Pre-Monday Night Football, Darren Waller holds a narrow lead over Brock Bowers for weekly TE1 honors. Travis Kelce posted a throwback score of 17.3 PPR points, AJ Barner cashed in a rushing touchdown en route to 15 PPR points, and Isaiah Likely overcame a tough-on-tight ends matchup with the Eagles to score 16.3 PPR points. Trey McBride, George Kittle, Colston Loveland, and Tyler Warren all disappointed, with the latter three all in plus matchups.
As for our streamers, Hunter Henry returned from injury after he looked very likely to sit. His return, and the three targets he earned, kept Eli Rairdon from truly breaking out. Rairdon earned six targets himself, and continues to look the part of a startable fantasy tight end. If Henry does end up missing time, Rairdon looks like a must-start. Greg Dulcich, like the rest of the players in the Lions-Dolphins matchup, had a disappointing fantasy day. Dulcich earned four targets, but caught just two for 14 yards. Mason Taylor nearly airballed, tallying just one reception for 11 yards.
Brevyn Spann-Ford
Rostered in 0% of Sleeper leagues / 0% of Yahoo leagues / 0.3% of ESPN leagues
The Dallas Cowboys lost their starting tight end, Jake Ferguson, for “multiple weeks.” Ferguson has already missed time this year, and when he does, Brevyn Spann-Ford becomes an every-down player. Spann-Ford already boasts two five-target games this season. Not the highest bar to clear, but for a 0%-rostered tight end set to become a starter in an explosive passing offense, five targets sets a solid floor. Spann-Ford hasn’t shown big-play potential, or earned a solid red zone role. He does get, however, a fun matchup with the 49ers in a game where Dallas should push for 50-plus pass attempts as they try to keep pace with the 49ers’ offense. Spann-Ford is more of a floor play, a rarity for a streaming option, but his lack of obvious ceiling is compensated for by his potential to provide multi-week fill-in services.
Darnell Washington
Rostered in 6% of Sleeper leagues / 3% of Yahoo leagues / 4.3% of ESPN leagues
If you’re looking for a play that’s materially more fun, Darnell Washington might be as fun as it gets. Washington is averaging just 65% of the offensive snaps for the Pittsburgh Steelers, serving as the second tight end behind Pat Freiermuth. An athletic 6-foot-7-inch Washington benefits from a red zone package focused on leveraging his size and an impressive ability to break tackles. Few players make their competition look tiny on an NFL field, but Washington typically has two or three plays a game where he looks like a man among boys. Normally, his usage would make him a shaky-at-best start. But this week, Washington draws the Cincinnati Bengals. We target the Bengals for our tight end streamers whenever we can, particularly when the Bengals’ offense is as hot as it is right now. The Steelers have already trended pass-heavy this year, and injuries to their wide receivers have forced them into more two-tight-end sets. All of those factors align to put Washington in his best spot of the year.
Tyler Higbee
Rostered in 29% of Sleeper leagues / 18% of Yahoo leagues / 10.1% of ESPN leagues
Tyler Higbee would be much higher, but given the injuries to Puka Nacua, Terrance Ferguson, and Davante Adams, Higbee likely ends up a popular waiver pickup that gets priced out of cheap streamer territory. If you can get your hands on Higbee, the only real concern is tthat he absence of his more heralded teammates may ultimately cripple the Rams’ offense. If the Rams manage to remain a functional offense, it almost certainly runs through their running game and a healthy dose of Higbee. To the extent the Rams cannot put together a coherent offense, it likely won’t matter this week against a leaky Arizona Cardinals defense. The Cardinals also look to be starting rookie Carson Beck at quarterback, without Michael Wilson to throw to. In other words, the Rams should get plenty of drives against a bad defense, and Higbee is the last man standing in their passing attack.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter)