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Craig Rondinone's fantasy football TE waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season. His free agent tight ends to add, stream, and stash off waivers.
Week 8 was easy for fantasy football managers. Week 9 will not be as easy, especially at the tight end position.
The bye weeks are back in full force. Fantasy footballers will be without San Francisco’s George Kittle, Detroit’s Sam LaPorta, and Jacksonville’s Evan Engram since they are all off. New York’s Darren Waller injured his hamstring. Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson will watch his fantasy value plummet in the wake of Kirk Cousins’ Achilles injury. Fantasy managers have never needed tight end help this season more than this upcoming week.
There are a plethora of options on your league’s fantasy waiver wire, though. So if your tight end is on bye, injured, or without his starting signal caller, keep reading! Without further ado, here are the best tight end waiver wire pickups for Week 9, starting with the same multi-dimensional fantasy force that highlighted last week’s column.
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Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 9 Waiver Wire
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
I am running out of superlatives to say about Hill, who has become a fantasy force now that he has taken his quarterback talents to the tight end position. Hill did it all – again – in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts. He completed a 44-yard pass, caught a 14-yard pass, and rushed the ball nine times for 63 yards and two touchdowns. He is no longer just a player used inside the red zone out of the Wildcat formation and on gadget plays.
Hill’s upcoming slate of games should be beneficial to his fantasy worth. His next three games are against Chicago, Minnesota, and Atlanta; three defenses that do not strike fear in anybody. Hill’s usage is not going to go down with how well he is playing, so he should not lay any fantasy goose eggs anytime soon. Pick him up now and plug him in against the hapless Bears defense. He should score one way or another for you in Week 9.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
The coming-out party for McBride happened this past weekend. His 10-95-1 line on 14 targets against the Baltimore Ravens solidified that McBride is not only Arizona’s top tight end (sorry, Zach Ertz) but possibly the top target in its passing attack. The youngster showed he can make catches in traffic, down the middle, downfield, and in the red zone. Even better, with Kyler Murray returning in a game or two to run the offense, McBride’s fantasy value has upward mobility from here on out.
Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders
Thomas keeps making the top half of this column as my paragraphs singing his praises have not moved the needle with thousands of fantasy GMs. The proof is in the pudding, though. Thomas converted eight targets against Philadelphia into six catches for 44 yards and a score. If Washington continues to throw the ball more than it should, Thomas will continue to produce solid fantasy numbers on a weekly basis. His matchup against a banged-up New England defense should provide another ample opportunity for him to rack up receptions.
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
It is amazing that Ferguson managed a 4-47-1 line against the L.A. Rams this past Sunday when every Dak Prescott pass seemed like it went to CeeDee Lamb. He has quietly had either 40 yards or a TD in four of his seven games so far and has become a nice secondary option for Prescott. Ferguson is not going to get more than seven targets on most weeks, but he gets just enough to make him a worthwhile fantasy option compared to many other tight ends on the fantasy free agent list.
Donald Parham Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
Four catches for 43 yards and a TD is a decent effort for sure, but it was one of the greatest games of his four-year career when Parham Jr. posted those numbers against the Chicago Bears on Sunday evening. He has reached the end zone four times in seven outings this season. Look for Parham Jr. to continue to take advantage of Gerald Everett’s absence as long as the latter is out with a hip injury.
Do Not Forget About…
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
I know Henry is on a six-game scoreless streak after recording touchdowns in New England’s opening two contests, but the Patriots are running out of receivers. With injuries to veterans Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker, they may need to beg Julian Edelman to come out of retirement. Henry will be Mac Jones’ No. 1 target if Bourne and Parker are out for lengthy amounts of time, and with a home game next against Washington’s spotty secondary, Henry is a top candidate to pick up on the waiver wire.
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
Mayer has not played yet at the writing of this column since he has a Monday matchup, but the rookie tight end should have his fantasy value buoyed by the return of the injury-prone Jimmy Garoppolo. Mayer is worth a pickup in dynasty leagues if available and is worth a second look in all formats this weekend thanks to a favorable game versus the downtrodden New York Giants.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Okonkwo has been a dreadful disappointment this season after entering the campaign with tons of hype. No touchdowns, no 40-yard games. The light at the end of the tunnel is that with Will Levis throwing passes instead of Ryan Tannehill, that can only lead to better numbers from Tennessee's up-and-coming tight end. Do not give up on him yet.
Jonnu Smith, Atlanta Falcons
While Smith had his worst game of the year in Week 8 thanks to one catch for 13 yards, at least the Falcons gave him the opportunity to throw a pass. The bad news is Smith is no Taysom Hill. The good news is that Atlanta looks like its fed up with Desmond Ridder’s careless ball handling skills and is ready to allow Taylor Heinicke to run the show. That will mean more consistent passes heading Smith’s way in future weeks.
Connor Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
With Pat Freiermuth still nursing his hamstring injury, Heyward has stepped into the role of safety valve over the middle. He caught five of the six passes thrown to him against Jacksonville, albeit for a paltry 24 yards. With Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation as murky as a southern swamp due to Kenny Pickett’s rib injury, Heyward can only be viewed as a longshot low-cost option in DFS contests.
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