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Craig's tight end (TE) fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 17 of 2024. His top TE fantasy football pickups, free agents to add, tight end streamers.
This is championship week, people! So, if you are reading this, congratulations of sorts are in order.
It all comes down to this in the majority of fantasy football leagues around the country and around the world. You drafted well, you picked up the right guys on the waiver wire, and you made all the right lineup decisions. And if for some reason you need a tight end for your league’s Super Bowl, there is one in this column who could put you over the top.
Without further ado, here are the top tight ends available on fantasy waiver wires for Week 17, beginning with a Houston Texans veteran who is rounding into form and might see more targets this week than he has all season.
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Top Fantasy Football Tight End Pickups for Week 17
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Dalton Schultz is checking all the boxes heading into this pivotal fantasy week. Is he playing his best ball of the season right now? Check. He has 12 catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns over his last three games. Schultz had not scored a touchdown in the previous dozen games.
Does Schultz have a great matchup this week? Check. He will be running routes against Baltimore’s 31st-ranked pass defense, so he will be getting open early and often. And will he be targeted a lot by C.J. Stroud? Check. Now that Tank Dell has joined Stefon Diggs on injured reserve, Schultz is the second-best option behind top target Nico Collins for Stroud. Pick up Schultz and you should be handsomely rewarded this week.
Other Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Here we go again. Hunter Henry’s name makes it in the column for the umpteenth time thanks to scoring a touchdown against Buffalo on Sunday, snapping an eight-game scoreless streak. Henry leads the Patriots in receptions, targets, and receiving yards and will continue to be Drake Maye’s No. 1 option this week against the L.A. Chargers.
Drake Maye ➡️ Hunter Henry is literally unstoppable 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/3me0mUi0CZ
— Boston Cream 🍩 (@itsbostoncream) December 23, 2024
Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
It was to be expected that Chig Okonkwo’s numbers and fantasy value would go up once scattershot Will Levis was relieved of his quarterback duties in Tennessee. Okonkwo has 17 receptions on 21 targets for 140 yards over the past two weeks and now faces Jacksonville’s 32nd-ranked pass defense this week. The only reason he is not ranked higher than Henry here is because of his inconsistency throughout his career.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
We knew Brenton Strange was not going to catch 11 passes every week after his breakout performance in Week 15, although fantasy managers were probably hoping for more than a 2-22-0 line this past Sunday. Now, Strange has to face Tennessee’s top-ranked pass defense, so he has a better chance of a two-catch game than a 12-catch game in Week 17.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
It was fantastic to see Tyler Higbee back on the field after missing a year due to a torn ACL and MCL. His celebration when he scored a TD against the New York Jets almost brought a tear to my eye (and not just because I’m a Jets fan).
Higbee will continue to be brought along slowly and will not be a target rack with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua on the field, but taking a flyer on him this week is not the worst idea.
WELCOME BACK TYLER HIGBEE 👏
📺: #LARvsNYJ on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/9ghRt17WIk— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
Do Not Forget About…
Noah Gray, Kansas City Chiefs
If the Travis Kelce retirement rumors turn out to be true, Noah Gray suddenly becomes a top-5 fantasy tight end in 2025 if he remains with the Chiefs. While Kelce finally had a better game than Gray in Week 16, Gray is the one who has scored five touchdowns over his last six games. Kelce has scored two touchdowns the entire season.
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
Zach Ertz is back after missing time with a concussion, so he should be a top target for franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels this Sunday against a below-average Atlanta Falcons secondary. Ertz has three touchdowns in his past five games and could find the end zone again this weekend for you in your title tilt.
Stone Smartt, Los Angeles Chargers
Stone Smartt has filled in admirably for the injured Will Dissly, catching 11 Justin Herbert passes and turning them into 141 yards over the last three games. Smartt might not be the veteran Dissly is, but he is a better athlete and has wasted no time being a contributor to the Chargers passing attack.
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
After a midseason slump that caused fantasy managers to give up on Isaiah Likely and drop him in many leagues, he has rebounded nicely with two touchdown catches over his last three contests. Mark Andrews is also producing well, though, so there is only so much Likely can do with the limited number of targets he is receiving these days.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow throws 35-40 passes per game, and Mike Gesicki is lucky enough to get some scraps after Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins get their targets. Cincinnati’s top tight end has 13 receptions over the last month, but he has gone six straight games without a touchdown or a 60-yard outing. Take a flyer on him only if all the other tight ends mentioned above him are gone in your league.
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