RADIO
Craig's tight end (TE) fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 8 of 2026. His top TE fantasy football pickups, free agents to add, tight end streamers.
No George Kittle. No Isaiah Likely. No Juwan Johnson. No Dalton Schultz. Week 8 might be a week where you need a tight end for your fantasy football squad.
With four solid-to-great tight ends on bye this week, fantasy footballers are going to be scouring their league’s waiver wires like Black Friday shoppers scour the shelves for the holiday season’s hottest toys. While the pickings get slimmer as the season goes on, there are still plenty of people on the waiver wire that can help fantasy managers at tight end.
Lots of available tight ends scored touchdowns and/or had banner days in Week 7, which was nice since it was National Tight Ends Day. Here are the top waiver wire picks and streamers at the tight end position for Week 8, starting with New England’s wily veteran:
Bookmark our updated and revamped fantasy football rankings portal for all league formats!PPR rankings | Half-PPR rankings | Standard rankings | Rookie rankings | Superflex rankings | Dynasty rankings | Who To Start? | Injuries | Matchup Ratings | Strength of Schedule
Top Fantasy Football Tight Ends - Week 8 Waiver Wire
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Drake Maye is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL right now, and Hunter Henry is his most reliable target, so that is causing the latter’s fantasy value to skyrocket in recent weeks. Henry has 19 receptions for 225 yards and two touchdowns over his last four games.
Hunter Henry is wide open and extends the @Patriots lead!
NYJvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/XLoJlTgMzs— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026
WR1 A.J. Brown is dropping more passes than he catches. New England’s other receivers are not as consistent or talented as pass catchers as Henry is. Rookie backup tight end Eli Raridon is getting targets and scoring opportunities but is the clear TE2 to Henry. Henry is undoubtedly New England’s top target at the present time.
Henry becomes even more attractive because of his matchup this week against a newly recharged Miami Dolphins team coming off their first victory of 2026. Do not be fooled by the win. Miami made New York’s Mason Taylor look like Rob Gronkowski. Pick up Henry and play him this week and for the rest of the season if need be.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
T.J. Hockenson sandwiched two very good games around an unfortunate one-catch disaster caused by a concussion he received on the second play of the game. Take out that clunker, and he racked up 17 receptions for 154 yards and one touchdown in his Week 5 and 7 contests.
Quarterback Kyler Murray has done no fantasy favors for Minnesota’s top-like receiving corps (like I predicted), but he has learned how to get the ball to Hockenson. Now he gets to run routes against a Detroit Lions defense that ranks dead last in the NFL against the pass. Enjoy him if you pick him up!
Other Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Another week, another game, another touchdown for Mike Gesicki. He is the modern-day Cris Carter. All the guy does is catch touchdown tosses. As Kurt Angle would say, “It’s true! It’s damn true!” Gesicki has now had back-to-back games where he only caught one pass, but it was a touchdown.
You would like your fantasy tight end to average more than 2.2 catches and 27.2 yards per game, ideally. But Gesicki has scored five touchdowns in six games and continues to get Joe Burrow’s attention inside the red zone. I do not think he will solve a fantasy manager’s tight end issue all year long, but he can certainly be used as a spot-start guy from here on out if picked up.
Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders
After a month of no production, Chig Okonkwo has turned a corner and found his niche in Washington’s offense. This is in part thanks to quarterback Jayden Daniels coming back and wide receiver Terry McLaurin leaving with a season-ending injury. Both of these happenings helped Okonkwo’s fantasy value.
Okonkwo is coming off back-to-back 60-yard games and a bye week to rest up. Now he faces a banged-up Philadelphia team this week on short rest whose secondary has not lived up to its lofty expectations. Do not be surprised to see another 60-yard effort on Sunday night.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Fantasy managers might have forgotten about Brenton Strange since his Jacksonville Jaguars were on bye, but I didn’t. He was on one of the better rolls at the position before he had his week-long sabbatical – 19 catches for 207 yards in a three-game span.
Strange should be energized after a week off, and will be energized more facing an Indianapolis defense that has been in the bottom half of the pass-defense rankings since the season’s start. Strange might not be available in all leagues, but if he is available in yours, especially if it is a PPR league, by all means grab him.
Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers
Darren Waller knows his way around the end zone like he knows his way around a recording studio. He must have reminded quarterback Bryce Young that he is the top tight end on the team and not understudy Tommy Tremble, because Young made sure to find him on Sunday.
Happy National Tight Ends Day to Darren Waller 👏
TBvsCAR on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/MTak1aMhGh— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026
Waller caught a fantastic 50-yard TD toss from Young, the only highlight during a bleak blowout loss for his Panthers to division rival Tampa Bay. Waller is not getting the volume of targets he needs to move up on this list, though. He has had three targets or fewer in four of his six outings.
Mason Taylor, New York Jets
While first-round pick Omar Cooper Jr. is blazing past cornerbacks like a greyhound chasing a rabbit, Mason Taylor has somehow found a role as Geno Smith’s favorite tight end, even though he is not as gifted or talented as Kenyon Sadiq. Taylor had a two-TD game on Sunday versus Miami and has seen six targets in consecutive weeks.
I think Sadiq is the better long-term get, but the Jets are hosting a Raiders team that let Davis Allen score two times this past week. So if you want to pick up and plug in Taylor for a one-off and see how it goes, be my guest.
Do Not Forget About These Tight Ends
Greg Dulcich, Miami Dolphins
Did you see this guy running up and down the field against the NY Jets on Sunday like he was an Olympic track star? Greg Dulcich’s 86 receiving yards were the most he has had in a game since his rookie campaign WAY back in 2022! I am not buying what he is selling, but I have to mention him in the column or else the crazy Dolphins fans will be all over me.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pat Freiermuth’s four touchdowns in seven games is nothing to sneeze at. The fact that he has not recorded a 50-yard game this year, though, makes my nose run. His fantasy value has not been helped by tight end teammate Darnell Washington scoring three touchdowns of his own over the last month, either.
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
Michael Mayer is becoming the poor man’s Strange. He catches a fair share of passes and churns out the yards, but one touchdown in seven games is not cutting the mustard, my man. And will his fantasy value go up or down once Fernando Mendoza inevitably takes over the offense from Kirk Cousins?
Eli Raridon, New England Patriots
This kid has above-average wheels for a tight end and can be the Yang to Hunter Henry’s Yin in a New England offense where both can prosper thanks to the target share. Raridon has two touchdowns and two 50-yard games to his credit this season, and the best is yet to come.
Davis Allen, Los Angeles Rams
Football is funny. Fantasy football is a laugh riot. It makes no sense that Allen, arguably the fourth-string tight end on the Rams, would have scored a pair of touchdowns on Sunday. It probably will never happen again, at least not this season. Kudos to the Rams for getting FOUR of their tight ends mentioned in this column this year!
Who Should I Pick Up Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pick Up" tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Who Should I Pick Up? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Hunter Henry, T.J. Hockenson, Mike Gesicki, Chig Okonkwo, Brenton Strange, Darren Waller, Mason Taylor, Greg Dulcich, Pat Freiermuth, Michael Mayer, Eli Raridon, and Davis Allen. But don't worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. Our free Who Should I Pick Up? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up ... all free! Make the right decisions.
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on Kyle Pitts Sr., Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, Michael Mayer, Brenton Strange, Darnell Washington, T.J. Hockenson, Tyler Higbee, Tommy Tremble, Foster Moreau, and Josh Cuevas. They are some of the most common searches for tight-end fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pick Up? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pick Up? You may have noticed that our Who Should I Pick Up? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pick Up
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pick Up tool for 2026 for Hunter Henry, T.J. Hockenson, Mike Gesicki, Chig Okonkwo, Brenton Strange, Darren Waller, Mason Taylor, Greg Dulcich, Pat Freiermuth, Michael Mayer, Eli Raridon, and Davis Allen:
More Waiver Wire Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
