RADIO
Tyler Eifert was putting up another solid performance through three quarters – three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown – before leaving the games versus the St. Louis Rams in the third quarter with a stinger while attempting to recover a Giovani Bernard fumble. Despite the injury, the Cincinnati Bengals won 31-7, but that did little to calm the nerves of Eifert owners who may need a new tight end option heading down the fantasy season home stretch.
The Bengals have two other tight ends on their team who could suddenly have a lot more value should Eifert miss any amount of time, Ryan Hewitt and Tyler Kroft.
Hewitt is in his second year out of Stanford and has five catches on the year, including two on Sunday (for 29 yards). Their other option, Kroft, made his first career catch against the Rams on Sunday, for four yards. The options may not look like the greatest options, but if tight ends are thin in your league it may be worth taking a flier on one of the guys to see how they fit in to their plans if Eifert is unable to play. Between the two, Kroft seems like the more athletic of bunch, but it is more likely Hewitt will get the starting nod as he is in his second year and has more experience as he has played fullback at a pretty high level in his rookie season, including 10 catches.
Luckily, most leagues have a fair amount of tight ends on the waiver and free agent lists that would be reasonable replacements for Eifert in a pinch. Available in more than half of leagues is Richard Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers scored seven points in PPR leagues on Thanksgiving against the Bears, and faces the Detroit Lions next week. When the Packers played the Lions in week 10 he was able to score 14.20 points. Other players that are readily available and have produced at certain times this season are Jacob Tamme, including 26.30 points against Tampa Bay in week 8, and Heath Miller who finished with 9.50 points Sunday in Seattle.
