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A trio of fantasy football’s top tight ends will not be playing this week, which will have millions of fantasy football general managers scrambling like Lamar Jackson to fill their voids.
Baltimore’s Mark Andrews and Las Vegas’ Darren Waller are on bye. Both were Top-5 fantasy tight ends entering the season and have been as valuable as advertised. Buffalo’s Dawson Knox, who has five touchdowns over his first six games and has been one of the biggest fantasy surprises, is also out with a broken hand.
Finding one-week stopgaps for them on the waiver wire is crucial for fantasy squads now pushing for playoff spots as we reach the midpoint of the fantasy season. Luckily there are plenty of fish in the fantasy football sea at the tight end position right now. Here are the best available tight end options on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 8!
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Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 8 Waiver Wire
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals — 18% rostered
I know Uzomah is like a box of chocolates. You never know which Uzomah you are going to get. Sometimes fantasy managers get the one who spends most of his time blocking for Joe Mixon and grabs one Joe Burrow safety valve for eight yards. Other times fantasy players see the game-breaking Uzomah who racks up 30-yard gainers and finds the end zone as easily as offensive linemen find their refrigerators.
Uzomah has scored five touchdowns over a four-game span that has also produced two 90-yard games. He has converted 17 of his 19 targets and has found a rhythm with Burrow that has changed how Cincinnati uses him in its offense. I feel like if Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were not best buds and connecting so well that Uzomah might even rack up more yards and touchdowns. No reason to complain, though. Uzomah is the top dog at tight end on waiver wires this week, especially considering his opponent this week is my pathetic New York Jets.
Others Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers — 51% rostered
Guess who’s back and found his way to the end zone for the first time since Week 2? Tonyan shocked the fantasy world with 11 touchdowns in 2020, and he was shocking it again by posting Ryan Griffin-like numbers until he put up his 4-63-1 line against Washington. Hopefully Tonyan is back in Aaron Rodgers’ good graces so he receives more red-zone targets. Maybe if Tonyan joins the Aaron Rodgers Book Club that will help his cause.
UPDATE: Davante Adams and Allen Lazard were both placed on the COVID-19 list and are unlikely to play on Thursday. Tonyan will likely see more targets due to a thin WR corps.
Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts – 17% rostered
The former basketballer has turned into a tight end version of Cris Carter. Alie-Cox seemingly only catches touchdowns. He has scored four times in Indianapolis’ most recent four games despite only hauling in 10 passes. Alie-Cox’s low reception numbers do not help his PPR value and his low yardage totals do not help his fantasy worth either, but when a touchdown-dependent fantasy player is scoring touchdowns on a regular basis, he is a worthwhile investment.
Ricky Seals-Jones, Washington Football Team — 55% rostered
Seals-Jones has now become Washington’s unquestionable No. 2 option when Taylor Heinicke drops back to pass and actually passes. Only fleet-footed Terry McLaurin is getting targeted more often. Seals-Jones has 22 targets over his last three games and has turned them into 15 catches for 150 yards and a TD. The only drawback with picking him up is this production will come to a halt as soon as Logan Thomas returns from the injured reserve.
Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers — 43% rostered
The grizzled veteran has not provided fewer than 25 yards in any of his half-dozen 2021 appearances, so he will not ruin your fantasy chances if you pick him up this week. He was dropped in 15 percent of leagues due to being on bye despite coming off scoring touchdowns in two of his last three outings.
Evan Engram, New York Giants — 31% rostered
Engram has not turned in any sparkling fantasy efforts yet this year, but he has been targeted at least five times in four of his last five contests. New York’s receiving corps is depleted and allowing Engram to get more looks from Daniel Jones than most other Giants are getting. He also has a mouthwatering matchup against Kansas City’s we-cover-nobody secondary next Monday night.
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings — 9% rostered
Conklin should be as fresh as clean clothes after resting during his bye week. He has averaged 40 yards per game this season and has a date with a Dallas defense that is 30th against the pass and can be exploited down the seams. Just know that if you are taking Conklin as a long-term fix and a not a short-term one that Christopher Herndon might cut into his target share very soon.
Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks —30% rostered
We do not know if Everett will be a fantasy force or failure Monday night (especially with Geno Smith throwing him the rock), but we do know he can post solid stats when given an ample opportunity. We also know he has one of the easiest Week 9 matchups because his Seahawks host the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Do Not Forget About…
Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons — 3% rostered
Kyle Pitts is the squirrel getting the most nuts out of Atlanta tight ends, yet Hurst has quietly posted three consecutive respectable games and has 11 receptions for 104 yards and a TD over that span.
Jonnu Smith, New England Patriots — 38% rostered
Smith had a season-high 52 receiving yards against the hapless/hopeless New York Jets before exiting the game early with a shoulder injury. No word on how long he will be out, but his value has never been lower if you wanted to pick him up and stash him in case something drastic changes this year or next year in a positive way for him.
MyCole Pruitt, Tennessee Titans — 0% rostered
Anthony Firkser has not made any fantasy footballers or Titans fans forget about Jonnu Smith with his lackluster numbers. Meanwhile, Pruitt has touchdowns in back-to-back games and could become the most valuable Titans tight end in the end. Just know that with A.J. Brown and Julio Jones at WR and Derrick Henry as the centerpiece of the offense, Pruitt’s fantasy value can only go so high.
Austin Hooper, Cleveland Brown — 28% rostered
Hooper has not done much to help fantasy managers this season with one touchdown and no 45-yard games over the first seven weeks. Cleveland’s offense is littered with more injury-prone players than my backyard is with leaves, so Hooper’s role could grow larger in the coming weeks.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears – 26% rostered
The bad news is that Kmet has not scored a touchdown, nor has he had a 50-yard game this season. The good news is that he is being targeted more than even before and has a bright future if you can pick him up in a dynasty league and hold onto to him for 2022.
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