Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 1

September 9, 2020

Tight end waiver wire pickups and adds for Week 1 of the 2020 fantasy football season. Craig Rondinone recommends TE free agents to consider adding off waivers.

Did you finish your fantasy football draft and realize that you forgot to take a viable tight end? Are the only tight ends on your fantasy roster Jordan Akins and Trey Burton? If you fall into one of these categories, you came to the right place.

All of the undrafted tight ends in your fantasy leagues are available on the waiver wire, so if you made a grave draft mistake or do not like the matchups your current tight ends have Week 1, maybe one of the tight ends highlighted below could bail you out.

Here are some tight ends to consider adding via your fantasy league’s waiver wire heading into Week 1:

TE Waiver Wire Options for Week 1

Ian Thomas, Carolina Panthers (34% rostered)

Greg Olsen ruled the tight end roost in Carolina for almost a decade, but now it is Thomas’ time to shine since Olsen took his talents to the Seattle Seahawks during the offseason. Fantasy general managers have avoided Thomas during their drafts this month as he was only taken in one-third of leagues. This has more to do about what he did not do last season (16-136-1) with Olsen blocking his target opportunities and people writing him off. Thomas should not be shunned, though.

Thomas is entering his third season and his first as a starter, but he showed flashes of what he can do when he is the No. 1 TE during his rookie campaign in 2018. Filling in for an injured Olsen, Thomas racked up 25 receptions for 246 and two touchdowns over his final five games of the season. While his target total will be stunted because Christian McCaffrey hogs 8-10 per game, Thomas could carve out a solid spot in Carolina’s offense this year and has a decent home matchup versus the Las Vegas Raiders during the opening week as long as his toe injury is minor.

Christopher Herndon, New York Jets (51% rostered)

Injuries and a suspension only allowed Herndon to find the field for one game during the 2019 season. Just one. Punters were more valuable fantasy-wise last season. So he might be forgotten by fantasy players with short-term memories or those that believe Ryan Griffin was signed to a multimillion-dollar extension to be New York’s starting tight end and relegate Herndon to understudy status.

Even though Griffin is a veteran and caught a career-high five touchdown passes last season, Herndon is the more talented pass catcher of the two. Herndon is a tight end with the body and skills of a wide receiver. He was second among rookie tight ends in 2018 with 502 receiving yards and developed a great chemistry with quarterback Sam Darnold. The Jets have one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL heading into the upcoming season. Herndon could be one of Darnold’s top two targets if no other Jets WR steps up other than Jamison Crowder. Take a flyer on Herndon if your tight end troops are mediocre. Just do not use him Week 1 against Buffalo’s stingy pass defense.

Tyler Eifert, Jacksonville Jaguars (25% rostered)

Eifert has never found a body part he could not injure. Not many top tight ends have been plagued throughout their career by major injuries more than he has. 2019 was the first time in his seven-year career that Eifert suited up for all 16 games. In four of the six seasons leading up to last year he had played in eight games or less.  This is why he is currently available in almost 75 percent of fantasy leagues.

A change of scenery may not make Eifert any less injury-prone, but it could help his fantasy value. His main competition for tight end targets in Jacksonville was youngster Josh Oliver, who was placed on injured reserve with a season-ending injury. Eifert is now Gardner Minshaw’s top tight end as he heads into a home game against an Indianapolis Colts Defense that ranked 23^rd against the pass last season. Do not pick up Eifert thinking you will get 13 touchdowns out of him like fantasy managers did back in 2015, but IF he stays healthy he could muster up 600 receiving yards and six touchdowns this year.

Other Options to Consider

Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings (41% rostered)

Rudolph went undrafted in more than half of leagues because many fantasy players feel 2019 second-round pick Irv Smith is the better pass receiver and will take more time and targets away from Rudolph this season. Minnesota’s tight end twosome should get more action now that No. 2 WR Stefon Diggs was traded to the Buffalo Bills, though, so do not be surprised if he puts up 500 yards and a half-dozen touchdowns.

Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team (6% rostered)

Thomas is in line to be the de facto replacement for Jordan Reed as Washington’s No. 1 tight end despite only having 35 career catches to his name. While he has shown little burst as a tight end (9.1 YPC), the converted quarterback has a big body and could make some plays inside the red zone if given the chance. One thing is for sure --- Washington will be trailing in most of their games, so there will be plenty of passes thrown late in contests that could go Thomas’ way.

Don’t Forget About…

Dan Arnold, Arizona Cardinals (1% rostered)

Arnold caught two touchdown tosses in a brief three-game stint with Arizona last season and has beatable competition in Maxx Williams when it comes to tight end targets in the Cards passing attack. He is only 25 years old, has upside and is playing in an offense that will be throwing the ball a lot in 2020.  Arnold has been one of the most-added tight ends in fantasy football over the past couple days.

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