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Another week, another four NFL teams are on bye. Fantasy footballers will not miss Miami’s Jonnu Smith, Los Angeles’ Colby Parkinson, or Minnesota’s Josh Oliver all that much, but they will miss Kansas City stalwart Travis Kelce, arguably the best tight end in the history of fantasy football.
Even though Kelce has gotten off to a sluggish start, most tight ends in the NFL have, too, so he is still a premier player at the position and will be missed by his fantasy GMs this week.
So who is available this week on fantasy waiver wires at the tight end position? Without further ado, here are the top candidates on the fantasy waiver wire, beginning with the man who had the biggest breakout performance in Week 5:
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Top Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Pick Up - Week 6 Waiver Wire
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
No longer playing second fiddle to Luke Musgrave in Green Bay’s tight end tandem, Kraft has now gone from backup pass catcher with as much fantasy value as a fullback to electrifying game-breaker who is making more plays downfield than Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks combined.
Did you see Kraft’s 66-yard TD against the L.A. Rams? It was a combo of surprising speed and a super stiff arm that will be on highlight reels all season long. Kraft is now officially 10 times more valuable than Musgrave, who was selected a round ahead of him in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Tucker Kraft with the stiff arm and tuddy! 🧀
📺: #GBvsLAR on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/fijvAwHlla— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
Kraft added a second TD for good measure in the Rams game. With that paramount performance, he is now one of the top five tight ends in fantasy football. Some might be worried that this is a Tyler Higbee-like aberration. I am not.
Pick up Kraft now and enjoy the fruits, especially if Doubs and Watson keep having issues that keep them on the sideline. Forget what I said about him being a rotational starting TE for fantasy teams. Kraft is now a TE1.
Other Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Consider Adding
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
Likely has had an unpredictable year so far. He was the top tight end on waiver wires after a Week 1 where had posted an ungodly 9-111-1 line. Then he was possibly dropped in some leagues after catching just three passes combined in Weeks 2 and 3.
Now Likely is back in our good graces after catching two touchdown tosses in Baltimore’s wild Sunday shootout against Cincinnati. He can be a star, but he would be a superstar on a team that threw the ball more and did not already have a Pro Bowl tight end on the roster.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After being a fantasy negative the first two games (one catch for five yards), Otton has 16 receptions for 143 yards over the last three weeks. He really has no value in standard leagues where receptions do not provide extra points, but Tampa Bay’s top tight end does offer some value in PPR leagues because he can catch four-to-six passes in a week as a stopgap TE2 on a fantasy squad.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
I know the Jets offense is not looking as dangerous as it did when statue-like Ken O’ Brien was the QB and Wesley Walker and Al Toon were his high-flying receivers. That said, Conklin has carved out a role as Aaron Rodgers’ favorite pass catcher not named Garrett Wilson. He has 15 receptions for 165 yards over his past three games and will not hurt your fantasy team if you pick him up and plug him in for a game or two.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
While no relation to the infamous Doctor Strange, Brenton has shown glimpses of superpowers while filling in for the ailing Evan Engram. Strange has two touchdowns over his past three games and had a 65-yard game before that. I wish he would have more chances to prove he can be a fantasy force, but Engram could return next week and dash those dreams.
Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams
Parkinson had been quieter than a church mouse until this past Sunday, where he racked up season-highs across the board with seven catches for 52 yards on a ridiculous 13 targets. I would not take too much stock in these numbers, however. Matthew Stafford and the Rams were trailing and threw a ton down the stretch of the game, which helped Parkinson inflate his numbers.
Do Not Forget About…
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
Another column, another mention for Ertz. The longtime veteran is plodding along, supplying Washington and fantasy players with an array of seven-yard grabs to keep himself somewhat in the fantasy picture.
Washington’s offense and franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels are on fire, but that has not translated into good fantasy numbers for Ertz as of yet. He only had two catches for 10 yards in Washington’s fourth win of the season, his worst output of 2024.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
The fourth-round rookie had the best game of his young career against Seattle on Sunday, catching five Daniel Jones passes for 48 yards. He had only caught three passes over the first month of the season coming into the contest. It looks like Johnson has surpassed Daniel Bellinger on the TE depth chart, so he is someone to watch in the coming weeks.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
There has never been a Bengals tight end during the Joe Burrow Era that has been a fantasy force, and Gesicki is not going to change that this season. The athletic former Dolphin has had some decent moments in a Cincinnati uniform, however. With three games of 30 or more yards out of five, Gesicki is the better fantasy tight end in Cincy at the moment, besting rookie Erick All Jr.
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins
The aforementioned Smith is on bye but is coming off his best game of the short season (five catches for 62 yards in Week 5). Not having Tua Tagovailoa on the field might be a help rather than a hindrance for Smith’s fantasy value.
Backup QBs usually prefer shorter throws and tight ends run shorter routes. Tyler Huntley might have an easier time getting the ball over the middle to Smith than downfield to speedsters Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Henry and Austin Hooper are not the productive tight end twosome Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez were back for the Pats during their glory days. I will take Henry over Hooper if I am forced to have one of them as my TE2 or TE3.
Henry has a track record of scoring touchdowns, and he had a 109-yard game to his credit this season. Hooper has not had a 100-yard game since 2019 and has not had a 70-yard effort in four years.
Jordan Akins, Cleveland Browns
Akins scored his first touchdown of the season against Washington on Sunday and was serviceable filling in for the injured David Njoku. Akins’ snap count will be on the downswing now that Njoku is back on the field, but he is still an interesting super-low-priced play this weekend against Philadelphia’s underachieving secondary.
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