RADIO
If you did not find the right tight end by now, chances are your fantasy football season is over and you are moving onto hoops and hockey --- and not reading this column.
The opening week of the playoffs is upon many fantasy football leagues around the country and world, so many leagues might not even allow owners to pick up players on the waiver wire anymore. If you in that kind of league then you are out of luck and will have to suffer if Charles Clay or Tyler Higbee as your tight end. But if you can still make roster moves and make a last-ditch attempt to have a suitable tight end in your lineup for your upcoming playoff game, I have a handful that could help!
Without further ado, here are the best tight ends to pick up heading into Week 15. Good luck RotoBallers!
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TE Waiver Wire Options for Week 15
Ian Thomas, Carolina Panthers – 15% owned
Greg Olsen has become the poster boy for podiatrists with all of his foot problems. Now that he has finally been shut down for the season with his latest foot fracture, Thomas has stepped in and stepped up. Thomas led Carolina this past weekend with 11 targets that he turned into nine receptions for 77 yards against Cleveland.
Not only is Thomas lucky enough to jump into Olsen’s grave, I mean starting spot, this weekend he gets to find seems in New Orleans’ bottom-five-in-the-NFL pass defense. The Saints just allowed Tampa Bay’s Cameron Brate to catch a pair of touchdown passes, so as long as Cam Newton’s cranky shoulder does not limit to two-yard dump-offs, Thomas amounts to being the No. 1 tight end available on waiver wires in many leagues for Week 15.
Jaylen Samuels, Pittsburgh Steelers – 51% owned
If you are one of the fantasy owners in Yahoo leagues who has passed on Samuels even though he is a TE-eligible running back, you better pounce on him quicker than a monkey pounces on a banana if Samuels is still available and you desperately need a tight end. Samuels delivered seven receptions for 64 yards and added 28 yards on the ground against Oakland this past Sunday and could do even better if given a second start as Pittsburgh’s top tailback.
James Conner’s availability for this week’s titanic tilt with New England is questionable at the time this column is being published, so Samuels is a must add in Yahoo formats because he can be used at tight end. With Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes hanging in the balance, you know Conner and the Steelers training staff will do everything in their power to have Conner ready to go this weekend, but Samuels has at least a 50-50 chance to start and be a fantasy savior to millions.
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals – 29% owned
Uzomah’s name has popped up in this column more often than Whitey Bulger’s popped up on FBI’s Most Wanted list when he was a fugitive. You could do worse than Uzomah, but it will be hard to find better tight ends than him on the waiver wire in most fantasy leagues at this late stage of the season.
Uzomah will be up against an Oakland pass defense that is far from scary and has nothing to play for. The Raiders have been playing much better and with more passion at home in recent weeks, but their defense could be due for a clunker in a meaningless road game. Uzomah has averaged 6.5 targets per game over the last four weeks as new starting signal caller Jeff Driskel has picked up where Andy Dalton left off when it comes to trusting him. Using Uzomah, especially in PPR leagues, is better than having a black hole at tight end this week.
Other Tight End Options
Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins – 19% owned
With Jordan Reed injured for the umpteenth time, Davis will be Washington’s top tight end for the foreseeable future. Not sure who will be throwing him the ball (Mark Sanchez? Josh Johnson? Heath Shuler???), but Davis will see more targets than most pass catchers on the Redskins roster against Jacksonville’s stingy pass defense this weekend.
Jordan Thomas, Houston Texans – 10% owned
Thomas can only be used in touchdown leagues at this juncture since he has not shown consistency with his reception and yardage numbers. He is a humongous physical specimen who is difficult to cover in the red zone, though, who has scored four touchdowns over his past half-dozen games. Thomas is home this week against a middle-of-the-pack New York Jets secondary, so plug him in and pray for a TD.
Follow Craig on Twitter @craigrondinone!
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