Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 3

There is no need to panic if you are a fantasy football owner and you are not happy with the tight ends on your fantasy roster. There is no shortage of available tight ends on free agent lists and waiver wires in fantasy leagues this early in the season.

Since no teams have gone on bye yet and injuries have not decimated the position, fantasy players have as much to choose from as my wife does when she wants to find a home décor show on our cable system. The pickings get slimmer as the season wears on, however, so choosing the right tight end on the waiver wire is easier now than it is later.

Without further ado, here are my tight end waiver wire picks for Week 3!

TE Waiver Wire Options for Week 3

Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks – 19% owned

Seattle might be one of the few run-first teams left in the NFL, but Russell Wilson and Co. still have to throw the ball sometimes. Speedy slot man Tyler Lockett and breathtaking rookie DK Metcalf are doing commendable jobs holding down the inside and outside of the Seahawks passing attack, and now Dissly is doing solid work everywhere else.

After a one-catch, 12-yard clunker that made no fantasy players run out and grab Dissly off any waiver wire, Seattle’s top tight end followed with five receptions for 50 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh this past Sunday. Dissly can make plays downfield and in the red zone, and there is not much more a fantasy owner can ask out of his or her tight end. If Dissly can stay healthy he should remain a focal point of the offense and a top target of Wilson. He should do well against a reeling New Orleans pass defense this weekend.

Noah Fant, Denver Broncos – 37% owned

Detroit’s T.J. Hockenson was the first-round rookie tight end who got all the love last week when he busted out for 131 yards and a score in the opening game of his NFL career. Hockenson crashed back to Earth after catching one lone pass for only seven yards in his second outing, though. Now Fant is the first-rounder at the tight end position fantasy players are zoning in on.

Fant gutted out four receptions for 33 yards against one of the best defenses in the NFL, which really showed his toughness. The book on him coming out of college was that he had amazing agility, above-average speed for a tight end, was a serious playmaker and could stay on the field on early downs due to his decent blocking prowess. This makes him very attractive in dynasty and keeper leagues where he should keep improving as this year and in future years. Look for Fant to be more involved in Denver’s offense from here on out.

Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys – 26% owned

No one was happier than me when Witten unretired and returned to the Cowboys this past offseason. Actually, my ears and brains were happy because listening to him on Monday Night Football had become as arduous as it is for offensive lines to pick up the exotic blitzes Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots throws at them. Witten has wasted no time picking up where he left off with his beloved Cowboys, that’s for sure.

Witten is not going to outrace any greyhounds or break any land-speed records these days, but he still has a nose for the end zone. Two games, two touchdowns. He can also add three-to-five catches per week as an extra-added bonus in PPR leagues. Another plus for Witten this week is that he is playing against the Miami Dolphins, who are shaping up to be the worst team in the history of the NFL after being outscored 102-10 over the first two weeks of the campaign.

Other Tight End Options

Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins – 26% owned

The senior citizen tight end keeps stiff-arming Father Time as much as he stiff-arms undersized defensive backs attempting to tackle him downfield. Davis continues to thrive as Washington’s starting tight end while Jordan Reed is concussed and sidelined. He has seven receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown through two contests.

Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams – 16% owned

Tyler Higbee was knocked out of L.A.’s victory over New Orleans this past Sunday with a chest injury, so the jury is out on if he will miss any significant time. The big-bodied Everett snagged three passes for 21 yards during the game and would be in line for additional targets and possible red-zone opportunities if Higbee cannot suit up for a while. The Rams offense might be on the verge of going on a roll after seeing what they did in the second half of the Saints game.

More Waiver Wire Adds and Pickups