RADIO
Fantasy football managers’ worst fear of the year is here – the start of the dreaded bye weeks.
The tight end position was already causing problems for fantasy footballers due to the injuries of Tampa Bay’s Rob Gronkowski and San Francisco’s George Kittle. Now four teams will be on bye this week, including the Atlanta Falcons. That means talented tight end Kyle Pitts, who just posted a 9-119-1 line in London on Sunday morning, is off. So there will be millions of fantasy players scrambling for tight end replacements this week on their league’s waiver wires.
Here are the best available options on fantasy waiver wires at tight end heading into Week 6! Please note that Buffalo’s Dawson Knox has finally been picked up in enough leagues (78 percent), so he no longer has to be mentioned in the column after weeks of me signing his praises.
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Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 6 Waiver Wire
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots – 46% rostered
Good news! Mac Jones is starting to get the hang of this franchise quarterback thing in the NFL. Greater news – Henry has gone five straight games without breaking a bone or straining a muscle. After a trio of unexciting efforts for fantasy managers to start the season, Henry has rounded into Pro Bowl form with 10 receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns over his last two contests. More importantly, the injury-prone tight end has stayed healthy, which has to make fantasy players and Bill Belichick happy.
Henry has outplayed and outperformed fellow multi-millionaire and tight end teammate Jonnu Smith since both joined the Patriots. He also has a subpar receiving corps surrounding him and has third-down back James White on the IR, so he is the unquestionable top target on the team at the moment. Henry has a date with a Dallas defense that has ranked near the bottom of the pass defense rankings this season, so he is undoubtedly the numero uno choice at tight end on fantasy waiver wires for Week 6.
Others Tight Ends to Consider Adding
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns – 3% rostered
Austin Hooper be damned –to fantasy football oblivion, that is. Njoku busted out in a big way in Week 5 as he racked up seven receptions for 149 yards and a TD. He is so inconsistent and the way the Browns utilize their trio of tight ends is so inconsistent that fantasy football GMs cannot count on Njoku to be a fantasy force every weekend, but this breakout performance is something to note if you have roster room and are light at tight end.
Ricky Seals-Jones, Washington Football Team – 2% rostered
2020 Most Improved Tight End Logan Thomas is out for a month due to a hamstring injury and Seals-Jones has stepped in admirably in the early going. He caught five passes for 41 yards on a surprising eight targets against New Orleans and should have no trouble getting open against Kansas City’s porous secondary this Sunday.
Evan Engram, New York Giants – 31% rostered
How amazing is it that the Giants offense is losing players left and right, but Engram is one of the few healthy guys standing upright? He was able to put up a season-high 55 yards against Dallas and should be able to do better this week if he gets a portion of the targets the injured Saquon Barkley and Kenny Golladay leave behind. Engram just needs the Giants staff to realize Kadarius Toney is not Jerry Rice and does not need to be aimed at 12-15 times.
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals – 8% rostered
You must realize that Uzomah is a block-first tight end who is just now starting to become an all-around player after a few years in the NFL. His two-TD game in Week 4 was probably an aberration. This past week, he was only targeted twice even though Joe Burrow threw 38 passes. The game plan and opposing defense’s scheme will dictate a lot for him on a weekly basis. That said, Uzomah has a positive-looking matchup against the winless Detroit Lions next on his schedule.
Dan Arnold, Jacksonville Jaguars – 4% rostered
Arnold led the hopeless Jags in receptions, receiving yards, and targets this past weekend, which is both proof he has the talent to be a decent fantasy tight end and an indictment on how bad the team’s receiving corps is. He has a home game this week against a Miami team that just allowed Tom Brady to throw five touchdown passes against, so Arnold is a sneaky play that could work wonders for your fantasy squad.
Donald Parham Jr., Los Angeles Chargers – 0% rostered
Parham Jr. has a problem because 100-yard-old Jared Cook will not ride off into the sunset anytime soon it seems. Parham Jr. has upside, intriguing physical gifts, and touchdowns in back-to-back games, but he cannot be trusted too much in fantasy circles unless he pushes Cook out of the picture in the Chargers passing attack.
Do Not Forget About…
Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts – 2% rostered
Alie-Cox scored two touchdowns in Week 4 and is facing Baltimore in Monday night’s matchup, so the jury is out on how high his fantasy value will be until that game is played. He has above-average physical skills but has to split time and targets with veteran Jack Doyle in Indianapolis’ system.
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings – 22% rostered
Conklin is slipping to the bottom of my column because he is not doing anything special in any fantasy category that makes fantasy players want to pick him up. He is no Irv Smith Jr., but as long as he remains Kirk Cousins’ starting tight end he should be able to garner 25-50 yards and not destroy your fantasy chances if you are pressed into picking him up and playing him.
Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints – 6% rostered
Trautman has 43 receiving yards in Week 5 after only mustering up 21 total in the month prior. He was supposed to be New Orleans’ No. 1 TE entering the season, so this past week may be a small sign that he is ready to reclaim his spot in the offense and push Juwan Johnson back to being the No. 2 TE.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears – 23% rostered
It is hard to get pumped up about Kmet until Justin Fields starting cracking the 225-yard mark with his passing yards, but Kmet is the present and future top tight end for the Bears and will thrive once Fields improves and the Bears offense is fully on track.
Tommy Tremble, Carolina Panthers – 1% rostered
Tremble is a project and a player whose value is more geared for dynasty leagues right now than standard leagues. He is slowly gaining the confidence of Carolina’s coaching staff, though, so while Ian Thomas has been catching more passes, Tremble is the one with two scores over his past three games.
Ross Dwelley, San Francisco 49ers – 3% rostered
The 49ers are off this week and Kittle is a week closer to returning, but Dwelley has always served as solid Kittle insurance in deep leagues. He had a three-game stretch last year where he accounted for 117 receiving yards and a touchdown and is good for 20-40 yards per game when he fills in for Kittle.
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