looking Thomas’ way against San Francisco in Week 14. Expect four-to-five receptions for 40-60 yards and possibly a TD this week from him.
Dan Arnold, Arizona Cardinals
0% rostered
I told you guys! I told you a couple times over the past month that Arnold was someone to keep an eye on since Kliff Kingsbury was incorporating and integrating Arnold more and more in his offensive schemes. Sure enough, Arnold had his breakout game this past Sunday against the L.A. Rams as he caught two touchdown passes for the first time in his four-year career.
Arnold is not burning up PPR leagues with his receptions, but the yardage and touchdowns are coming these days. Arnold is up against the surging New York Giants and their vastly improved defense, but that does not mean he will not find pay dirt again. He is not targeted nearly as much as Thomas, nor is his receiving corps in Arizona as weak as Thomas’ in Washington. But if Thomas is already taken in the league you are in, I would make Arnold my TE pick if I needed one.
Other Tight End Options to Consider
Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys
20% rostered
Schultz has won my respect by catching four passes or more in each of his past four games without having Dak Prescott as his signal caller. He is not going to bust out with a 100-yard-game or two-TD effort this week, but if you want a steady tight end who can give you five catches for 45 yards and will not kill your fantasy squad with a zero, pick him up.
Drew Sample, Cincinnati Bengals
1% rostered
Sample has put together his best two-game stretch of the season in the two games he has not had Joe Burrow as his QB. Go figure. Sample has caught 11 passes (on 12 targets) for 89 yards while dealing with a Burrowless offense. The youngster has a decent matchup against Dallas this weekend and should not be ignored on waiver wires, especially in dynasty leagues since his needle is on upward trend.
Jimmy Graham, Chicago Bears
34% rostered
Graham’s fantasy value is plummeting faster than my appetite after I’m told liver and onions is going to be the dinner served to me. He has three catches in his last three games and went catchless in two of them. Still, he is Jimmy Graham, he has a nose for the end zone even in the twilight of his career, and is playing against a below-average Houston pass defense this Sunday.
Jordan Akins, Houston Texans
6% rostered
Akins has not been lighting up boxscores or scoreboards lately with his numbers, but Houston is without two of its top three wideouts and is going to lean on its top tight end a little more than usual from here on out. Akins is facing a slumping Chicago defense that allowed Detroit’s Matthew Stafford to throw for 400 yards this past week and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers to torch them for four touchdown passes the week prior.
Tyler Eifert, Jacksonville Jaguars
6% rostered
Mike Glennon is no Patrick Mahomes, but he seems to find Eifert open better than other Jags quarterbacks did this season. Eifert caught a season-high six passes in Week 13 and snagged a TD in Week 12, so maybe this veteran connection will spark Eifert’s fantasy value the rest of the way. Tennessee does not have a staunch pass defense, so Eifert could have another decent game this week.
Don’t Forget About…
Trey Burton, Indianapolis Colts
49% rostered
Look for Burton to be dropped in many leagues after his 11-yard dud this past weekend. He has scored five touchdowns over his past seven games, though, so he will likely be one of the better options for fantasy managers in certain leagues.
Jordan Reed, San Francisco 49ers
26% rostered
Reed gets to play his old Washington team in Week 14. I am sure he would like to post huge numbers to prove a point --- if he can stay healthy for the game and during the game.
Anthony Firkser, Tennessee Titans
9% rostered
Firkser filled in for the injured Jonnu Smith last week and collected five passes for 51 yards. If Smith cannot go again this week then Firkser would start against a Jacksonville defense that is currently rated 29th against the pass.
Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks
2% rostered
Dissly had more catches and targets than tight end teammate Jacob Hollister in Week 13, and odds are that will happen again this week. Considering Seattle plays the laughable N.Y. Jets and they just allowed Las Vegas tight end Darren Waller to roll over them for 200 yards and two scores, don’t be surprised if Dissly does something positive against them, too.
Ryan Griffin, New York Jets
0% rostered
I am not sure why the Jets have not utilized Griffin more this year after what he did last season, but I don’t understand much of what they do (like that blitz at the end of the disastrous loss against the Raiders). Griffin has a season-high 31 yards in that game, so maybe this means more of Griffin and less of Chris Herndon and his vanishing act for the remainder of the season.
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