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This is not the week for the starting tight end on your fantasy football team to be on bye. The NFL should not made it that four teams had to wait 13 weeks before getting their bye, but this is what fantasy managers must contend with. It is either the last week or second-to-last week of the regular season in most fantasy leagues, so the timing could not be worse.
The tight end position is ravaged by byes this week as Miami’s Mike Gesicki, New England’s Hunter Henry, and Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert will be of no help to their fantasy GMs. Hopefully this column WILL be of help to those fantasy footballers who need a tight end as they make their playoff pushes.
Here are the best available tight end options on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 14!
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Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 14 Waiver Wire
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings — 39% rostered
I will not be happy unless I mention Conklin’s name in every one of my columns this year. His fantasy stock goes up in the wake of Adam Thielen’s high-ankle sprain. Conklin appeared to be Minnesota’s No. 2 option in its passing attack behind top target Justin Jefferson in the Vikings shocking loss against Detroit (7-56 on nine targets), and that trend could continue while Thielen is sidelined. Feel free to pick him up play him on Thursday night against Pittsburgh.
Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks — 29% rostered
Have you ever found something positive out of a player who fumbled once down by the end zone and dropped a sure TD toss that turned into an interception? While Everett singlehandedly almost cost Seattle its game versus San Francisco with his costly mistakes, at least Russell Wilson was throwing to him inside the red zone. Now Everett gets to run routes against Houston’s lowly defense. Maybe he holds onto the passes Wilson throws his way this week.
Evan Engram, New York Giants — 29% rostered
Engram’s fantasy value is stunted by the poor quarterback play and the inept offense he has to deal with. He rose above both to post a season-high 61 yards at Miami this past Sunday and should be a decent tight end choice the rest of the way, but he would have been better off if Green Bay acquired him at the trade deadline like was rumored.
Others Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears — 26% rostered
It now appears that top tailback David Montgomery is primed to be a one-man offense for the Bears for the last month of the campaign. That might not leave many touches for Kmet, but the young tight end has 11 receptions for 106 yards on 18 targets over his past pair of contests. He never reaches the end zone, but in PPR leagues he can give fantasy managers some points with his work between the 20s.
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals — 15% rostered
Uzomah has been a fantasy zero for five games now. His two 90-yard, two-TD games earlier in the season feel like they happened back when parachute pants were cool. Cincinnati’s offense is focusing more on its wide receivers and running back Joe Mixon than Uzomah. That said, we know Uzomah can have a breakout game when you least expect it, and he has a better chance for a 90-yard, two-TD game than anyone else on this list.
Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers — 45% rostered
Cook has been better than tight end teammate and fantasy thorn Donald Parham Jr. the past two weeks after Parham Jr. had outplayed him for a few games. Cook’s next game is a home tilt against a New York Giants defense that is drastically worse on the road than it is at home.
Nick Vannett, New Orleans Saints — 0% rostered
Vannett was supposed to be the blocker and Juwon Johnson the pass catcher out of the two Saints tight ends after Adam Trautman went down, but Vannett has been the better fantasy option the past two weeks (4-59-1). No tight end in the NFL has an easier matchup this weekend as Vannett faces a New York Jets defense that in 29th against the pass and just allowed Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert to have the best game of his career this past Sunday.
Foster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders — 23% rostered
Moreau was a top waiver wire tight end pick last week when Darren Waller was injured as he was picked up in 23 percent of leagues. All he gave his new fantasy managers was one measly catch for 34 paltry yards, though, so this touchdown-dependent tight end deserves a red flag, especially this weekend against a surging Kansas City Chiefs defense.
Do Not Forget About…
Ricky Seals-Jones, Washington Football Team — 5% rostered
Logan Thomas’ significant knee injury allows Seals-Jones to retake the starting tight end spot in Washington, although we do not know if he will be able to take advantage because of his own injury (hip). If Seals-Jones can suit up and start, you cannot forget that he had two 50-yard games and two touchdowns this year while filling in for Thomas the first time.
Josiah Deguara, Green Bay Packers — 0% rostered
Deguara’s fantasy value has gone from nil to minimal since Robert Tonyan’s suffered his season-ending injury. Deguara has caught two passes in each of his past five outings, but he could be thought of as a low-priced play thanks to an appetizing matchup against a Chicago defense that is a shell of its former self since Khalil Mack has been shelved with his foot injury.
James O'Shaughnessy, Jacksonville Jaguars — 1% rostered
Jacksonville’s de facto top tight end (now that Dan Arnold is injured) only had two catches for 13 yards against the L.A. Rams, but he led Jaguars pass catchers with six targets. Urban Meyer is probably on the verge of asking Tim Tebow or Canadian Football League failures to come in and join the receiving corps. O’Shaughnessy should keep finding four-to-six passes head his way from here on out, so he can still be thought of as a last-ditch option down the stretch.
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