Tight End Matchups to Target in Week 16 - Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Brenton Strange

Thunder Dan's favorite TE matchups to exploit for Week 16 of 2024 - DFS tight ends to target on DraftKings and FanDuel. These TE matchups are GPP and cash game opportunities.

The days of just punting the TE position in DFS with a cheap player who might have an outside shot at double-digit points are over!

In the modern NFL, the tight end position has become a vital part of most team's offenses, though some teams utilize it more than others. There's simply no shortage of talented big guys who can catch and with defenses playing two high safeties to take away the deep ball, tight ends can sit underneath and rack up a bunch of short catches.

Let's analyze some of the best tight-end matchups of Week 16 with some options at multiple price points on DraftKings and FanDuel.

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Brock Bowers ($6,500 DK, $7,700 FD)

Las Vegas Raiders vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Bowers is fully in play this week as he is primed for a bounceback performance after he's put up two stinkers in a row.

Two things bode well for Bowers this week. For one, he gets a quarterback upgrade as Aidan O'Connell is healthy and ready to take back his starting spot under center.

And the other factor here is the matchup. The Jags rank dead last in passing defense (DVOA), 31st against tight ends (DVOA), and have allowed the 8th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

With the Las Vegas running game losing Sincere McCormick, we could see them rely more on the pass this week and with his 27% target share, Bowers could lead the Raiders in targets, receptions, and yards this week while also being a threat to score in the red zone.

Trey McBride ($6,200 DK, $7,500 FD)

Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers

McBride was on this list last week and after a slow start (just two catches in the first half) he managed to finish strong with 9 catches on ten targets for 87 yards.

But he still couldn't find the end zone as James Conner ran it in twice and then Greg Dortch fumbled into the end zone with an offensive lineman recovering it.

Trey McBride has the 3rd-largest share of his team's targets inside the 10-yard line (39%) but still doesn't have a TD this season...

BUT... Carolina has the MOST (11) TDs to opposing TEs + the MOST passing TDs in the Red Zone (21)

IS THIS THE WEEK??? #NFL #FantasyFootball #DFS pic.twitter.com/lhooUwxfvs

— "Thunder Dan" Palyo (@ThunderDanDFS) December 20, 2024

Touchdown regression has to be coming, right? McBride has a 35.6% target share in the Red Zone and it's even higher inside the ten (39%). If you look at my tweet above, Carolina has been horrible against the position this season in terms of touchdowns allowed. If we get the usual production from McBride and a touchdown to top it off, he could absolutely smash the slate - fade at your own risk!

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Brenton Strange ($3,500 DK, $5,200 FD)

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Las Vegas Raiders

With Evan Engram out for the season, the door is wide open for Strange to finish the year as one of the top pass-catchers for the Jaguars.

#Jaguars TE Brenton Strange in the non-contact jersey today

The 2nd year TE is coming off a career high performance in receptions (11) last week against the Jets👀 pic.twitter.com/OML45GjxS7

— 1010 XL / 92.5 FM (@1010XL) December 18, 2024

Strange caught 11 of 12 targets last week for 73 yards. While that was only good for 12.8 FD points, it was enough for 18.3 DK points with the PPR format favoring those who can rack up catches, even if they are not for very many yards.

Against a Raiders team that allows the fourth-most fantasy points to the TE position, expect Strange to have another solid performance this week. He's still quite cheap on both sites, and I lean towards playing him more on DK than FD due to the PPR-scoring.

Chig Okonkwo ($3,400 DK, $5,100 FD)

Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts

Both Bowers and McBride will be popular options and if you want to pay down without chasing another popular play (Strange), then consider the freakishly athletic Okonkwo.

The Titans pass catchers get a nice QB upgrade this week as Will Levis has been benched and Mason Rudolph has been re-installed as the signal-caller. While Rudolph lacks Levis's mobility, he is a more accurate passer.

Okonkwo popped off last week with eight catches for 59 yards on ten targets against the Bengals. The Colts are another team that can struggle against the TE position, ranking 22nd in DVOA against the position.

Chig has tremendous athleticism and could continue to be an important weapon in this offense. His snap share has been 63% or better now in five straight weeks and his 20 targets over the last three weeks prove that his role is likely growing.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!

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