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The NFL season starts in less than a week. That means the fantasy football season starts in less than a week. Thank goodness.
Maybe you are having drafter’s remorse about who you selected to be your tight ends for your fantasy football team. Maybe you pulled a Dallas Cowboys move and thought you would only need one tight end and now feel like having a second. Or maybe you realized after the fact that you could use a backup tight end upgrade since you were falling asleep at the tail end of your draft.
The fantasy football waiver wire is sometimes open for business before the season starts. If you are in a league that allows waiver pickups now, here are some tight ends who are likely available on the waiver wire.
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Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 1 Waiver Wire
Austin Hooper, Tennessee Titans – 37% rostered
Hooper did not live up to the $42 million contract he signed with Cleveland in 2020. He went from being a solid producer who could supply 600-700 receiving yards and a half-dozen touchdowns to being part of a mediocre tight-end threesome with the Browns where nobody was worthwhile fantasy-wise. This is why he was cut in the offseason.
Hooper finds himself in a fantasy-friendly situation in Tennessee now. The Titans have not had a tight end get 500 receiving yards in a season since Delanie Walker did it in 2017. Tennessee also traded No. 1 WR A.J. Brown and released No. 2 WR Julio Jones, so Hooper should have plenty of Ryan Tannehill targets heading his way. He should have a bounce-back year and post numbers along the lines of what he did during his two best years with the Atlanta Falcons. Hooper looks like a perfect TE2 for fantasy purposes.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars – 24% rostered
Engram has been derided by fantasy managers for years for his propensity for both injuries and drops, but now he gets a new lease on life with Jacksonville. Engram got a raw deal with the New York Giants. The past couple of seasons he had to deal with Daniel Jones’ dying quails and an injury-prone receiving corps that left him alone to be double-covered by decent defenses. His fantasy value had nowhere to go but up once he joined another organization.
Jacksonville needed a tight end who could stretch the field. Nothing against veteran Dan Arnold, who has really improved over the past two seasons, but Engram is a greyhound compared to him. The Jaguars should be improved in the passing game with quarterback Trevor Lawrence away from Urban Meyer’s damaging coaching decisions, not to mention the arrival of new wideouts Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. 700 receiving yards and five touchdowns is not a stretch for Engram this year.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams – 49% rostered
Everyone thought Higbee would be in for a fantasy boom last year when former tight end teammate Gerald Everett took his talents to Seattle, but instead, Higbee was an afterthought in Sean McVay’s WR-heavy passing attack. Higbee still has no one behind him on the depth chart who can steal his tight end targets, however, so if McVay’s game plans change, he can still be a serviceable TE2 who can be spot-started when he has good matchups.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers – 10% rostered
Speaking of Everett, he is coming off the best year of his career and now hangs his helmet with a Chargers team whose explosive offense will afford him countless red-zone opportunities. He is not one for racking up receptions (no 50-catch seasons) or yards (no 500-yard years in his career) but he could set career-highs across the board in 2022 with Justin Herbert and this supporting cast.
Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts – 8% rostered
The former basketballer starts the season as the No. 1 TE on a team with little WR depth behind top target Michael Pittman Jr. If he can stave off third-round rookie Jelani Woods, Cox could end up being the second or third option in Indy’s passing attack. New Colts quarterback Matt Ryan loved throwing to his tight ends in Atlanta, so there is no reason to think that would change for him in Indianapolis.
Do Not Forget About…
Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers – 10% rostered
Tonyan is recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last season and might not make a fantasy impact during the first couple weeks of the season, but all signs point to him suiting up at some point in September, if not during Week 1. Whenever he gets back to 100 percent, he will be a fantasy force considering he had 11 touchdowns two years ago and is on a team with no true No. 1 WR.
Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders – 2% rostered
Thomas is in the same situation as Tonyan, only he scored six touchdowns during his own breakout season in 2020, not 11. He also does not have Aaron Rodgers as his QB. Yet, if Thomas can regain his form, he can easily be Carson Wentz’s third-best option for passes behind receivers Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel in Washington and could come close to a 50-650-6 final line for the season.
Jonnu Smith, New England Patriots – 3% rostered
When New England spent multimillions on the tight end tandem of Smith and Hunter Henry last offseason, fantasy managers knew there would be no way both would be fantasy studs. Turned out Henry was the golden boy with nine touchdowns, while Smith was ignored and injured. If Henry misses some games this year, though, Smith should be able to capitalize, especially in red zone situations.
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