Week 11 Tight Ends: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

November 11, 2014

Matt Hartman analyzes Week 11 fantasy football tight ends (TE) - waiver wire pickups, adds and sleepers for both PPR and non-PPR leagues. NFL tight ends are a key component.

Whats up ballers? The season has come and gone, and now we're nearly 3 or 4 weeks away from the fantasy football playoffs. Are you ready? My recommendations starting next week will be more long term focused to account for your focus on the playoffs.

While tight ends are very unpredictable week to week, and it’s especially difficult to get consistent results from outside the top seven, we're not going to stop trying to find the best tight end waiver wire options for you each week.

We're looking at shallow pickups and deeper sleepers (way off the radar) to give this article a measure of uniqueness. All of my waiver wire recommendations will be organized by priority, so those players closer to the top of the article are the more valuable ones to target.

My goal here is to recommend both short term tight end options (i.e., matchup plays, injury fill-ins), and also longer term tight end considerations (i.e., emerging rookies) for Week 11. To help make it easier I will clearly indicate levels of waiver pickup importance so it makes it easier for you to decide.  With that said, let’s get to it!

Fantasy Football Tight Ends (TE) – Week 11

Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN) - 48% owned in Fleaflicker

This week Rudolph should be back and if by chance he's still available in your league pick him up now now now.  I've written about him the last two weeks and his rising stock makes him the top recommendation this week.  I've seen his ownership drop slightly over the last two weeks, probably due to bye week fill ins, so the time is right to target him now on waivers.  Lets just hope Rudolph can stay healthy.

Recommendation: waiver wire pickup in 12+ team leagues (standard, PPR)

Charles Clay (TE, MIA) - 52% owned in Fleaflicker

Since I whiffed on Clay earlier this season (week 8), I'm going to see if I can redeem myself this week with him.  The past two weeks Clay has seen his targets and production increase (17 targets, 12 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD).  In addition to that Clay has produced at least 11 PPR points 3 out of the last 4 weeks.  This week Clay will be facing a Buffalo passing defense in which he posted 10 PPR fantasy points (8 targets, 7 catches, 31 yards) in week 2 of this season.  Looking ahead Clay has favorable match ups in 3 of the next 6 games.  If you are a forward thinker Clay is a nice waiver target if you are looking for TE depth.

Recommendation: waiver wire pickup in 12+ team leagues (standard, PPR)

Mychal Rivera (TE, OAK) - 29% owned in Fleaflicker

Rivera has been impressive the last 3 weeks with 28 total targets (9/game), 185 yards (62/game) and 3 TD (1/Game) which has been the 3rd highest fantasy points for tight ends during that span.  Rivera is building chemistry with Derek Carr as the season progresses and this week Rivera has a tough matchup versus the Chargers who have given up the second least points to opposing TEs on the season.  Due to this fact and his upcoming schedule (not favorable) I'd temper expectations that he'd be able to continue this upward trend.  If you are looking for a streamer play this week Rivera is not the best choice but someone to target in 2TE or deeper leagues.

Recommendation: waiver wire pickup in 14+ team leagues (standard, PPR)

Jared Cook (TE, STL) - 35% owned in Fleaflicker

Last week I wrote about Jared Cook not getting any touchdown's this season and it looks like he heard me as he finally scored.  This week the Rams will be facing the Denver Broncos who have allowed the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing TEs (20 PPR pts last week to Rivera).  It is likely that the Rams will be playing from behind a lot of this game which would lead to more passes.  When that happens I expect Cook will be the beneficiary as he leads the team in catches and targets (31 catches/56 targets).  I anticipate that Cook will get around 7 plus targets in this likely blowout.  If you are in a PPR league looking for a tight end Cook is a nice waiver target for you.

Recommendation: waiver wire pickup in 12+ team leagues (PPR)

Tight End (TE) for Deeper Leagues

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, TB) - 9% owned in Fleaflicker

Last week Austin Seferian-Jenkins had his most productive game of the season with 5 catches (on season high 9 targets), 30 yards and a TD. This week Seferian-Jenkins has a nice matchup versus the Washington defense that has allowed 45 fantasy points (PPR) to opposing TEs the past two weeks (22.2 pts/game).  Given this favorable matchup Seferian-Jenkins is a nice target for deep leagues only.  I do not expect he will continue to get 9 targets this week but expect him to get around 5 or 6 looks with at least 4 catches.

Recommendation: continue monitoring, waiver recommendation only for deeper leagues

Honorable Mentions

Coby Fleener (IND), Jace Amaro (NYJ), Scott Chandler (BUF), Tim Wright (NE), Marcedes Lewis (JAX), Tyler Eifert (CIN)

Waiver Wire Tight Ends (TE) for Shallower Leagues

Jordan Reed (WAS), Dwayne Allen (IND), Larry Donnell (NYG), Travis Kelce (KC), Heath Miller (PIT)

Recap of Last Week’s Recommendations

This week only 3 of my recommendations played and unfortunately only one produced well.  I'll see if I can do better this coming week for you RotoBallers:

• Owen Daniels: 4 targets, 2 catches, 20 yards (2 PPR points)
• Larry Donnell: 6 targets, 4 catches, 26 yards (2.60 PPR points)
• Kyle Rudolph: He’s an injury waiver recommendation, back week 11
• Jared Cook: 3 targets, 2 catches, 84 yards, one TD (14.4 PPR points)
• Tyler Eifert: He’s an injury waiver recommendation, back week 11

I hope these guys help you in your matchup next week and going forward for the season. If anyone has any specific questions or is looking for any assistance, hit me up @businesssoxroto. See you all next week RotoBallers!