A couple of years ago, I wrote about how figuring out tight ends was a Sisyphean task. You seem to find a guy, and he does fine for a while, before the boulder rolls back down the hill. I filled the article with quotes about futility instead of actual analysis. Hopefully, I do a better job this time. The tight end position has been a mess this year; Travis Kelce has underperformed, Darren Waller is MIA, and Kyle Pitts just now remembered that he’s Kyle Pitts, God Among Men. It’s been annoying rostering the position, and even guys like Dalton Schultz and Dawson Knox, hot pickups both, have gotten wobbly in recent weeks. So, even if you’re window shopping, welcome! We hope this helps you out in your fantasy football finals.
To make the list, a player must be rostered in 50% or fewer leagues, with one deep leaguer available in at least 90% of leagues.
Gerald Everett at Detroit (46% rostered)
Is it a sleeper play to play the TE6 over the last three weeks? Because he’s available in over half of fantasy football leagues at this point. So, technically, he qualifies for the article. Everett bottomed out against the 49ers in week 13, but what I took from that game was that he should have had two touchdowns. He’s bounced back admirably from that, posting his best fantasy game of the season last week on top of two-straight 8+ half-PPR point efforts after his -1.3 fantasy points in week thirteen. He has at least four catches for 60 yards in each of his last two games.
The Lions allow the tenth-most fantasy points to tight ends on the season, including seven 9+ HPPR games to tight ends in their last five games. They’re playing for pride, which is more than I can say for a lot of teams, but pride doesn’t make you good at football.
Foster Moreau at Indianapolis (20% rostered)
Moreau faceplanted against the Chiefs in his first game in Darren Waller’s stead but has bounced back well from that. He has 18.7 fantasy points in his last two games, on 13 targets, and I’m not entirely certain Waller makes it back this week. With that in mind, I want to fire up Moreau. Moreau gets a Colts squad that can’t stop a tight end to save their lives, giving up the third-most fantasy points to the position this season, including 32 points to two tight ends since their week fourteen bye (Hunter Henry & Zach Ertz… not exactly world-beaters).
James O’Shaughnessy at New England (3% rostered)
O’Shaughnessy has at least four targets in all five games since returning from IR and supplanting Dan Arnold. He’s been a solid contributor the last couple of weeks, turning those targets into 109 yards and 8 catches in those games. The Patriots represent a tough matchup against tight ends, but all hell is breaking loose against them, I believe. The Patriots are so good on defense because Bill Belichick focuses on what you do well, and takes it away. Well, the Jags do nothing well. So what the hell is he supposed to take away? I suspect O’Shaughnessy has around TE15 numbers, with a shot at a touchdown.
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