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Welcome back to our fantasy football tight end waiver wire pickups for Week 8. After a couple of weeks where bye weeks were ruining the rosters of fantasy footballers, we now get a surprise reprieve.
I am not sure why the NFL schedule makers did this, but no teams are on bye this week. Maybe they knew with Halloween around the corner that the only thing scarier for fantasy footballers than a ghost chasing them in a cornfield with a pitchfork is having half their roster on bye at the same time.
Even though there are no tight ends on bye, there are millions of fantasy squads that are lacking production at the position. That is why my column is here! Without further ado, here are the best tight end waiver wire pickups for Week 8, starting with the multi-dimensional threat of the New Orleans Saints.
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Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 8 Waiver Wire
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Hill is no longer a gadget quarterback disguised as a tight end, fantasy folks! He is a bonafide pass catcher and has been handling his tight end duties with the Saints like he has played there all his NFL life. Hill rushed for 18 yards and a TD while adding four catches and 50 yards when he was not in the shotgun formation against Jacksonville.
Hill is a special do-it-all talent who can make plays with his hands, arms, and feet. There is even a slight chance that he could get more reps at QB if Derek Carr continues to throw passes too high or too low in the end zone. Pick up Hill now, use him at TE, and enjoy the fruits of his fantasy labor when he slides into a QB, RB, or WR role to gift you extra-added fantasy points.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Fantasy managers in your league might forget about Schultz since he was silent due to his bye last week. Do not make the same nincompoop-like mistake. Schultz has scored touchdowns in three consecutive games and now has had another week to gain reps and chemistry with rookie signal-caller C.J. Stroud. He has an outstanding chance to score another touchdown or two this weekend against Carolina’s hopeless and winless team.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
This is a good column for Daltons. Buffalo’s rookie tight end showed no ill effects after suffering a concussion that cost him his Week 6 contest. He hauled in all eight passes Josh Allen aimed at him and turned them into 75 yards versus New England. It appears Kincaid has passed Dawson Knox on the tight end target totem pole and could develop into a red zone threat sooner rather than later. Kincaid would be ranked higher if Knox was not there to slice into his targets, though.
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
The impressive rookie only caught two passes for 13 yards in Las Vegas’ embarrassing Week 7 loss to the Chicago Bears, but the lack of numbers can be blamed on veteran seat-filler Brian Hoyer being the one throwing many of the passes. Mayer has a bright future and should be picked up in dynasty formats for sure since his ceiling is higher than the one at Shaquille O’Neal’s mansion. Just do not expect him to rack up solid stats week in and week out until the Raiders get better quarterback play.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
The good news is Everett has taken advantage of Mike Williams’ season-ending injury by scoring touchdowns in back-to-back games while emerging as a Justin Herbert favorite. The bad news is Everett suffered a quadriceps injury in the Kansas City game so his status will have to be monitored before you think about claiming him on fantasy waivers.
Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders
Thomas got back in the fantasy win column after ruining Week 6 for many fantasy managers when he caught one pass for two yards. He was much better against division rival New York as he caught four passes on six targets for 51 yards. Thomas’ fantasy worth will be damaged until Washington finds an upgrade over Sam Howell at QB, but Thomas is showing that he still has fantasy value even if the passer throwing to him is inconsistent.
Do Not Forget About…
Jonnu Smith, Atlanta Falcons
Smith’s three catches for 27 yards in Week 7 would be decent for many tight ends, yet it was his worst effort of the season. That is saying a lot for Smith considering he is the No. 2 TE on his own run-heavy team behind ultra-talented Kyle Pitts. Pick up Smith if you can live with 30-50 yards per week and maybe you will get more if Pitts misses a couple games due to injury later in the season.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
After starting out of the gates this season like Carl Lewis with touchdowns in back-to-back games, Henry fell on harder times than the DVD industry. He caught just seven passes for 75 yards over a four-game stretch before Sunday’s modest 27-yard performance against Buffalo. I would think twice about ignoring Henry, though, because of his past track record and due to his matchup this week against Miami, whom he had six catches for 52 yards and a touchdown against earlier this year.
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
With seven catches for 91 yards over Arizona’s past two games, McBride has outperformed Zach Ertz. While it is too early to call McBride the better of the tight end tandem, if Arizona deals Ertz at the trade deadline, it would open up extra opportunities for the youngster to rack up receptions during the second half of the season.
Connor Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
With Pat Freiermuth shelved for several weeks with his hamstring injury, Heyward gets to fill his shoes. The second-year player has back-to-back 23-yard games and should be targeted more often in future games now that he is proving he can handle more snaps. Just know Heyward is a bargain-basement DFS play only and not a long-term solution in your standard fantasy league since Freiermuth should return in early November.
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