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This could be the last week millions of fantasy football players will have to worry about which tight end they will be using.
Week 14 is the final week of the regular season in many fantasy football leagues, so if you have been rotating journeymen and has-beens in and out of the tight end spot in your fantasy lineup all year long, missing the playoffs will save you from this burden. This week is not loaded with wonderful waiver wire options at the position, either. If you have not found your tight end by now, chances are whomever you pick up this week will not be a savior. Hopefully, someone in this column can get you the couple points you need to win your game and qualify for your league playoffs, though!
Without further ado, here are the best tight ends to pick up heading into Week 14. Good luck RotoBallers!
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TE Waiver Wire Options for Week 14
Jaylen Samuels, Pittsburgh Steelers - 11% owned
This one is a bit of a stretch, but still needs to be mentioned. In Yahoo leagues, Steelers running back Jaylen Samuels is both running back and tight end eligible. With the news the James Conner will miss time with an ankle injury, Samuels is the top waiver wire add this week. For those that are loaded up at RB or WR, being able to slot Samuels into the TE position could be a huge advantage in the fantasy playoffs.
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens – 17% owned
Baltimore drafted two tight ends in April, and Andrews was not the first one. First-rounder Hayden Hurst has been banged-up and disappointing during his rookie campaign, however, and Andrews has been healthier, steadier and the better fantasy option, especially in recent weeks.
Andrews will be running routes against the worst pass defense in the NFL this week, which boosts his attractiveness more than maple syrup does for waffles. Kansas City’s pass defense has been the polar opposite of its pass offense in 2018. Andrews should find seams in the secondary this Sunday, and rookie phenom Lamar Jackson has been able to find him downfield over the past two weeks (121 yards on four catches). I like Andrews a lot as a low-cost option in all fantasy formats.
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans – 22% owned
I think Smith is finally mastering the art of playing tight end in the NFL. It took him about a year and a half, but suddenly Smith has gone from barely-heard-from blocker to a talented tight end who can make plays between the 20s and down in the red zone, even when the conservative offense he plays in holds pass catchers back a bit.
Smith has 15 receptions for 214 and three touchdowns over his past five contests. He flashed big-play ability when he scored his 61-yard touchdown last Monday night against Houston, but he also shows that he has strong hands and can make tough catches in traffic. Just temper your expectations this week since Smith is facing the Jacksonville defense that is No. 1 in pass defense and just shut out Andrew Luck and his Indianapolis Colts after Luck had thrown for three touchdowns in eight straight outings.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams – 26% owned
If you believed that the Los Angeles Rams offense would sputter because Cooper Kupp tore his ACL, you are looking dumber than Georgia head coach Kirby Smart did when he called for that fake punt against Alabama. The Rams are still scoring up a storm, and now Everett is becoming a bigger part of the passing attack than he has at any point of his young career.
Everett has three touchdown grabs over the Rams’ past three games and has been getting some of the targets that used to go Kupp’s way. He is as inconsistent as Todd Gurley is consistent and will never become a focal point of the offense unless Gurley, Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks all tear their ACLs, but Everett has a better chance of giving fantasy owners 40 yards and a score in games than he ever has before.
Other Tight End Options
Chris Herndon IV, New York Jets – 34% owned
Being one of the most targeted Jets is about as valuable as being the best punter on a team that always goes for it on fourth down. That said, Herndon continues to be one of the better tight ends available in fantasy leagues. He has topped the 30-yard mark in six of his last seven games and had three touchdowns over that span.
Dan Arnold, New Orleans Saints – 4% owned
Arnold was third on the Saints depth chart at tight end behind veterans Benjamin Watson and Josh Hill as of a few weeks ago, but the converted wide receiver caught 10 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown over New Orleans’ last four contests and seems to have caught Drew Brees’ attention. Arnold should not have a clunker this week against a Tampa Bay pass defense that has been at the bottom of the pass defense rankings all season long.
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