Week 6 Tight Ends: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

What’s up Rotoballers? Welcome to my Week 6 tight end waiver wire pickups piece.  As we continue to see surprises in the Tight End position, I'll try my best to identify Tight End waiver wire pickups or you.  Somehow Larry Donnell got the goose egg last week with zero targets?!?  Overall my recommendations last week were average at best and I hope to make it up to you this week.

To help accommodate your needs in various leagues and formats, I’ll also be looking at deeper sleepers (way off the radar) to make this article a little more unique compared to others. All of my waiver wire recommendations will be organized by priority, so those players closer to the top of the article are more valuable to target. The goal 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). With that said lets get to it!

Fantasy Football Tight Ends (TE) – Week 6

Jordan Reed - Kansas City Chiefs, 58% owned in Fleaflicker

My top recommendation this week is Jordan Reed who's seen just a handful of snaps in week 1 this year.  However, when he does come back (I have my fingers crossed for week 6) he will become the TE1 on Washington.  Niles Paul, Washington's TE2, has had a very productive season replacing Reed, but Reed should assume the starter's role and see the majority of snaps if he's healthy. In week 6 Washington will be playing the 22nd ranked passing defense of the Arizona Cardinals which gives Reed a great opportunity to shine and remind all those managers who drafted him that dropping him was a bad idea. If he's available on your waiver wire pick him up!

Recommendation: Waiver wire pickup in 10+ team leagues (standard, PPR)

Owen Daniels – Baltimore Ravens, 44% owned in Fleaflicker

Owen Daniels is coming off a productive game in week 5 vs. the Colts with 5 catches (7 targets) and 70 yards.  With Dennis Pitta out for the season Daniels is clearly the TE1 on the Ravens and in week 6 Daniels has a ripe matchup vs Tampa Bay who has given up the 6th most fantasy points to opposing TEs.  If you are looking for a bye week fill in, Daniels is a nice waiver wire target for you.

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

Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers, 55% owned in Fleaflicker

Heath Miller will be facing favorable the Cleveland Browns defense which has given up the 8th most fantasy points to opposing TE.  This past week Miller had a gorgeous matchup vs the Jaguars but was not a huge part of the passing game as Ben Roethlisburger threw to 11 different receivers.  I expect that Miller will bounce back in a big way and have at least 6-7 targets (averages 6 per game) vs the Browns in a close game. Of all the waiver wire TEs available, Miller may have the highest floor for targets each week, giving him a ton of consistency, especially in PPR leagues.

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

Tim Wright – New England Patriots, 10% owned in Fleaflicker

My last recommendation is for managers in deeper leagues who are looking for a TE option.  This past week we saw Tim Wright post a fantastic game of 5 catches on 5 targets, 85 yards and a TD on just 19 snaps.  That good news means 26% of the time Wright was in the game he was targeted! The bad news is he only played 19 of 84 offensive snaps (22%).  However, if Wright continues to build trust with Tom Brady it's possible that he will work his way onto the field more.  At this time Wright is a low TE2 and we don't know if this is a flash in a pan or the start of good things to come.

Recommendation: Continue monitoring <12 teams, Add in deeper leagues 14+ teams

More Higher Owned Tight End Waiver Options

45% owned or more in Fleaflicker

Travis Kelce (KC), Larry Donnell (NYG), Dwayne Allen (IND), Jordan Cameron (CLE), Jared Cook (STL)

Super Deep Tight End Waiver Options

Less than 20% owned in Fleaflicker

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB), Clay Harbor (JAX), Chase Ford (MIN), Benjamin Watson (NO)

Recap of Last Week’s Recommendations

I did not have a great week 5.  Lets hope that week 6 is better...I owe it to you.

• Larry Donnell: 1 targets, o catches (0 PPR points)
• Travis Kelce: 3 targets, 2 catches, 15 yards, TD (9 PPR points)
• Heath Miller: 4 targets, 3 catches, 46 yards (7.0 PPR points)
• Clay Harbor: 4 targets, 3 catches, 22 yards (5.0 PPR points)

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!