Heading into Monday Night Football, T.J. Hockenson paced the tight end position in Week 4 with 24.9 PPR points, followed closely by Sam LaPorta. Both players earned 13 targets, as their respective offenses struggled relative to pre-game expectations. Other standouts included Michael Mayer almost outscoring teammate Brock Bowers, George Kittle continuing possibly the greatest return from a torn Achilles, and Colston Loveland finally breaking double-digit PPR points.
Streamers-wise, we continued our new (and hopefully short-lived) weekly tradition of one good play, one okay play, and one airball. Brenton Strange took advantage of a generous Cincinnati Bengals defense to post 16.5 PPR points without scoring a touchdown. Darren Waller earned six targets, but caught just three of them for 36 yards. Bryce Young had Waller open for a touchdown, but the pass protection didn’t hold up long enough for him to make the throw. Lastly, Kenyon Sadiq turned four targets into 0 points. Perhaps his injury slowed him down more than expected. Onto Week 5!
Mike Gesicki
Rostered in 16% of Sleeper leagues / 7% of Yahoo leagues / 9.6% of ESPN leagues
Over the past few weeks, we’ve targeted the Bengals’ defense for our tight end streamers. This week we turn to their offense, as Mike Gesicki stands out in a plus matchup with the Miami Dolphins. The real selling point here is the Cincinnati injury report, with both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins currently dealing with injuries. Higgins’s injury seems more minor, while Chase likely misses this week after taking a brutal shot leading to a concussion. Gesicki has only played 46% of the offensive snaps this year, operating mostly like a big slot receiver. But with either Higgins or Chase off the field, Gesicki has historically seen his role expand, and the Bengals have to throw to someone. Miami’s pass defense just got lit up by Hockenson, and has surrendered strong games to Kittle and Travis Kelce already. If you’re into narratives, it’s also a revenge game for Gesicki.
Brenton Strange
Rostered in 41% of Sleeper leagues / 27% of Yahoo leagues / 16.7% of ESPN leagues
Strange returns to the tight end streamers list after providing strong production in Week 4. On paper, the Philadelphia Eagles have been great against tight ends the past season-and-a-half, but star linebacker Zach Baun, the player largely credited for that success, missed Week 4 with a concussion. He didn’t sound close to suiting up, and with the Eagles traveling to London to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, it seems like a tough ask for him to clear concussion protocol in time to travel across the Atlantic. Even if Baun gives it a go, this spot sets up well for Strange. Strange has played 79% of the snaps and has a goal-line role. Further, the Eagles’ offense looked broken before losing Saquon Barkley. If the Jaguars’ defense can dominate, their offense should get plenty of chances to score. That makes Strange a good candidate to fall into the end zone.
Tyler Higbee
Rostered in 12% of Sleeper leagues / 2% of Yahoo leagues / 2.4% of ESPN leagues
The Rams have been the driving force behind the league-wide trend to use more multiple-tight end sets. Thanks to injuries to Terrance Ferguson and Colby Parksinon, Tyler Higbee was the primary beneficiary the last two weeks. Over that span, Higbee has turned 17 targets into 13 receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown. This week, the Los Angeles Rams face the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football in a game with by far the highest total, currently sitting at 54.5. There should be tons of offensive fireworks in that game, providing Higbee ample opportunities to generate fantasy points. He’s never going to be a huge producer in this offense behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, particularly with Adams’s seeming lock on end zone targets, but it’s never a bad idea to stream an every-down tight end in a game projected to be a shootout.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Jeff Moreland/ Icon Sportswire