X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Tight Ends Waiver Wire: Week 9 Pickups and Adds

Week 9 is when the most fantasy football owners around the world will be searching for tight ends on the waiver wire.

Not only is Week 9 the only week during the NFL season that six teams are on bye instead of the usual two-to-four, the caliber of the tight ends taking the week off is startling.  Seattle’s Jimmy Graham and Kansas City’s Travis Kelce are two of the top five fantasy tight ends going right now, while Detroit’s Eric Ebron is on the verge of becoming a dominant pass catcher as well.

Two of the best tight ends available in most leagues are guys that were two of the best a few weeks ago.  Another viable free agent at the position is someone fantasy owners should be very familiar with thanks to his solid production over the past decade.  This is definitely a week to go with a veteran tight end with your waiver wire pick.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

Here are three tight ends you should think about picking up this week:

 

Week 9 Waiver Wire -- Tight Ends (TE)

 Benjamin Watson (TE, NO ) -- 42% OWNED

Watson was the top tight end to sign up in my column two weeks ago, but most fantasy owners either ignored him or grabbed him for just one week and then dropped him again.  Watson is available in more than half of the leagues.  That will not be the case next week.

The 34-year-old was no one-game wonder after catching 10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.  After a respectable 59-yard outing in Week 7, Watson had his second monster game in three weeks by snagging nine passes for a career-high 147 yards and a score against a banged-up New York Giants defense.  The only complaint fantasy owners could have about his performance was that he only caught one touchdown pass when Drew Brees threw seven of them.

Watson has 26 receptions for 369 yards and three touchdowns over his last four games.  Many tight ends do not post those numbers over the course of an entire season.  Watson has been a fantasy revelation.  We need to find out what Fountain of Youth he has been drinking at so we can all have a taste of that water.

Watson is showing no signs of slowing down and is primed to have another humongous game this weekend when his Saints host the inept Tennessee Titans.  But while the 1-6 Titans have been horrible at almost everything, pass defense is the one thing they have been good at.  They are allowing under 200 passing yards per game, although some of that can be attributed to the quality of the quarterbacks they have faced and the fact they have trailed late in most of their games so opponents have chosen to run rather than pass against them.

I am going to go out on a limb and say Watson will not have a dozen catches for 150 yards this week.  If he does we should check his DNA and make sure he is not a machine.  But seven receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown is entirely possible as he continues to rise as a fantasy force.  The great news is that Brees' shoulder is no longer a concern, so getting the ball to Watson will not be a problem.

 

Jacob Tamme (TE, ATL) -- 11% OWNED

Tamme is another tight end I touted a couple columns ago, yet he is on the waiver wire in almost 90 percent of leagues.  Fantasy owners must have thought his 10-catch breakout effort against the Washington Redskins three games ago was a fluke.  All Tamme did was prove his doubters wrong by having his second double-digit reception game in the span of a month.

Tamme had 10 receptions for 103 yards and a trip to the end zone against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that has had trouble covering tight ends the past few weeks (see Jordan Reed’s numbers versus them in Week 7).

Tamme might not be in the comfort of his own dome his Sunday, but he has other factors in his favor.  Atlanta plays San Francisco, and the 49ers are ranked 27th against the pass this season and are in dire need of Ronnie Lott or Deion Sanders to come out of retirement and step into the secondary.

Tamme has angled ahead of Roddy White and Leonard Hankerson to become Matt Ryan’s third-favorite target behind Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman.  He has had three catches or more in six of his seven contests, and his targets will go up before they come down.  Ink him to a fantasy deal this week and he should be a solid stopgap for your squad.

 

Heath Miller (TE, PIT ) -- 38% OWNED

The ageless Miller brushed the grey hair out of his eyes this past Sunday and saw the passes coming to him clearly.

After catching just 17 balls all season coming into last weekend’s action, Miller shocked the fantasy world (and probably his own family) by hauling in 10 Ben Roethlisberger tosses for 103 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals.

With top tailback Le’Veon Bell out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury and with “Big Ben” back from his own knee injury, look for Pittsburgh to be more of a pass-first, run-second offense the rest of the year.  That means less blocking and more receiving for Miller, who was virtually non-existent during the dark days when Michael Vick and Landry Jones were running the Steelers show.

Pittsburgh has a date at home with the Oakland Raiders, who must be on Cloud 109 after what they did to the New York Jets this past Sunday.  But the reality is the Raiders have the 31st pass defense in the NFL, and they are so short on secondary skill that Charles Woodson starts for them, and he is 900 years old (OK, only 39).

Miller is not going to break any 70-yard plays or score multiple touchdowns, but with Roethlisberger back at the helm, Miller is a perfect one-week option for a fantasy owners missing a tight end.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jauan Jennings

Avoids Serious Shoulder Injury
Garrett Crochet

Shuts Out the Athletics
Royce Lewis

Launches Two Homers Monday Night
NBA

Mason Jones Takes His Talents to Australia
NBA

Talen Horton-Tucker Joins Reigning EuroLeague Champions
New York Knicks

Malcolm Brogdon on Knicks' Radar
Andrew Wiggins

Attracting Interest From Lakers
Miami Heat

Heat Interested in Reunion With Precious Achiuwa
Tyler Glasnow

Fans 11 in Seven No-Hit Innings Monday
Slade Cecconi

Takes No-Hitter Into Eighth Inning Monday
Max Muncy

Batting Cleanup in Return to Dodgers
New York Knicks

Ben Simmons Reportedly Declined Knicks' Contract Offer
Younghoe Koo

Falcons Auditioning Kickers, Could Replace Younghoe Koo
Denver Broncos

Sean Payton Says Broncos Need to be Better With Run-Pass Balance
Tank Bigsby

Eagles Acquiring Tank Bigsby From Jaguars on Monday
George Kittle

Likely Out 3-5 Weeks, Could Land on Injured Reserve
Chase Burns

to be Activated on Friday
Brock Purdy

Dealing With Multiple Injuries, Could Miss Week 2
Tyler Glasnow

Cleared to Start on Monday
Logan O'Hoppe

Placed on Concussion Injured List
Christian Yelich

Returning on Monday
Elias Pettersson

Feeling "Good" Ahead of Season
NHL

Alex Formenton Rejoins Swiss Team
NHL

Grigori Denisenko Heads Back Home
CAR

Kevin Labanc Joins Hurricanes for Tryout
Ross Colton

Healthy for Start of Season
Daniel Palencia

Cubs Place Daniel Palencia on Injured List With Shoulder Strain
Pete Crow-Armstrong

Returning on Monday
Sean Murphy

Done for the Year With Hip Labral Tear
Alec Bohm

Lands on Injured List With Cyst in his Shoulder
Trea Turner

Going on Injured List, Phillies Hope to Have him Back for Playoffs
Brock Bowers

Considered Day-to-Day With Knee Injury
Jonathan Taylor

is "Good" After Taking a Hit to his Neck in Week 1
Caio Borralho

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Kyle Stowers

Suffers Setback on Rehab Assignment?
Nassourdine Imavov

Extends Win Streak
Mauricio Ruffy

Gets Submitted
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Taps Out Mauricio Ruffy
Michael King

Expected to Return on Tuesday
Russell Wilson

Remains the Giants Starter
Trea Turner

Undergoing MRI Exam on Monday
Paul Craig

Retires After UFC Paris Loss
Denny Hamlin

Earns his First Cup Victory at Gateway
Kyle Larson

Damage Ruins Kyle Larson's Chance At a Top Finish at Gateway
Christopher Bell

Scores his Third Top-10 Finish at Gateway
Joey Logano

Maintains his Perfect Top-Five Streak at Gateway
Ryan Blaney

Struggles and Recovers for a Top-Five Finish at Gateway
Modestas Bukauskas

Scores First-Round Knockout
Bolaji Oki

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Xavier Worthy

Week-to-Week with Dislocated Shoulder
Mason Jones

Scores Comeback Win
Rhys McKee

Suffers Third-Round TKO Loss
Axel Sola

Successful In His UFC Debut
Robert Ruchała

Robert Ruchala Unsuccessful In His UFC Debut
William Gomis

Bounces Back In The Win Column
Derrick Henry

Scores Twice but has Costly Fumble on Sunday
Lamar Jackson

Shines With Three Total Touchdowns in Loss to Bills
Keon Coleman

Leads the Team With 11 Targets on Sunday
Josh Allen

Totals Four Touchdowns in Win Over Ravens
Chase Elliott

Gets Lucky but Still Has Best Run at Gateway
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Wins Stage 2, but Was Let Down by Strategy
Tyler Reddick

Despite Bad Luck, Tyler Reddick Does What he Needed to Do
Chase Briscoe

Recovers from Incident with Daniel Suarez to Finish Second
William Byron

Late Caution Foils William Byron's Shot at Gateway Victory
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Dominates Targets in Seattle, Records 124 Receiving Yards in Week 1
Puka Nacua

Leads Rams in Targets, Catches, and Receiving Yards in Week 1
Logan O'Hoppe

Exits After Concussion Scare, Status Remains Unclear
Christian McCaffrey

Logs 31 Touches in Season Opener
Travis Etienne Jr.

Dominates Backfield Touches in Jacksonville, Posts Monster Day
Jayson Tatum

"Moving Around Way Better"
Russell Wilson

Giants Won't Commit to Russell Wilson as Week 2 Starter
Drake London

Day-to-Day with Shoulder Sprain
George Kittle

and Jauan Jennings to Undergo MRIs
Daniel Palencia

to Miss Time With Shoulder Injury
Byron Buxton

Exits Early With Knee Contusion
Trea Turner

Suffers Hamstring Strain
Ryan Blaney

Should Contend at Gateway
Denny Hamlin

Fastest in Qualifying, the Favorite to Win at Gateway
Christopher Bell

Looking for Redemption at Gateway
Joey Logano

Has Been Elite at Gateway
Austin Cindric

Should Be On Your Radar at Gateway
AJ Allmendinger

Could Be a Sleeper Again at Gateway
Tyler Reddick

Southern 500 Near-Miss Makes Tyler Reddick a Stronger Option for Gateway
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace a Likely Gateway Contender
Alex Bowman

a Long Shot to Advance in Playoffs
Austin Dillon

Richard Childress Racing Looks Slower at Gateway, Which Will Hurt Austin Dillon
Shane Van Gisbergen

Starts 18th in Gateway Debut
Jeremy Swayman

Ready to Get Back on Track
Connor McDavid

Aiming for More Goals
NJ

Luke Glendening Signs Tryout Deal With Devils
Dylan Harper

Hoping to be Ready for the Opener Versus Dallas
EDM

Derek Ryan Retires From Hockey
Connor Zary

Agrees to Three-Year Deal With Flames
Carey Price

Canadiens Trade Carey Price to Sharks
Rasmus Hojgaard

Finishes Tied For Second at Omega European Masters
Tyrrell Hatton

Finishes Tied for 32nd at LIV Indianapolis
Matt Fitzpatrick

Finishes Fifth at Omega European Masters
Patrick Cantlay

Finishes Tied For Second in 2025 FedEx Cup Standings
Xander Schauffele

Finishes 42nd in 2025 FedEx Cup Standings
Caio Borralho

Set For A Title Eliminator Bout
Nassourdine Imavov

Looks To Earn A Title Shot
Mauricio Ruffy

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Set For UFC Paris Co-Main Event
Modestas Bukauskas

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Paul Craig

In Dire Need Of Victory
Mason Jones

Set for Main-Card Bout
Bolaji Oki

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Rhys McKee

Set To Open Up UFC Paris Main Card
Jon Rahm

Looks to Prove His Importance on European Ryder Cup Team
Tommy Fleetwood

Among Leaders of European Ryder Cup Team
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Close to Triple-Double Versus Serbia
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Fills Box Score Against Turkey
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Shakes Off Minor Injury
E.J. Liddell

Inks Two-Way Deal With Nets
NBA

Ben Simmons Reportedly Considering Retirement
P.J. Washington

Agrees to Four-Year, $90 Million Extension
Sepp Straka

Gets Captain's Pick to Join Team Europe
PGA

Victor Hovland to Make Third Ryder Cup Appearance for Team Europe
J.J. Spaun

Set to Represent Team USA for First Time at Bethpage
Russell Henley

Makes First Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Harris English

Named to Ryder Cup Team for Second Time
Justin Thomas

Making Fourth Ryder Cup Team Appearance at Bethpage
Ben Griffin

Making First Career Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Bryson DeChambeau

Set to be Part of Team USA at Bethpage

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP