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As we inch closer to the end in fantasy football leagues, getting your roster ready for the final playoff push is paramount.
Arizona’s Trey McBride and Washington’s Logan Thomas are the only starting tight ends on bye this week, so most fantasy managers will not be scouring the waiver wire this week for help at that position -- unless they have not found a replacement for Mark Andrews yet.
Without further ado, here are the best tight end waiver wire pickups for Week 14, beginning with a high-priced New York Giant who might finally pay off dividends this week:
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Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 14 Waiver Wire
Darren Waller, New York Giants
Millions of fantasy managers have given up on Waller. They cannot put up with Waller’s myriad of hamstring injuries any longer, and they have no faith that third-string Italian stallion Tommy Devito can put the ball in Waller’s bread basket week in and week out. That is why Waller has gone from being a top-five fantasy tight end to being out on the street in most leagues.
Waller is slated to come off the injured reserve this week, however. If he is healthy and his hamstring has been re-strung like Dave Grohl’s guitar after a marathon Foo Fighters concert, he immediately jumps to the top of the tight end heap on fantasy free agent lists. Waller had 20 receptions for 227 yards and a TD over a three-game span right before he was injured. Pick him up now while others in your league are scared to pull the trigger, and you could be gifted Pro Bowl production the rest of the way. And if Tyrod Taylor also returns to the field, that will boost Waller's fantasy value.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
Likely should be revved up and revived after a week off. He has assumed the role of Baltimore’s top tight end in the wake of Andrews’ season-ending injury, and the super sophomore has a winnable matchup this Sunday against the L.A. Rams pass defense. The Rams just made backup TE Harrison Bryant look like a Mark Bavaro clone, so Likely should be able to find seams and make plays downfield against them this weekend.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Higbee followed up his two-TD performance from Week 12 with a pair of catches for 35 yards in unlucky Week 13. He would have racked up more receptions and yards if he did not suffer a neck/head injury towards the end of the game versus Cleveland. Higbee’s questionable status and his matchup against Baltimore’s No. 2 pass defense are the reasons he is not listed first or second in this week’s column.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
Everett is coming off consecutive 40-yard games for the first time in 2023. Let’s not put him in the Hall of Fame just yet. I just like the fact that Justin Herbert and the Chargers are featuring Everett consistently after teasing that Donald Parham Jr. was ready to take over at tight end. Everett faces Denver’s 24th-ranked pass defense this week, a D that has greatly improved but still allows too many big chunk plays to opposing passing attacks.
Do Not Forget About…
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
While Luke Musgrave nurses his lacerated kidney, Kraft is taking his targets at the tight end spot. The South Dakota State product has 84 yards and a TD over his last three outings. This will not win Kraft any awards or make him as desirable to fantasy managers as a strip steak is to a carnivore, but it does put him on the fantasy map as a low-priced get in standard and dynasty leagues.
Brevin Jordan, Houston Texans
Jordan has had a lot of fantasy false starts where he had one decent game that made people pick him up, but then he delivered a string of zeroes instead of becoming a fantasy hero. He is coming off his best game of the season, though, after catching three passes for 64 yards against Denver. With gamebreaker Tank Dell out with a broken leg, Jordan could be targeted by C.J. Stroud a lot more down the stretch.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
The Titans do not have a ton to be happy about, but Okonkwo’s sudden development is one of the few things the organization can be happy about. The Tennessee tight end has seven receptions for 107 yards over his past two games, which might not sound like Frank Wycheck numbers. But Okonkwo only mustered 206 receiving yards over his first 10 outings, so his recent stats seem promising.
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
Mayer had last week off, so many fantasy managers might have forgotten about him quicker than I forgot about that kale salad I had the other day as a “snack.” Mayer can only do so much in a pedestrian offense where Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs get 99 percent of the touches, but a home game against Minnesota’s below-average pass defense might mean a 50-yard game for him this weekend.
Harrison Bryant, Cleveland Browns
Bryant plays a distant second fiddle to David Njoku in Cleveland’s tight end pecking order, but the reserve has scored touchdowns in back-to-back games and had instant chemistry with veteran QB Joe Flacco this past Sunday. Bryant had five catches for 49 yards in one game after having just five catches for 12 yards in his first nine games of the campaign. No need to rush to scoop him up. Just keep an eye on this Bryant-Flacco partnership to see if it’s the real deal or just a one-week wonder.
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