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
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Week 5 Tight Ends: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

What’s up Rotoballers? Welcome to my Week 5 tight end waiver wire pickups piece.  In this article you will continue to find plenty of Tight End waiver surprises throughout the year so make sure you check back weekly.  This week we saw Travis Kelce & Larry Donnell bust into the fantasy scene and hopefully you beat everyone to the punch because you read last weeks article right?

To help accommodate your needs in various leagues and formats, I’ll also be looking at deeper sleepers (way off the radar) to make this article a little more unique compared to others. All of my waiver wire recommendations will be organized by priority, so those players closer to the top of the article are more valuable to target. The goal is to recommend both short term tight end options (i.e. matchup plays, injury fill-ins), and also longer term tight end considerations (i.e. emerging rookies). With that said lets get to it!

 

Fantasy Football Tight Ends (TE) – Week 5

Larry Donnell - New York Giants, 45% owned in Fleaflicker  

At this point I don't know why Larry Donnell is available in over half of the leagues out there.  On the season Donnell is a top 5 TE fantasy option by points with 25 catches, 236 yards, & 4 TDs  (avg. 6 catches, 59 yards, 1 TD a game).  Eli Manning has always relied on his tight ends, and last year's distinct absence of a pass catching tight end contributed to Eli's putrid year. As we've seen so far on the season Donnell has become his security blanket on the short routes that Eli has relied on for success the past couple weeks.  If you are looking for a TE1 at a bargain price, open up the FAAB budget for Donnell - he is a no brainer pickup.

Recommendation: Waiver wire pickup in 10+ team leagues (standard, PPR)

 

Travis Kelce - Kansas City Chiefs, 51% owned in Fleaflicker

Travis Kelce has been another player I've been tooting my horn on for quite some time and in week 4 you saw what I was referring to (9 targets, 8 catches, 93 yards, TD).  Kelce was able to showcase his abilities for the world to see on Monday night. If you happened to miss the game let me spare you the details and say that he's going to be a BEAST!  As we all know the Chiefs offense lacks offensive weapons outside of Jamaal Charles and Kelce will become that second weapon for them. Their offense looked infinitely more potent with Kelce playing.  If you are seeking TE waiver option with a ton of upside, look Kelce's way.  He's not far behind Donnell at all as far as potential value for the rest of the season.

Recommendation: Waiver wire pickup in 10+ team leagues (standard, PPR)

 

Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers, 43% owned in Fleaflicker

Ben Roethlisberger is reacquainting himself with the reliability of his tight end Heath Miller. On Sunday in week 4, he targeted Miller 11 times, same as #1 wide receiver Antonio Brown.  In 2012 Miller was heavily used in the Steelers offense and ended the year with 71 catches, 816 yards, & 8 TDs, which had him as solid TE1.  In 2013 Miller was injured and not playing at full strength, which led to a down year and many people forgetting about his reliability going into 2014. Miller is having a bounce back season and at his current pace would be staring at 84 catches, 788 yards, and 4 TDs.  These numbers make Miller a nice startable TE in 12+ team leagues and a bye week fill-in or injury replacement in shallower leagues.  If you were an owner of Pitta, Rudolph, or Reed....Miller would be an ideal solution to your TE woes.

Recommendation: Waiver wire pickup in 12+ team leagues (standard, PPR)

 

Clay Harbor - Jacksonville Jaguars, 0% owned in Fleaflicker

With my last choice this week I'm going to recommend a player that's such a deep sleeper he is 0% owned.  I may be crazy but I feel pretty good about this recommendation.  When the Jacksonville Jaguars lost starting TE Mercedes Lewis to a high ankle sprain (scheduled to return week 11)  the Jaguars needed someone to step up while Lewis was out.  It looks like the Jaguars have found that option in Clay Harbor.  Last week new starting quarterback Blake Bortles showed chemistry with Harbor and frequently targeted him (8 times).  The amount of targets may have been inflated due to the score but the chemistry with Bortles was real.  At this time I'd continue monitoring this situation and see how next week goes, but it's quite possible Harbor could become a nice sneaky PPR pickup.

Recommendation: Continue monitoring 10-14 team PPR leagues

 

More Higher Owned Tight End Waiver Options

45% owned or more in Fleaflicker

Jordan Reed (WAS), Jordan Cameron (CLE), Owen Daniels (BAL), Dwayne Allen (IND)

 

Super Deep Tight End Waiver Options

Less than 20% owned in Fleaflicker

Eric Ebron (DET), Garrett Graham (HOU), Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Logan Paulsen (WAS), Chase Ford (MIN)

 

Recap of Last Week’s Recommendations

I did quite well in week 4 and would have done fantastic if Paul did not get injured.

  • Niles Paul: 4 targets, 3 catches, 60 yards (9.0 PPR points) [did not play full game due to concussion]
  • Larry Donnell: 8 targets, 7 catches, 54 yards, 3 TDs (30.4 PPR points)
  • Travis Kelce: 9 targets, 8 catches, 93 yards, TD (23.3 PPR points)
  • Jared Cook: BYE WEEK

I hope these guys help you in your matchup next week and going forward for the season. If anyone has any specific questions or is looking for any assistance, please feel free to comment on the article directly or send me a message to my twitter account at @businesssoxroto. See you all next week RotoBallers!

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59 At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60 At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18 At the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

Finishes Tied For 18 At RBC Heritage
Kurt Kitayama

Misses The Cut At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For Eighth At RBC Heritage
George Kirby

"Feeling Great", Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy Says He Knows He's Ready To Start For Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Dax Hill
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To J.K. Dobbins
Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Ryan Gerard

Going For A Texas Trifecta Of Sorts
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Joe Highsmith

Hoping To Make More Putts In Texas
Eric Cole

Expecting Big Things In Texas
Brian Campbell

May Go Under The Radar At CJ Cup
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Jrue Holiday

Out Again On Tuesday Night
Bennedict Mathurin

Questionable For Game 5
Damian Lillard

May Not Play Next Season
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Remain Out Tuesday
Brenden Dillon

Unavailable Tuesday
Luke Hughes

Not Ready To Return For Game 5
Darius Garland

Remains Out On Monday
Ross Colton

Remains Out On Monday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday
Miro Heiskanen

To Miss Game 5
Jordan Westburg

Placed On Injured List
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go For Game 4
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Tarik Skubal

Racks Up 11 Strikeouts
Luke Weaver

In Line To Get The Bulk Of Save Opportunities Moving Forward
Devin Williams

Removed From Closer Role
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Austin Hays

Smacks Two Homers On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF