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If you completed your fantasy football draft and you feel like you need a tight end, you should probably fire yourself.
Fear not! The waiver wire in your fantasy league will never be loaded with so much available tight end talent as it is right now. You will be able to right your colossal wrong. There are plenty of short-term and long-term options out there you can pick up quicker than Randy Moss can say “Straight cash, homey!”
You will be pleasantly surprised by how many decent tight ends went undrafted in your fantasy league. Without further ado, here are the best tight end waiver wire pickups for Week 1, beginning with Denver’s top tight end.
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Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 1 Waiver Wire
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
Greg Dulcich showed flashes of brilliance during his injury-marred rookie campaign, and he now has Sean Payton coaching up Denver’s offense. Payton has always been a fan of making his tight ends a featured part of the passing attack (ask Jimmy Graham), so Dulcich will have plenty of plays drawn up for him in 2023.
The other major thing in Dulcich’s favor is Denver has a harder time keeping its wide receivers healthy than I do keeping myself slim in a fast-food world. It is Courtland Sutton and not much else in the Broncos receiving corps heading into Week 1, so Dulcich’s target total should be six-to-10 per week until Jerry Jeudy returns from his hamstring injury. Look for Dulcich to have a good start to the season at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
In 2021 and 2022, Tyler Conklin was in about 80 percent of my tight end waiver wire columns. That is partially a credit to him for being solid enough to be worthy of a waiver pick. It is also partially an indictment against him because he was never spectacular enough to have most fantasy footballers use a waiver pick on him.
The good news is Conklin never misses games (one missed game in five seasons). The bad news is he never scores touchdowns (seven in five seasons). The better news is that Conklin goes from having Zach Wilson as his quarterback to Aaron Rodgers. It is highly likely he will set new career highs across the board in most major fantasy categories. If you need a tight end who will put up numbers like Shannon Sharpe in his prime, Conkin is not your guy. If you need a tight end who can give you three-to-five catches for 35 to 65 yards per week, Conklin will work.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
Everyone is as sour on Dawson Knox as Olivia Rodrigo is on her ex-boyfriends. Just because Buffalo drafted Dalton Kincaid, does that mean Knox will be the Jonnu Smith of 2023? The man scored 15 touchdowns over the past two years and became Josh Allen’s favorite red-zone target! I would not give up on him even though some fantasy pundits have him as low as No. 22 out of fantasy tight ends heading into the season.
Irv Smith Jr., Cincinnati Bengals
The injury-riddled Irv Smith Jr. has only found the field 21 times over the past three years, but he has a nose for the end zone when he is in the right situation. Cincinnati and Joe Burrow helped Hayden Hurst have a career year last season, so the same could happen for Smith Jr. this season if he stays healthy. I know this is a seven-foot-tall “if”, yet taking a flyer on Smith Jr. and seeing what he can do the first couple of weeks is not the worst idea.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cade Otton will not have Tom Brady throwing him the ball, but he will not have veteran Cameron Brate taking his time and targets either. The serviceable second-year should be the third-best option in Tampa Bay’s passing game behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and we all know how the latter has a checkered injury past. Otton will not be a world-beater or a Pro Bowl player, but he should be helpful in PPR leagues if he sees the high volume of passes I think he will.
Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks
I know Noah Fant has been a fantasy disappointment since joining the league in 2019. He has not blossomed into the superstar everyone thought he would. I know he also has to battle a couple of other talented tight ends for targets on his own team. But I also know that Seattle’s offense is going to be on fire this year and that his Week 1 home matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams sounds as mouthwatering as lobster tail. I would take a chance on him at the right price in DFS and with a waiver claim in standard leagues.
Do Not Forget About…
Hayden Hurst, Carolina Panthers
After coming off a career season and banking multimillions in free agency, Hayden Hurst now has to contend with having a rookie quarterback throwing to him in an offense that appears to be below average. You might want to give him a week or two to see how things play out, but I think Hurst can be a TE2 for fantasy squads as long as Bryce Young does not spit the bit.
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
Rookie tight ends are very rarely booms for fantasy managers. However, Luke Musgrave has no choice but to play an integral part in Green Bay’s passing attack this year. The Packers have no experience at the top of their receiver rotation, and Musgrave is the de facto top tight end since Robert Tonyan is no longer on the team. Musgrave is a good get in dynasty leagues and could assist fantasy players in other formats when he is spot-started correctly.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
The Miami-Los Angeles game this Sunday should be a shootout. Miami had the 27th-best pass defense in the NFL last year and still appears beatable on paper, so Gerald Everett should be able to find some room to roam in this high-scoring affair. He set career-highs with 58 receptions for 555 yards in 2022 and should be just as productive if not better in 2023. What I like is that all the top wideouts on the Chargers roster are always finding new ways to get injured, which will allow Everett extra targets from Justin Herbert as the season wears on.
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