Streaming Tight Ends
Free agency, check. NFL draft, check. Preseason, check. Scott Hanson is loading up; check. Que up Backstreet Boys, Everybody, and let the music drop, “Oh my God, we’re back again…🎶”
The long wait is finally over, everyone. It’s time for Week 1, and I’m here to help with those tight-end concerns. If you are new to the article, each week, I’ll selflessly dive into the deep, dark place known as the streaming tight end to find the lone peanut in the steaming pile that can and will be the tight end position. Going into Week 1, most teams will have a guy they drafted and feel comfortable with, so streaming won’t be for you. However, once that panic alarm is hit Sunday night after a 3-reception game for 28 yards, you’re in a tailspin. Here are some of the higher-drafted players I am excited about this week.
I am most excited about Trey McBride going into this week. On a team featuring the excitement of Marvin Harrison Jr. taking the field for the first time, McBride is the player I think will destroy the Bills. Buffalo will be without Matt Milano for most of the season now, and last year without him, the Bills gave up 7.2 yards per attempt with 7 TDs and 0 Ints. This is compared to the 6.7 yards per attempt with 0 TDs and 5 Ints with Milano. Evan Engram also garners some excitement in the opening week. After a strong finish last season, the speculation has grown that he was only featured because of the lack of Christian Kirk on the field. With new additions like Gabe Davis and rookie Brian Thomas Jr, look for Trevor Lawrence to continue using his reliable Tight End to start the season. Dallas Goedert will be playing in Brazil Friday night with the rest of the Eagles and Packers but these teams should give us a great show and dropping points for everyone all evening. Players I am excited to watch will also be Tyler Conklin and, hopefully, Aaron Rodgers, for the entire game. Brock Bowers and his utilization will be a must-watch for me as well. How do the snaps go between him and second-year Tight end, Michael Mayer?
Most of these guys are already owned, so here are some of my favorite deeper plays this week that are more widely available.
Luke Musgrave
Luke Must-score
I mentioned Goedert in the opening, and it’s not stopping here. I like this matchup between the Packers and Eagles. The two teams match up well in a game that could get into a shootout, and this gives our tight ends the best shot of getting that oh-so-coveted touchdown. Christian Watson has been healthy all through the summer and will all but certainly lead the team in targets, but quarterback Jordan Love doesn’t do much scrambling, which leaves targets aplenty for the receiving options on Green Bay.
Prediction: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 56 yards, TD
Taysom Hill
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry
I get it—I really do! It gives me no pleasure that this fella is returning to this article in Week 1. This team brings me so many questions, though. All offseason, Head Coach Dennis Allen has brought up Taysom Hill and his use all over the field, including as a running back. The addition of Kendre Miller to IR last week leaves the Saints with Jamaal Williams as the backup, and he should know that there wasn’t much in the tank last season. This isn’t as confident as Taysom Hill this week; let’s not get cute. But am I saying that he can be picked up? Yes, yes, I am. Now, so much goes into who is being dropped, but if you have concerns about your starting TE this season, Hill is intriguing enough to see his role in the opening week.
Predictions: 7 carries, 56 yards, TD | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 28 yardsÂ
Greg Dulcich
Broncos country, Let’s Greg!
So, the last guy on my list for this week is Greg Dulcich. Here’s a guy who brought excitement last summer but struggled to stay healthy and brought 2023 as a lost season for the young tight end. Fast forward a year, Russell Wilson is gone, and a first-round quarterback is drafted. We hope this team is excited about it. Courtland Sutton is locked into the number one receiving option. Still, Tim Patrick has been traded away, and second-year player Marvin Mims hasn’t given us any reason to be excited going into the season. This is the ideal situation to look for in late-round TEs: a player that has a shot at being the number two target for a team, and Greg Dulcich looks like he can be just that. This team could really struggle to move the ball, but someone has to touch it, and Greg seems to be as good as any to make that move into relevance at the position.
Prediction: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 40 yards, TD
Let me know what you think about these players! Any questions? Please find me on Twitter/X @TooMuch_Brian.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by John Jones/ Icon Sportswire