Streaming Tight Ends
Week 1 is in the books, and how did you fare? Are you freaking out about your mid-round tight end that you drafted? The likes of David Njoku, Evan Engram, T.J. Hockenson, and Mark Andrews all disappointed in relation to their draft capital. Where do you go now? Even if you aren’t hitting the panic button yet, we’re going to be looking at a few options that are decently available to plug in on good matchups.
This first week of the season left us with decent play at the position, but due to a Brock Bowers injury, we didn’t see any player explode on the scoreboard. Dalton Kincaid pulled in four catches with a score to finish second. The question remains about the consistency of a Josh Allen pass catcher. Juwan Johnson proved that old guys can still get it done, but more on him later. Colts’ rookie first-round selection, Tyler Warren, exploded onto the scene with ten opportunities, proving that he will be heavily involved in this offense. Speaking of rookies, Harold Fannin, the third-round selection for the Browns, saw nine targets himself as well as a carry. With Joe Flacco behind center, Fannin may turn into a regular fantasy piece. Noah Fant catches a score as a new member of the Bengals and really muddies the tight end waters. Kyle Pitts may have finally arrived this season as he is playing for a contract. A lot of good looks and now the possibility that Darnell Mooney and Drake London could be out. George Kittle came out of the gates screaming before a hamstring pulled him from the game and onto IR. Jake Tonges pulled in a score and may be the next guy up to help fill the tight end and wide receiver holes that injuries keep creating.
And now, here are a handful of my favorite streaming options for you all to consider this week:
Juwan Johnson
Yeah, you read that right
It’s Week 2, and with Juwan Johnson here, it feels like we are already in mid-season form. When you dive into the metrics, though, it’s undeniable, there has to be some intrigue with Johnson. Juwan comes in with ownership in the 3% range for most platforms, so everyone has a shot. He walked away with eleven targets in Week 1, and nine of those were first-read targets, 28% of the teams. He had the number one snap shares and routes run for tight ends across the league stack, given the fact that rookie Head Coach Kellan Moore continues his trend of being at the top of the charts of plays run.
Brenton Strange
Won’t be a Strange plugin for long
There are so many things to take away from the Jaguars’ performance on Sunday, and yet they left us with so many more. After an hour-long weather delay, the players hit the field in the middle of the second quarter, and the passing game never quite got to the level of hype Liam Cohen brought. Brenton Strange has taken the starting role over from Evan Engram, as he departed this offseason, and has had glowing remarks from the coaching staff. We immediately saw him involved, leaving the game with four first-read targets, which was his only 4 targets. The Jaguars also drew a Bengals defense that allowed plenty of work to go to a rookie tight end, Harold Fannin, last week.
Hunter Henry
Hunting for a score
Finally, we come to Hunter Henry. Yeah, he’s still playing. The Patriots’ offense was many things in Week 1, but it didn’t hold nearly as much as the offseason hype would lead you to believe. Luckily, when it gets down to it, they play the Dolphins this week, and that seems like the matchups we’ll be attacking all season long. Hunter Henry walks away witha 17% target share, catching four of them for 66 yards. He found himself seeing half of these targets as first read and two being deep targets, which leans into the idea that not only does McDaniels want him as a part of this offense, but Maye is still locked in on his large target. Henry’s use is up there with the best, seeing the third-highest snap share for tight ends and the sixth most routes, giving him ample opportunities to score, which is the bread and butter to streaming the position.
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 Gregory Fisher / Icon Sportswire