Week 8 Tight Ends: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

October 21, 2014

Matt Hartman analyzes Week 8 fantasy football tight ends (TE) - waiver wire pickups, adds and sleepers for both PPR and non-PPR leagues. NFL tight ends are a key component.

What’s up RotoBallers? Welcome to my Week 8 tight ends waiver wire pickups piece. This past week I batted around .500 on picks for deeper and shallower leagues, and I've done all within my power to improve that for Week 8.

Tight ends are a difficult position to get consistent results from outside the top seven, but that’s not going to stop us from trying to find waiver wire sleepers all season long. 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) for Week 8. With that said lets get to it!

Fantasy Football Tight Ends (TE) – Week 8

Dwayne Allen (TE, IND ) – 65% owned in Fleaflicker

My number one recommendation this week is heavily owned, but not nearly heavily enough.  Dwayne Allen continues to be a red zone threat on the Indianapolis Colts.  This season he has 5 TDs in 7 games which ties him with Greg Olsen for the 3rd most touchdowns for Tight Ends.  This week Allen will have a plus matchup versus the Steelers who allow the 8th most points to opposing TE.  On the season Allen has posted lower receiving yards (ranked 12th) due to his teammate, Coby Fleener, also receiving targets which has limited him from being a top Tight End fantasy option.  Regardless, Allen will continue to be used heavily in the red zone and be a TD machine, so I highly recommend picking Allen up if he's available on waivers.

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

Owen Daniels (TE, BAL) – 46% owned in Fleaflicker

My second recommendation is Owen Daniels who is coming off a great game versus Atlanta with 6 catches (on 9 targets) 58 yards and a TD. This week he'll be facing the Cincinnati Bengals who give up the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.  I anticipate that Daniels will have a repeat performance in Week 8 (15-18pts PPR).  If you are looking for a nice plug-in-play option Daniels is probably one of the best choices this week for you.

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

Charles Clay (TE, MIA) - 37% owned in Fleaflicker

Charles Clay has a nice a matchup versus the Jacksonville Jaguars who have allowed the 4th most fantasy points to opposing TE.  Clay, who is coming off a solid game versus Chicago, (4 catches, 58 yards and 1 TD) will look to build momentum in what has so far been a disapointing season following last year's 69 catch showing.  Looking at his upcoming schedule there aren't very many plus matchups so Clay is a nice streamer option for those who are needing a bye or injury week fill in.

Recommendation: Streamer this week, 12+ team leagues STD or PPR

Highly Owned Tight End Waiver Wire Options

45% owned or more in Fleaflicker

Jordan Cameron (CLE), Jordan Reed (WAS), Larry Donnell (NYG), Travis Kelce (KC), Heath Miller (PIT)

Super Deep Tight End Waiver Wire Options

Less than 20% owned in Fleaflicker

Jace Amaro (NYJ), Clay Harbor (JAX), Scott Chandler (BUF), Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB), Marcedes Lewis (JAX)

Tight End to Avoid

Gavin Escobar (TE, DAL) – 2% owned in Fleaflicker

Coming off a big game this week vs. the Giants (3 catches 65 yards and 2 TDs), Gavin Escobar is a hot name that will be mentioned as a popular Tight End waiver option.  The reality of it is Escobar has only 7 catches this season on 9 targets. We all know that starter Jason Witten is not having a great season but as long as Witten is around Escobar's value is diminished.  If Witten is injured at any point, I will be firmly behind Escobar as a solid waiver wire pickup but until then continue monitoring him.

Recommendation: Continue monitoring

Recap of Last Week’s Recommendations

This past week I batted .500 on recommendations with high upside and deeper leagues.  Sadly my deep sleeper Josh Hill was a disappointment for deeper leagues.

• Jordan Reed: 6 targets,  5 catches,  54 yards (11.0 PPR points)
• Dwayne Allen: 6 targets, 3 catches, 52 yards, 1 TD (16.0 PPR points)
• Jared Cook: 3 targets, 3 catches, 25 yards (5 PPR points)
• Clay Harbor: 6 targets, 6 catch, 34 yards (9 PPR points)
• Josh Hill: 1 targets, 1 catch, 8 yards (2 PPR points)

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, hit me up @businesssoxroto. See you all next week RotoBallers!