Should I Add Daniel Bellinger For Fantasy Football Week 14? Waiver Wire Outlook

New York Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger has had an up-and-down season to say the least. The “up” part for the fourth-round rookie is that he established himself as the top tight end on the Giants roster and scored three touchdowns over his first seven games in the NFL. Bellinger became one of quarterback Daniel Jones’ most reliable options in the offense near the midway point of the season.

The “down” part was when Bellinger had his eye socket fractured and missed multiple weeks just as he was on the cusp of turning into a fantasy force. The serious injury knocked him out of action for more than a month and forced fantasy football managers to drop him from their rosters to create room for healthy tight ends.

Bellinger has now returned and caught all five passes thrown to him in Week 13 against the Washington Commanders. Should you consider adding him to your fantasy roster if your squad is thin or weak at the tight end position? Here is my take:

Should I Pick Up Daniel Bellinger For Fantasy Football Week 14?

No, Bellinger should not be an option if you need a tight end this upcoming week. Yes, the kid has a couple things going for him that make him attractive to those in need of a tight end, the biggest being that the Giants receiving corps has been decimated by injuries and has no WRs that can be trusted outside of Darius Slayton. Bellinger has also proven that he has a nose for the end zone and has also caught 21 of the 23 passes he was targeted for, which is an amazing conversion rate.

All that said, Bellinger is not going to save your fantasy season if you are hurting at tight end. He has only had one 40-yard game this year and is averaging 8.4 yards per catch, so he is not a gamebreaker or a playmaker between the 20-yard-lines. He can make a couple catches in PPR leagues, but otherwise is a touchdown-dependent option when there are other tight ends on waiver wires who can provide more help across the board in other fantasy categories.

Bellinger also has a difficult schedule to contend with down the stretch. Four of his last five games are against pass defenses ranked in the top eight in the NFL. Two of those games come against the Philadelphia Eagles, who boast the best pass defense in the league and are the Giants opponents this Sunday. Week 17, when most fantasy leagues have their championship game, Bellinger faces Indianapolis’ fourth-ranked pass defense.

The only reason to pick up Bellinger is either because you want to use him Week 16 versus the Minnesota Vikings and their 32^nd-ranked pass defense, or because you are in a dynasty league and want to stash the youngster on your roster for 2023. But right now I would prefer Denver’s Greg Dulcich, Seattle’s Noah Fant, or New Orleans’ Taysom Hill as more viable TE waiver wire candidates than Bellinger.

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