Streaming Tight Ends
I blinked. It happened, I blinked, and just like that, we are a week away from the fantasy playoffs. It’s time to lock in and get those lineups ready. Let’s look back at the finishers for last week.
Brock Bowers led the way at the position with 63 yards and found the end zone twice, including an incredible snag for his second touchdown. Trey McBride has now scored more touchdowns with Jacoby Brissett in the last seven weeks than he has with Kyler Murray: death, taxes, and McBride touchdowns. Zach Ertz gave us his first hundred-yard game since Week 9 of 2019. Travis Kelce also took care of business despite the Chiefs coming up short on Thanksgiving. Kyle Pitts gave us a double-digit game after enough weeks that hope was lost on him. Cole Kmet once again finished ahead of rookie Colston Loveland, leaving us with little trust to depend on either without an injury. Evan Engram had a top-eight finish this week. Ultimately, he has been a colossal failure to the hype that followed his Joker tweet this offseason. T.J. Hockenson made a rare appearance this close to the top 12 tight ends, as he also has been a significant disappointment, much like all the Vikings this season. Mark Andrews came significantly short of what I was projecting. The points were still drained from the Bengals, but they were passed to three tight ends.
This week, I have some optimism for rookie Tyler Warren. As someone who has been outside of the top 10 in four of the last five, he faces Jacksonville in a must-win game; he should bring the points. Kyle Pitts can hopefully sustain the success he had last week. He has a plus matchup in a game where the Falcons could be trailing a reasonable amount. Lamar Jackson has not been himself since coming back from the injury. The Ravens play the Steelers, which gives Mark Andrews a chance to produce. Jake Ferguson plays for a team in the bottom third of the league, and a team with an implied point total over 25 points, an excellent shot for him to find the end zone. Don’t fear Harold Fannin Jr. either. His team may be terrible on the offensive side of the ball, but he is leading in every important pass-catching metric, and we have seen the combo of his talent and capabilities.
And now, here are a handful of my favorite deeper streaming options for you all to consider this week:
Dalton Kincaid
Back from Injury
A tight end playing the Bengals, count me in! Dalton Kincaid has been missing from the lineup for three weeks now. He never hit IR, which says the team has more confidence he will be back for this game. The Bills are coming off their second loss in three games, mainly because the offense has been less effective outside the rushing game. The Bengals are allowing merely ten points over expected to the tight end, and this is the highest over-under on the week. I expect a big performance from both teams as the Bills protect their playoff hopes and Joe Burrow wants to go out there and compete. If you held onto him through the injury or can snag him from the waiver wire, I’m all about playing Kincaid and even sliding into a FLEX spot if needed on a week with four teams on bye.
Brenton Strange
Nothing Strange about this
Since returning from injury, Brenton Strange has finished in the top five in both weeks. He doesn’t see the workload to give the actual number one overall on a week, but it’s solid nevertheless. Strange finds himself in a game to take control over the AFC South. Vegas has three touchdowns for both teams, leaving plenty of room for Strange to score. He has been one of the top targeted players for the Jags in his return, and now Parker Washington is dealing with an injury. I really like Strange as a solid pivot option for George Kittle owners looking to fill a hole in what could be a win-and-get-in game.
Darren Waller
Back in the lineup he goes.
Crazy enough, Week 13 was the only game Darren Waller played in and didn’t find the end zone. We hope to fix that this week in a matchup with the New York Jets. Waller only played in 47% of snaps in his return, but that shouldn’t scare you away. He had a low snap percentage before the injury because he was out there for meaningful plays in which he could be involved. Near the goal line is our favorite. He pulled in only 2 catches last week, but that came with 47 yards. Since the GM’s firing in Miami, the Dolphins have played with heart. Perhaps, in the hope that they retain their head coach, they have been playing hard and expect to see them bring the heat to a divisional opponent.
Let me know what you think about these players! Any questions? Please find me on Twitter/X @TooMuch_Brian.
Photo by John Byrum | Adapted by Parker McDonald (@CarbonFoxGFX on Twitter/X)