Top Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 17: Gerald Everett, Foster Moreau, Cole Kmet, C.J. Uzomah, Austin Hooper

December 28, 2021

Craig Rondinone's fantasy football tight end waiver wire pickups before Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season. His free agent TEs to add, stream and stash off waivers.

It is championship week in most fantasy football leagues! If your team is no longer alive, then stop reading and move on to your fantasy hockey and hoops leagues.

Congratulations if you made your league’s title game! Kudos to you for navigating the treacherous combination of injuries, COVID, bye weeks, and awful NFL coaching decisions to make it to the championship round. Your league might not allow you to grab players off the waiver wire now that your playoffs are in full swing, but if you can make roster changes during the postseason and you need a tight end, take a look at the list below.

There might be a tight end here that could help you win your league. Here are the best available tight end options on fantasy waiver wires heading into Week 17!

Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 17 Waiver Wire

Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks — 42% rostered

Everett did it again! He has overcome the locker room drama and below-par play of his teammates to be a late-season fantasy force. Everett has three touchdowns over his last five games and has eight catches for 128 yards and a TD over the last two weeks. He is undoubtedly the top tight end available on fantasy waiver wires heading into this championship week and should not disappoint in a juicy home game against the lowly Detroit Lions.

Foster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders — 22% rostered

Moreau is not scoring the touchdowns some fantasy pundits predicted he would once he stepped in for the injured Darren Waller, but he now has back-to-back 65-yard games and has become more involved in the Raiders offense as other receivers have fallen by the wayside. If Waller does not make a heroic return for Las Vegas’ must-win game against Indianapolis, look for Moreau to be heavily targeted in Week 17.

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears — 25% rostered

It does not matter if Nick Foles, Andy Dalton, Justin Fields or Jim McMahon is the quarterback. Kmet just cannot get into the end zone. The good news is he has 24 receptions for 243 yards over his most recent five-game stretch. Kmet will help with his yardage and will be a bigger help if you are in a PPR league.

C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals — 23% rostered

Uzomah has gone eight games without a touchdown as Cincinnati’s passing attack fully revolves around its three talented wide receivers, which leaves Uzomah with the scraps of meaningless seven-yard safety valves. It should be tough sledding for him this week against a Kansas City defense that is arguably the hottest in the NFL right now, but he has a better shot to have a 50-yard game than most tight ends on waiver wires this late in the campaign thanks to Joe Burrow being his QB.

Others Tight Ends to Consider Adding

Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns — 31% rostered

Hooper has two touchdowns over his past five games and has clearly stated that he is Cleveland’s top tight end over David Njoku and Harrison Bryant. He also has a date against a Pittsburgh defense that is struggling mightily, just made Kansas City’s Byron Pringle look like Jerry Rice, and has allowed Hooper to catch 17 passes in his last three outings versus them.

James O'Shaughnessy, Jacksonville Jaguars — 3% rostered

Being one of the better pass-catching options in Jacksonville is akin to being one of the tastiest liver sandwiches at a deli, but O’Shaughnessy has eight receptions for 109 yards over the past two weeks. You could do worse on the waiver wire if you are in a deep league.

Evan Engram, New York Giants — 31% rostered

Engram is only a waiver wire candidate if Phil Simms comes out of retirement because Jake Fromm and Mike Glennon are embarrassing the Giants brass too much. He should get at least five targets and four catches against a Chicago defense that is ranked fourth against the pass but has allowed 12 touchdown tosses in its last five contests.

Do Not Forget About…

Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings — 42% rostered

The longest-tenured tight end in this column has not scored a TD in his last half-dozen games and has a difficult road game at division leader and archrival Green Bay. You can count on Conklin for a 3-35-0 or 4-45-0 line, but not much more. That said, if your choice is Conklin or playing without a tight end in your title tilt, go with Conklin.

Brevin Jordan, Houston Texans — 1% rostered

Jordan has a season-high 56 receiving yards against the L.A. Chargers, but the absence of Texans top target Brandin Cooks probably had a lot to do with that. Jordan has skills and upside, but he should be someone to keep an eye on in 2022 and not this week when you are looking for your championship tight end.

Zach Gentry, Pittsburgh Steelers — 0% rostered

Gentry caught four Ben Roethlisberger wobblers for 31 yards in his first start for the injured Pat Freiermuth. He is a longshot play, but is a good guy to pick up as an insurance policy if you have Freiermuth and he dashes your hopes of him starting next Monday night at the last minute.

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