For TEs, just get whatever you can
AS YOU scroll through your fantasy football league’s waiver wire in search of some help at tight end, just understand that the outlook for the position is as bleak as ever.
There may have been some fleeting promise during the preseason, but with early-season struggles even among the top-tier of the position, fantasy owners have stumbled their way into a revolving door policy that makes weekly lineup decisions a nightmare. If you didn’t invest an early pick in a Travis Kelce or Darren Waller, you may be headed in this direction.
If you did invest in a top tight end like George Kittle, Mark Andrews or Kyle Pitts, you, obviously, need to remain patient. They will, eventually, join Kelce and Waller atop the scoring leaderboard. You may even see Rob Gronkowski up there as well. But anything below that is going to warrant your attention.
Some names like Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant and Tyler Higbee will stay put due to name recognition, but if you’ve been floating below that line, understand that, when you look at your waiver wire, you’re not looking for Mr. Right. You need Mr. Right Now.
Buffalo
Bills tight end Dawson Knox may not be a household name, but fantasy owners seeking production at this nightmare of a position know exactly who he is. The third-year tight end has now caught a touchdown in backto-back weeks. Though he might only see a small handful of targets, the red-zone work is what is important here. If he is available, you’ll want to pick him up, as Josh Allen and the Bills offense kicks it into high gear.
With no Irv Smith or Kyle Rudolph, the Vikings have turned to Tyler Conklin when facing teams that are weak in coverage against the position. He just roasted the Seahawks for 70 yards and a touchdown on seven catches, and he faces Cleveland and Detroit over the next two weeks. Both teams rank in the bottom 10 of the league covering the position.
Players who are seeing opportunities right now are what you need. Cleveland’s Austin Hooper fits that bill as well, with Jarvis Landry injured. There is no reason to continuously seek out someone for the rest of the season. Find help from week-to-week and win your fantasy matchups one week at a time. Your lineup choices will be much less stressful that way.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm. com for all your fantasy sports advice, NFL player rankings.