RADIO
While there were plenty of movers and shakers on the fantasy scene, the tight end position didn't see as much volatility. Injuries have been the biggest story in the tight end world, but the tight ends remained healthy, at least during this past week.
So here we are, feverishly looking to analyze statistics and projections to justify an addition to our fantasy football teams.
Below are my Week 5 waiver wire adds for tight ends. Following this past week's games, this is a list of tight ends you should consider adding to your roster.
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Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 5
Tyler Kroft (TE, CIN) - 1% owned (FAAB Bid: 3%)
He appeared on this list last week and he's here again after his 6-68-2 outburst last week. The state of the TE continues to be incredibly poor in the NFL so if Kroft can be Tyler Eifert lite, that's good enough on a week by week basis.
Benjamin Watson (TE, BAL) - 24% owned (FAAB Bid: 2%)
The Ravens are one of the worst teams in the NFL. Joe Flacco is getting worse and worse every year. However, I reiterate how problematic the TE position is this season. Watson has 17 targets over the past three weeks. Volume is king in fantasy football. Five or six targets is enough to at least do something with. It's rough out there, but next week against Oakland is a great spot as they have historically struggled against the TE. They just got roasted by AJ Derby.
Jared Cook (TE, OAK) - 5% owned (FAAB Bid: 4%)
Jared Cook has at least five targets in every game this season. He will never live up to the repeated hype throughout his entire career, replenishing itself every time he switched teams. However, he's held his own this season and with bye weeks beginning, he's a good fill in for Jordan Reed owners.
Deeper League Options
Ed Dickson (TE, CAR) - 3% owned (FAAB Bid: 0%)
This is a dart throw if I've ever seen one. Ed Dickson is not particularly talented, but Cam Newton likes throwing to his TE and currently that man is Dickson. He's probably not seeing more than four or five targets, but in deep roster leagues or 16+ team leagues, you can take a shot.
Must Hold Tight Ends
The following players are a complete and exhaustive list of all the Tight Ends you absolutely cannot drop. Anyone not listed below can be safely cut.
Initially, I was going to list a couple names that you can drop if you needed to. Upon review of the state of the tight end position, I am amending my approach on the fly. If your TE is not found listed below, that does not mean you should run out and drop him right now. Don't do that. Just understand that if you had to drop him, you should not feel compelled to keep him because of something like ownership percentage or name value.
- Rob Gronkowski (TE, NE)
- Travis Kelce (TE, KC)
- Zach Ertz (TE, PHI)
- Delanie Walker (TE, TEN)
- Jordan Reed (TE, WAS)
- Evan Engram (TE, NYG)
