Week 10 Tight Ends: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

What's up everyone?  We are now over half way thru the season and hopefully you're team is shaping up for a playoff spot.  As you probably have seen this season when it comes to picking tight ends they are very unpredictable week to week, and it’s especially difficult to get consistent results from outside the top seven. But that’s not going to stop us from trying to find the best tight end waiver wire options all season long.

To help accommodate your fantasy football needs in various leagues and formats, I’ll also be looking at deeper sleepers (way off the radar) to give this article a measure of uniqueness. All of my waiver wire recommendations will be organized by priority, so those players closer to the top of the article are the more valuable ones to target.

My goal here is to recommend both short term tight end options (i.e., matchup plays, injury fill-ins), and also longer term tight end considerations (i.e., emerging rookies) for Week 10. To help make it easier I will clearly indicate levels of waiver pickup importance so it makes it easier for you to decide.  With that said, let’s get to it!

Fantasy Football Tight Ends (TE) – Week 10

40 - 69% Ownership Recommendations

Owen Daniels (TE, BAL) - 40% owned in Fleaflicker

In week 9 I was hopeful that Owen Daniels would have a big game.  To my surprise and I'm sure many others Daniels had his knee scoped and did not play.  Surprisingly last week he came back and produced with a decent game (6 catches, 53 yards on 9 targets).  As I've mentioned before Baltimore offensive coordinator, Gary Kubiak, uses tight ends frequently in his offensive play calls.  Daniels and Kubiak have familiarity of each other through their time together at the Texans.

This week Daniels will be facing a middle of the road defense against tight ends (14) that allowed over a 100 total yards to tight ends (Paul & Reed) in week 7.  Daniels is currently the 11th most targeted TE on the season which is impressive considering he missed a game to injury and was a backup when the season began.  If you are looking for a bye week target Daniels is my first waiver choice.

Recommendation: waiver pickup in 10+ team leagues all formats

Larry Donnell (TE, NYG) - 57% owned in Fleaflicker

This week I'll continue the recommendation of Larry Donnell as he continues to produce decently.  The past 2 weeks Donnell has averaged (6.5 STD or 12.5 PPR) fantasy points.  This week Donnell has a nice matchup vs the Seahawks (7th most to opposing TE).

Last week Mychal Rivera had a fantastic game versus Seattle (23 ppr points) and I expect that Donnell will have a nice game as well.  On the season Donnell continues to be a red zone weapon for the Giants and is tied 5th most on the season with 5 TDs.  If Daniels isn't available on waivers, I would target Donnell this week.

Recommendation: waiver pickup in 10+ team leagues all formats

Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN) - 48% owned in Fleaflicker

Last week I wrote about Kyle Rudolph and I'll mention him one last time before its too late.  The past two seasons Rudolph has battled injuries that have impacted his performance on the field.  Like Owen Daniels, Rudolph, has a offensive coordinator in Norv Turner who likes to highlight tight ends.  Last week Chase Ford, who is filling in for Rudolph, showed what the possibility could be (7 targets, 5 catches, 66 yards, 1 TD) on a consistent basis when he returns.

As I've mentioned before Rudolph has a unique skill set and if he can stay healthy you've got a valuable tight end on your fantasy team.  Rudolph won't be back till week 11 but when he does come back I expect that Turner will be looking his way frequently.  If you don't need a tight end this week (Vikings on a bye) I would target Rudolph as your waiver choice.

Recommendation: waiver wire pickup in 12+ team leagues (standard, PPR)
 
26 - 39% Ownership Recommendations

Jared Cook (TE, STL) - 36% owned in Fleaflicker

My next recommendation will be Jared Cook from the Rams.  On the season Cook has averaged 43 yards per game (~4 catches/game) which is decent in PPR leagues.  The problem with Cook is he hasn't found the end zone this season and watched fellow team mate Lance Kendricks score TD's (4).

Last season Cook had a decent first season with St Louis hauling in 51 catches on 83 targets.  This season Cook is on pace for 106 targets (23 more than last season) which is currently ranked 7th most targeted.  Due to the targets Cooks receives he is a sneaky PPR waiver TE option but someone I'd stay away from in STD leagues given the lack of TD's.

Recommendation: waiver wire pickup in 12+ team leagues (PPR)

25% or Less Ownership Recommendation

Tyler Eifert (TE, CIN) - 11% owned in Fleaflicker

Last week I recommended Tyler Eifert as my deep pick and I'll do the same this week as well.  Eifert is currently out due to injury but is targeting a Week 11 return.  As I mentioned last week Cincinnati coaches and fantasy experts were expecting a breakout year from Eifert but he's unfortunately he sustained an injury in week 1.  As a rookie last year Eifert showed promise of becoming the TE1 on the Bengals in the future with 445 receiving yards and 2 TDS.

With the Bengals receiving corps starting to take shape (Sanu & Green) I expect double coverage packages will benefit the tight ends.  This is where I see Eifert getting some targets and an opportunity to produce fantasy points.  If you are in a deep league and Eifert is available on waivers I'd take a chance on him.  If you are in any other leagues I would continue to monitor Eifert on his recovery.

Recommendation: continue monitoring, pick up in deeper leagues

Highly Owned Tight End Waiver Wire Options

45% owned or more in Fleaflicker

Jordan Reed (WAS), Dwayne Allen (IND), Travis Kelce (KC), Heath Miller (PIT)

Super Deep Tight End Waiver Wire Options

Fewer than 45% owned in Fleaflicker

Coby Fleener (IND), Mychal Rivera (OAK), Jace Amaro (NYJ), Scott Chandler (BUF), Tim Wright(NE), Marcedes Lewis (JAX)

Recap of Last Week’s Recommendations

It looks like all my recommendations were off.  Last week I recommend Daniels and Clay and they were a bust...then this week they both have a nice week?  I guess that shows you that tight end consistently is very difficult outside the top options.

• Larry Donnell: 8 targets, 4 catches, 25 yards, one TD (12 PPR points)
• Kyle Rudolph: He's an injury waiver recommendation, back week 11
• Tim Wright: did absolutely nothing without even a target (0 points)
• Clay Harbor: 2 targets, 0 catches, 0 yards (0 points)
• Tyler Eifert: He's an injury waiver recommendation, back week 11

I hope these guys help you in your matchup next week and going forward for the season. If anyone has any specific questions or is looking for any assistance, hit me up @businesssoxroto. See you all next week RotoBallers!