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 7 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 7
Austin Hooper (TE, ATL) - 50% owned (FAAB Bid: 4%)
It is getting increasingly difficult to create this list each week. The select few TEs worth owning are owned at a high rate and not many others are worth rostering consistently. Austin Hooper has 16 targets over his last two games and seems to be the clear second option in this passing attack with Mohamed Sanu sidelined. After catching just five balls over his first three games, Hooper has caught 12 over his last two. The Falcons have two favorable matchups against the Patriots and Jets upcoming. Hooper should be owned in most leagues.
George Kittle (TE, SF) - 8% owned (FAAB Bid: 1%)
At this point, I'm looking for players that are seeing targets. George Kittle fits the mold. He has 17 targets and 11 receptions over his last two games. He adds tremendous athleticism and plays for a team typically trailing with a weak receiving corps. C.J. Beathard is taking over for Brian Hoyer going forward. Rookie QBs can tend to lean on their TEs. Kittle has a decent chance to return back end TE1 value.
Tyler Kroft (TE, CIN) - 10% owned (FAAB Bid: 6%)
I really believe Tyler Kroft could be Tyler Eifert lite. Andy Dalton likes throwing to his TE in the red zone. Kroft isn't as athletic as Eifert, but he can fill the void. Kroft showcased his ceiling against Cleveland with 6-68-2 and his floor against Buffalo with 4-38. That's a TE worth owning. 4-38 is about the best you can expect for a certain "elite" TE that I will discuss further down below. If that guy is universally owned, Kroft should be owned in more than 10% of leagues. His bye week likely led to a lot of people letting him go. Don't forget about him if you're in need of a TE.
Deeper League Options
Ryan Griffin (TE, HOU) - 8% owned (FAAB Bid: 0%)
You don't need to go out and get Ryan Griffin this week as the Texans are heading into their bye, but I want his name here as a reminder to keep his name buried in the back of your mind. Griffin is averaging 5.75 targets over his last four games with a high of eight this past Sunday. Since Deshaun Watson is apparently the greatest QB of all time, Griffin has value in this offense. He is a dart throw option that won't get you zero, which is the most ringing of endorsements he's going to get from me.
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)
- Austin Seferian Jenkins (TE, NYJ)
- Cameron Brate (TE, TB)
- Evan Engram (TE, NYG)
- Jimmy Graham (TE, SEA)
In case you haven't noticed, I have removed Jordan Reed (TE, WAS) from this last. He is simply not a must own. He's not a must drop as he's still better than guys like Kyle Rudolph, Jason Witten, or Martellus Bennett, but the days of Jordan Reed elite TE1 are over. His physical ability isn't gone, so there's always that chance he can explode, but this idea that you are getting a weekly edge by deploying Reed is false.
Reed hasn't eclipsed eight targets in a game (which occurred in week 1) and his best performance is 48 yards. His snap count got back up to 73% last week, but that's still not enough for high level or even mid level production. When healthy in 2016, Reed played close to 90% of the offensive snaps. He is not getting anywhere near that number in 2017.
It goes without saying that if you drop Reed, someone will immediately scoop him up. I'm here to tell you not to feel bad about it. Reed isn't much different than the other middle of the road TE options and I would rather have every name listed above than Reed for the rest of the season.
