RADIO
The tight end position is the cause of much suffering and misery in fantasy football. Most of the time, the majority of TEs disappoint their fantasy managers with poor stat lines. When they do have boom games, they can be few and far between.
And they're extremely difficult to predict. The floor at the position is so low that many managers are happy with just a smattering of points, but they might not help when going against a team that has one that scores double-digit points.
We'll try to recommend some good starts and sits for this position in Week 17 anyway. There are players that you simply can't bench, and we'll mention them at the end of the "Booms" section. Heavy analysis of those players doesn't serve much purpose. Also note that three games have already been played ahead of the Saturday and Sunday windows, so players from those contests won't be listed here.
Week 17 Starts - Fantasy Football Booms
Hunter Henry - TE, New England Patriots
After a puzzling game in Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals that saw Henry operate in a nearly even route split with fellow TE Austin Hooper, Henry caught four of his eight targets for 39 yards in a touchdown in Week 16. We like the target numbers, and they've been solid for him for most of the season. While his yardage production hasn't been very good, he's logged plenty of catches in recent weeks.
I ❤️ Hunter Henry pic.twitter.com/X5xA8QRXQP
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) December 22, 2024
He's also the team's leading receiver in multiple categories. Quarterback Drake Maye doesn't have many other options to work with in the passing game. He should still throw the ball to Henry more than a few times. The ninth-year pro's floor is a lot more palatable in PPR leagues.
It's easy to see him getting at least six targets in Week 17. Despite a few poor games, he's still the TE10 on the season, and his quarterback situation is stable, despite the offense's overall deficiencies. There isn't a huge ceiling here, but there aren't for most tight ends, anyway.
Zach Ertz - TE, Washington Commanders vs. Atlanta Falcons
Ertz was concussed in Week 15, so that week's stats can be thrown out. However, curiously, he logged just one reception for 12 yards on two targets last week, even in a shootout against the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly has had elite linebacker play from LB Zack Baun, though, and it could be that Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels wasn't eager to test that out.
Zach Ertz said 👋🏈
📺: #WASvsNO on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/xAow4zbBJ6— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024
Usually, he serves as a nice safety blanket for the rookie QB. And we expect that to continue in Week 17. He's still the TE13 in full-PPR scoring on the year, and would be higher were it not for a few bust weeks and injury issues. So he's a fine player to start.
Chig Okonkwo - TE, Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
It's been somewhat of a surprise to see Okonkwo's usage increase as sharply as it has in recent weeks. It seems that new starting quarterback Mason Rudolph recognizes that it's a good idea to get him the ball. He's highly athletic and underrated as a receiver. He played a career-high 85% of offensive snaps in Week 16, catching nine of his 11 targets for 81 yards.
Chig Okonkwo has back to back weeks with 10+ targets🔥
He is the TE1 over that span with 33 total fantasy points🏆
Are you firing him in your fantasy championship?👀 pic.twitter.com/SvczIuq6iF
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) December 25, 2024
He's earned extra work in the passing game. Rudolph has slung passes his way 21 times in the past two weeks. That's fantastic volume for a TE. And he has an incredibly soft matchup coming up -- the Jaguars have had essentially zero luck stopping the pass this year.
In the last 3 Weeks, the Jaguars Defense has allowed to QBs:
-956 Passing Yards (32nd)
-9 Touchdowns (32nd)
-0 INTs (32nd)
-73.3% Completion (31st)
-8.2 Y/PA (31st)
-52.6% 3rd Down Rate (30th)Great matchup for Caleb Williams. 👀🍿 pic.twitter.com/1zDgViP2dS
— BOOG (@BoogCB) October 9, 2024
As you can see, it's been this way for Jacksonville's defense since early in the season. So fire up Okonkwo for Week 17. Should he see a similar or even slightly reduced target volume this week, he could have a nice day.
Other Must-Starts: Sam LaPorta, Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Jonnu Smith, George Kittle
Week 17 Concerns - Fantasy Football Busts
Brenton Strange - TE, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans
Strange (shoulder) caught 11 of his 12 targets for 73 yards in Week 15, scoring 18.3 PPR fantasy points. Pretty great for a tight end! Unfortunately, he was targeted just four times last week, catching two of those passes for 22 yards and losing a crucial fumble. He was effectively benched after that and didn't see a pass thrown his way for the rest of the game.
Here's a post of what Brenton strange can do when he isn't benched for fumbling.
Show us those teams that survived the #StrangeThings the #Duuuval Jags did with his usage in week 16? Are you brave enough to start him again?
pic.twitter.com/Buvaopa9gF— PlayerProfiler NFL (@Profiler_NFL) December 26, 2024
Jacksonville has incompetent coaching and Strange is dealing with a shoulder issue. It's possible he doesn't see much work at all for the rest of the season. Maybe it's a good thing that he sees less playing time, as that would likely be optimal for his health. But not optimal for fantasy football.
Cade Otton - TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers
Otton (knee) had a great streak of scoring 18.0, 29.1, and 21.7 PPR fantasy points from Week 7 to Week 9. But since the return of wide receiver Mike Evans, Otton has become mostly an afterthought in the Bucs offense. He was never highly efficient -- for a time, the team merely had no one else better to throw the ball to at the WR or TE positions.
During the #Bucs’ Thursday morning practice, C Graham Barton and S Jordan Whitehead were practicing. TE Cade Otton was outside but not doing much. S Mike Edwards came out late and worked with a trainer. WR Sterling Shepard and S Antoine Winfield Jr. were not practicing. pic.twitter.com/HbY1WVfVaz
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) December 26, 2024
In addition, he's dealing with a knee injury. If he does end up playing, it's probably not a great idea to start him. He's no longer a top priority in the passing attack -- Evans and fellow wideout Jalen McMillan and running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White are all priorities ahead of the TE at this point. And with McMillan coming along nicely in his rookie season, this seems unlikely to change.
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