November 1, 2016

Craig Rondinone 2016 fantasy football tiered rankings for Week 9 tight ends (TE) - waiver wire pickups, adds & sleepers for PPR and non-PPR. These are NFL TEs to target.

There will be a lot of fantasy owners looking for tight ends this week.

A half-dozen NFL teams are on bye for the second week in a row, and the notable names at tight end that are off are startling.  No Rob Gronkowski.  No Jordan Reed.  No Tyler Eifert.  This means no fun for fantasy football owners, especially when the lack of waiver wire depth at tight end is as frightening as any ghost or monster that you saw on Halloween.

Here are three tight ends to consider on the waiver wire this week:

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 9 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Week 9 Waiver Wire – Tight Ends (TE)

Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions

Look who we have here! Nice of you to join us, Mr. Ebron! The third-year tight end was dropped in many fantasy leagues after missing three weeks due to another injury, but he is back on the fantasy map after catching seven passes for 79 yards against Houston’s second-ranked pass defense this past weekend.

Detroit’s pass-catching corps changes roles quicker than Eddie Murphy did in The Nutty Professor movies.  Marvin Jones was Matthew Stafford’s go-to guy for a couple weeks, then Golden Tate got out of the doghouse and became Stafford’s top target once again.  Now Ebron has returned and could be Stafford’s main man if he can stay on the field.

Ebron does not have an easy matchup this Sunday as he has to run routes against a Minnesota Vikings defense that swallows up space in the secondary.  He did have success against the Vikes last year, however, scoring touchdowns in both of his games against them.  Ebron is the top tight end on fantasy free agent lists this week.

Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

Father Time is taking his toll on old man Gates.  The grizzled and gutsy veteran is limping along to a yards per catch average of an embarrassing 7.2, and he has young upstart Hunter Henry ready to dig him a grave so Henry can take over as San Diego’s top tight end.  But while this Hall-of-Fame fantasy football superstar may be on his last legs, he still can serve a purpose in a pinch.

Gates is still available in many fantasy leagues as owners have discounted him due to his age, his injuries, his competition at tight end in Henry and the fact that he still has not recorded a 40-yard game this season.  Yet Gates has three touchdowns in six contests this year, and more importantly has been targeted 25 times over his last three outings by Philip Rivers, so he is still getting opportunities to make plays.

Gates plays against a Tennessee Titans defense that is ranked 20^th against the pass and has given up touchdown tosses to tight ends in each of their past two contests.  If Father Time can stop his clock for another week, Gates can be a solid stopgap option for fantasy owners this Sunday.

Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

Ertz’s stock is falling faster than Johnny Depp’s.  He has not scored a touchdown yet.  He has not had a 60-yard game yet.  He missed a couple games with a serious rib injury.  Quarterback phenom Carson Wentz ignores him.  The fantasy football community is losing faith in Ertz and has begun dropping him off rosters.

So why pick Ertz up when he is at his lowest point?  This week he faces the division rival New York Giants.  Ertz has racked up 298 receiving yards against the Giants over the last four games he has played against them.  Four games is not a small sample size.  This could be the week Ertz turns things around and starts playing like he is capable of.  Remember that this is a guy who had 75 receptions for 853 yards just last year.

Wentz is only going to get better and Ertz is only going to get healthier.  While Ertz can be viewed as just a one-week option if need be, he has the chance of saving his season and rounding back into form, so taking a flyer on him now if he is on your league’s waiver wire is a great idea if you have the roster room.

Other Options

C.J. Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans

Fiedorowicz is becoming a weekly staple in the “other options” section of this column.  He now has three touchdowns catches over last five games and is averaging approximately five receptions and 50 yards per game over that span.  The reasons he is featured down here and not in the main section of the article are because he is on bye this week and is in concussion protocol.

Jacob Tamme, Atlanta Falcons

Tamme is normally a better play when he is at the Georgia Dome than on the road, but in his last three games against upcoming opponent Tampa Bay he caught 19 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown.  There are many worse options on your league’s waiver wire then this veteran tight end, but . . .

Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons

…if Tamme cannot go on Thursday night due to the shoulder injury he suffered against Green Bay, Hooper is a dark horse play as he had five receptions for 41 yards after subbing for Tamme.  The third-round rookie has caught all 11 of the Matt Ryan’s passes thrown in his direction in 2016.