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The bye weeks are getting harder and harder on fantasy football owners. After back-to-back weeks where four teams were off, a half-dozen teams do not take the field for Week 9.
If that does not thin the tight end herd out enough, arguably the top tight end in all of fantasy football these days, Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz, will be the bye’s biggest casualty. More fantasy owners than ever will need a tight end this week, but the options on league waiver wires are borderline minimal.
Without further ado, here are the best tight ends to pick up heading into Week 9. Good luck RotoBallers!
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TE Waiver Wire Options for Week 9
Ed Dickson, Seattle Seahawks – 6% owned
This 31-year-old veteran made me look sillier than someone who turns on the Hallmark Channel expecting to see an Avengers movie. Dickson had 54 receiving yards and a touchdown in his Seattle debut this past weekend after I had pegged Dickson as an under-the-radar bust in my other weekly column due to him being rusty. The guy looked like he has been Russell Wilson’s go-to guy all season.
Dickson had the second-best season of his nine-year career in 2017 with Carolina and is off to a scintillating start with Seattle. His upcoming contest against the L.A. Chargers should provide another situation for him to succeed. The Chargers have a mediocre pass defense and have allowed tight end touchdowns in three of their past four games. Dickson might be the top tight end available in many fantasy leagues this week, so if you need a TE, then do not waste time whisking him off the waiver wire.
Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers – 52% owned
McDonald keeps trudging along and posting decent numbers on a weekly basis, yet he remains unowned in half of fantasy leagues. He has broken the 45-yard barrier in four of his six games this year and has three games of 60-plus yards. McDonald is not beloved in fantasy circles, however, because he does not catch touchdown passes (nine in five-and-a-half seasons, including just one this season), has to share tight end time with Jesse James and has a third of the targets All-World receiver Antonio Brown has with the Steelers.
The tight end pool is shallower than a kiddie pool, though, so McDonald should be scooped up in more leagues this week with a half-dozen NFL teams on bye. He is scheduled to face division rival Baltimore and its top-five pass defense, so do not expect him to rumble down the seams of the field for big gainers like he is Tony Gonzalez in his prime. But if you can use three-to-five catches for 45-75 yards from your tight end position this week, McDonald is a solid choice.
Jordan Thomas, Houston Texans – 2% owned
The sixth-round rookie only had four receptions for 91 yards entering last Thursday night’s showcase against the Miami Dolphins, but then Thomas put on a scoring show that DFS players that took a flyer on him must have thoroughly enjoyed as he hauled in two touchdown tosses from Deshaun Watson.
Starting Texans tight end Ryan Griffin has missed the last two games with an illness, but even if he does return against Denver this weekend you have to believe Thomas will be featured more often after his breakout performance. With supersonic speedster Will Fuller out for the season with a torn ACL, Thomas could emerge as a bigger part of the passing package for Watson, especially inside the red zone.
Other Tight End Options
Hayden Hurst, Baltimore Ravens – 22% owned
Baltimore’s first-round pick from this year caught his first touchdown pass this past weekend and has the makings of being Baltimore’s best tight end since Todd Heap. Hurst is more valuable at the moment in dynasty leagues than year-to-year leagues, though, since his fantasy worth this season will be damaged by Mark Andrews’ emergence as co-No. 1 tight end.
Chris Herndon, New York Jets – 16% owned
Herndon has caught Sam Darnold touchdown passes in three consecutive contests and is one of the few healthy pass catchers left on the Jets’ injury-ravaged roster. His next game is against a Miami defense that is allowing 265 passing yards each week, so he is definitely worth a look whether you need him as a one-week option or a multi-week option.
Follow Craig on Twitter @craigrondinone!
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