Have the tight ends of the NFL all gathered together and concocted a plan to punish fantasy football fans? Probably not but the highly inconsistent play from the position can lead to conspiracy theories. No tight end is truly trustworthy on a week-to-week basis but Rob Gronkowski. With Gronkowski’s high salary and matchup against the Denver Broncos, no one wants to play him in daily fantasy so this is the week of bargain hunting. There are two tight ends on the board that will provide a better deal than anything you will find at retail stores this weekend.
Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed has been a top target of quarterback Kirk Cousins. There’s proven chemistry there. Cousins loves to throw towards the middle of the field and Reed is usually in that spot. The matchup and scenario is perfect for a big Reed game. The New York Giants are the worst team in the league at defending the tight end position. Reed exploited the Giants for six catches and 96 yards in Week 3 and will have a home field advantage this time around. Cousins tends to perform at a higher level in home games and that adds more credence to the thought process behind banking on Reed. With Gronkowski in a difficult matchup and Greg Olsen already off the board due to playing in the Thursday game, Reed may be the best overall choice at tight end on Sunday.
Another tight end with the potential for a huge game due to a great matchup is Delanie Walker. Walker has established himself as the most trustworthy weapon of Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota. The lack of weapons at wide receiver and running back has forced Mariota to give more than a fair share of looks towards Walker. The Titans will face the Oakland Raiders’ terrible pass defense. Oakland is allowing 290 passing yards per game and the tight end usually gets the better of their defense. We’ve seen numerous massive performances from tight ends playing the Raiders this season and that should continue this week. Walker is currently leading Tennessee in every receiving category. As long as Mariota doesn’t have a terrible outing, Walker is in for a wonderful performance against Oakland.
Reed and Walker are each quite affordable in daily fantasy. Both men have as much upside as any other tight end this week and have better matchups than guys like Jimmy Graham and Travis Kelce. Don’t hesitate to slot one of them into your lineup and have faith.