RADIO
It only took two weeks of NFL action for fantasy football managers to desperately need tight ends. There are no teams on bye to cause concern for fantasy footballers, but there are certainly plenty of problems to cause ulcers to flare up.
Baltimore’s Mark Andrews and San Francisco’s George Kittle have not scored a touchdown yet. Los Angeles’ Tyler Higbee is not tearing up secondaries like he did in 2019. Miami’s Mike Gesicki has vanished into thin air. While fantasy players should not panic after two weeks, many do, and this column might be perfect for them.
Fantasy football managers will be scouring the free agent lists in their leagues this week in search for tight end upgrades. Here are the best options available on fantasy waiver wires at the tight end heading into Week 3.
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Tight End Waiver Wire Options
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills – 6% rostered
Buffalo’s top tight end might be the best option on many fantasy waiver wires at the moment. He followed up his four-catch performance Week 1 with a sparkling touchdown catch in Week 2. This now gives Knox six touchdowns over his last 11 games (regular-season and playoffs combined) as quarterback Josh Allen has made him a red-zone favorite since the second half of the 2020 season. Meanwhile, after an offseason where Knox was probably worried the Bills would trade for Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz or use a high draft choice on a tight end, his job seems safer than most starting tight ends. No other tight end on the Bills roster even has a target through two games.
Knox will run routes this weekend against a Washington defense that has been underwhelming the first two weeks. You must know going in that Knox’s fantasy value comes from his nose for the end zone. He is a touchdown-dependent player who only had one game with more than 50 receiving yards last year. Top target Stefon Diggs does not allow many other Bills pass catchers to make much money in the open field. Knox still has upside, however, and his penchant for scoring should make him attractive in all fantasy formats if you need a TE.
Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts – 1% rostered
I have to admit that on two occasions on Sunday I referred to Doyle as Dallas Clark when I saw him make plays against the L.A. Rams. Doyle has not helped fantasy managers much in recent years, but he played some of the best ball I have seen from him since his glory days in 2016 and 2017 when he was an underrated PPR performer due to his 139 receptions over that span. Now that he has emerged as Indianapolis’ No. 1 TE again after years of injuries and being stuck in a TE timeshare with Mo Alie-Cox and Trey Burton, Doyle is on the verge of being a sneaky fantasy factor again.
The one thing Doyle has going against him heading into the third week of NFL action is that Carson Wentz might not be the one throwing him the ball. Wentz, never known to be the modern-day Brett Favre in terms of health, injured his ankle so his status is unknown for Indy’s next contest. Regardless, Doyle will see a steady share of targets this Sunday and many Sundays to come as the calming veteran pair of hands amongst a sea of young Colts receivers. Doyle can be safely picked up to be your TE2 and used in spots against weak defenses and/or when your TE1 is off or has a difficult defense to deal with.
Others to Consider
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints – 37% rostered
Johnson followed up his breakout two-TD outing in Week 1 with one 23-yard grab and a lot of disappointed fantasy managers in Week 2. His Week 3 matchup against New England’s stifling defense is no picnic, yet because the Saints have no wide receivers that have established themselves as anything above average, Johnson still has a shot at being the second-most targeted pass catcher besides Alvin Kamara this Sunday.
Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers – 43% rostered
I feel like Cook will be catch three-to-five passes per game into his 40s. Does not matter what uniform he puts on, he always produces. Cook has eight catches for 84 yards over his first two games as a Charger and gets to face a KC defense that allowed 65 points over its first two games. His only drawback is that he is definitely a distant fourth on Justin Herbert’s target totem pole behind Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler.
Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns – 48% rostered
Hooper has to rise above the other members of Cleveland’s tight end trio (Harrison Bryant and David Njoku) and stand out as the main man to have fantasy relevance. While his 8-67-0 line over the Browns’ opening pair of games should not excite anyone, the fact that Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry’s knee injuries open up more targets for Hooper should make him an interesting play while the wideouts are on the shelf.
Dan Arnold, Carolina Panthers – 4% rostered
Arnold was held to two catches for six yards in a Week 1 fantasy flub, but he rebounded with three receptions for 55 yards in Week 2. Not only is he Carolina’s No. 1 tight end but he is scheduled to face a Houston secondary that just allowed Cleveland tight ends to rack up 11 receptions for 107 yards.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers – 7% rostered
The Freiermuth Era might be starting a little earlier than fantasy managers expected. Pittsburgh’s rookie tight end has five receptions for 60 yards on five targets through two weeks, compared to veteran Eric Ebron’s one reception for 19 yards on four targets. Pick up Freiermuth now in dynasty leagues and you may not need to wait to 2022 for him to pay dividends.
Maxx Williams, Arizona Cardinals – 0% rostered
There is good reason why Williams is not rostered in any leagues. The guy scored one TD per year in his five full NFL seasons and has not had more than 20 receptions or 210 yards since his rookie campaign way back in 2015. He somehow blew the fantasy doors off Sunday with seven receptions for 94 yards versus Minnesota, though. Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury are making all pass catchers look amazing in Arizona, so maybe that will continue to rub off on Williams, too.
Do Not Forget About…
O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 2% rostered
Howard is buried on the target depth chart behind Tom Brady favorite Rob Gronkowski and three Pro Bowl-caliber wide receivers, so his fantasy value could not be lower at this point. But all it would take is a couple injuries (especially to the injury-prone Gronk) and Howard could be a fantasy force. Tampa Bay trading Howard for a draft pick or help at another position would also give him the chance to go from fantasy dud to fantasy stud again since any situation would be better fantasy-wise for him than being with the Bucs.
Albert Okwuegbunam, Denver Broncos – 0% rostered
Okwuegbunam makes this portion of the column for the second week in a row thanks to another multi-catch effort. He has now caught all seven passes thrown his way by Teddy Bridgewater this season. Okwuegbunam’s fantasy growth will be stunted by Noah Fant all season long but he is showing some flashes of brilliance that could make him a decent roster stash in dynasty leagues.
Jordan Akins, Houston Texans – 0% rostered
Just when we thought Pharaoh Brown was poised to be Houston’s No. 1 TE for 2021, he was a fantasy flop with a catchless effort (one target) against Cleveland. Akins was supposed to be Houston’s top tight end and could reclaim his spot if Tyrod Taylor does not miss much time with his hamstrung hamstring. Akins has the size to be a touchdown-dependent player for fantasy purposes.
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