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If you are looking for a tight end on your league’s waiver wire to save your fantasy football season, your chances are slimmer than a Slim Jim. We are only five weeks into the NFL season, yet many waiver wires are barren when it comes to the tight end position.
Hot commodities like Los Angeles’ Gerald Everett, Cleveland’s David Njoku, and New York’s Tyler Conklin have been scooped up in most leagues, leaving tight-end-starved fantasy squads desperate for waiver wire scraps. If you are in need of a TE this week because Detroit’s T.J. Hockenson and Las Vegas’ Darren Waller are on bye, feel free to pick from the tight ends below.
Without further ado, here are the best tight end waiver wire pickups for Week 6!
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Top Tight Ends to Pickup - Week 6 Waiver Wire
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Fantasy baseball players love it when their superstar slugger outfielder qualifies at shortstop or catcher due to him playing a game or even just an inning at the position. This position flexibility is paramount to fantasy success in fantasy baseball, but it is rarely ever an issue in fantasy football – until now with Hill.
Hill is doing all his fantasy damage when he is lined up as a quarterback, yet he qualifies as a tight end in many fantasy leagues. Pick him up if your league allows him to be used as a TE and pray that the Saints keep calling read-option plays for him down by the goal line.
Hill just tore up Seattle’s Swiss cheese defense for 112 rushing yards and three touchdowns on nine carries, plus he added a passing TD. He now has six total touchdowns on the season and should get five-to-10 touches per week from here on out, which is more than most “tight ends” get on a consistent basis.
Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals
I feel like Hurst is going to be to my 2022 tight end columns like the aforementioned Conklin was to my 2021 columns. This means he will be mentioned in the column every week, yet he will not be good enough to be picked up in more than half of the fantasy leagues out there.
Hurst’s fantasy value is limited because Cincinnati has three above-average receivers and a top tailback who all need their touches, but he is still better than most of the available tight ends on fantasy free agent lists right now. He has scored touchdowns in back-to-back games and has been targeted at least seven times in three of his five contests. Hurst is a solid pickup, especially this week as he faces a reeling New Orleans Saints secondary.
Other Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Daniel Bellinger, New York Giants
The Giants' passing “attack” hardly has any options with both Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney being so injury-prone, inconsistent, and ineffective. Enter Bellinger, who sounds more like a gunfighter in a Hollywood western than a fantasy tight end you want to hang your cowboy hat on. Yet, Bellinger has two touchdowns this season (one rushing, one receiving), and if he keeps finding his way to the end zone, the Giants will continue to give him opportunities to score, especially if all of their receivers are hurt, hopeless, or hapless.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
There was not a lot to like about Jacksonville’s offense during their six-point performance against the winless-at-the-time Houston Texans, but one of the lone bright spots was Engram. He had his best game as a Jaguar by setting season highs across the board by posting a 6-69-0 line with 10 targets. Fantasy managers now need him to see Trevor Lawrence spirals inside the red zone so Engram can get into the end zone.
Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers
Fantasy managers may have to settle for the fact that we are not going to get the 2020 Tonyan in 2022. The turtle-like Tonyan has only scored one touchdown over the first five games and has yet to record a 40-yard game this year. Aaron Rodgers is still Aaron Rodgers, though, so if Tonyan fully regains his form in the coming weeks, he can still be a fantasy factor.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay’s rookie tight end stepped in for the injured Cameron Brate and stepped up to catch six Tom Brady passes for 43 yards in Week 5. He has quickly gone from the Buccaneers’ future top tight end to possibly being the best one on the roster right now. You may need to jump on Otton now before he has another decent game, which would make the fantasy market for him even hotter.
Do Not Forget About…
Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks
Fant was finally treated like Seattle’s No. 1 TE this past weekend and not its No. 3 TE like previous weeks where he was getting less shine than Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson. He set season highs with five receptions for 49 yards against New Orleans and will hopefully be focused on more as the season goes on. One thing in Fant’s favor is that Geno Smith is passing like he is Warren Moon circa 1990.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Many fantasy pundits thought Kmet could be a fantasy hero this season, but he has been a fantasy zero instead. He only caught five passes during Chicago’s first four games, so his four receptions for 45 yards versus Minnesota this past Sunday were indeed a pleasant surprise. Quarterback Justin Fields is throwing a little better in recent weeks, so if Fields keeps improving, Kmet’s fantasy stats and value should too.
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