Week 7 Recap
In Week 8, the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and New York Giants have the week off, much to the chagrin of George Kittle and Isaiah Likely managers. Replacing premium production at the tight end position is extremely difficult, but we’re up to the task.
Last week, we urged fantasy managers to start Kyle Pitts, and he responded with a TE11 finish, a mere 0.1 points away from the Top 10. We’ll take that in a week when Mason Taylor ruled as the top overall option at the position. Meanwhile, we passed on both Juwan Johnson and Harold Fannin. Johnson sleptwalked through Sunday as the TE51 while Fannin posted a so-so week as TE14.
Finally, we endorsed Tyler Higbee and Hunter Henry as streaming options in Week 7. Higbee disappointed as TE36, but Henry posted a respectable TE12 finish. More importantly, the process was correct: tight ends from the Rams and Patriots both finished in the Top 5 last week. Unfortunately, our crystal ball didn’t foresee Davis Allen and Eli Raridon as Top 5 tight ends in Week 7. Welp. On to Week 8!
Week 8 Tight Ends
The Detroit Lions have allowed more fantasy points per game to TEs than any other team in the NFL. The undefeated Minnesota Vikings visit Motown this weekend, so we’re giving a green light to T.J. Hockenson, who has finished in the Top 10 twice in the past three weeks, including a finish as the overall TE1 in Week 4. Hockenson, owned in about half of Sleeper leagues, is a great bet to make it three for four after Week 8.
I’m not going to call Sam LaPorta a “fade,” but he’ll likely fall short of his FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking of TE6. It’s not his recent comments about contract frustration that give me pause. It’s the stone-cold fact that the Vikings have allowed fewer points to opposing tight ends than any other team in the NFL. LaPorta’s fantasy managers likely don’t have better options, so buckle up and hope for the best.
Our list of favorite TE streamers this week once again includes Hunter Henry, who has three consecutive Top 10 finishes. We like the odds of him making it four straight against the Miami Dolphins this week. We also like Kyle Pitts…again. Brenton Strange has our attention in Week 8 in a soft matchup against the Colts. We also stand behind Chig Okonkwo, who draws a struggling Philadelphia Eagles defense. –Drew DeLuca