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Tight ends are fickle creatures. They always scurry from their dens to score a touchdown or three and then high-tail it back to the safety of the waiver wire. Trying to predict when you’ll get that rare look at the beast is often impossible, but that’s why we stalk the waiver wire.
We’ll take a look at players who are available in the majority of ESPN fantasy football leagues. There aren’t any high FAAB adds this week, but there is talent out there with room to grow.
We are in the heart of the bye weeks, as the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington will all get a week off. We will be without the likes of Jeremy Sprinkle, whoever might have started for the Jaguars, one of the injured Patriots tight ends and Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, and Noah Fant. There aren’t many losses in there, but at such a thin position, there’s a good chance you’ll need to stream a tight end.
Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins (2.3 percent)
Gesicki took a big step forward last week as he caught all six of his targets for 95 yards against the Jets. Those six targets tied for second on the team while Preston Williams had the team-high with nine. Unfortunately, Williams is out for the year, which should help boost Gesicki’s targets just as he’s starting to round into form with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. There is a chance Josh Rosen returns to rain on the offense’s parade, but until then, Gesicki looks like a strong add at a weak position.
Jacob Hollister, Seattle Seahawks (.4 percent)
Hollister took over as the lead tight end against Tampa Bay, as he was in on 59 snaps to Luke Willson’s 17. He also ranked third on the team with six targets and caught two touchdowns. We’ve seen how Russell Wilson will lock into a tight end in the red zone as he did with Will Dissly early in the season, so the upside is there for Hollister moving forward.
Chris Herndon/Ryan Griffin, New York Jets (23.5 percent/1.6 percent)
Are you kidding me with this, Chris Herndon? This week Herndon was active but didn’t get on the field. Many reporters guessed that was the case, so I don’t think he was demoted, but instead, just wasn’t fully ready to go. The Jets get a great matchup with the Giants this week, and whoever the starting tight end is, will have value.
Noah Fant, Denver Broncos (7.8 percent)
Fant made a tremendous 75-yard catch and run touchdown against the Browns in Week 9 and ended up catching 4-of-4 targets for 115 yards. The absence of Emmanuel Sanders is only going to help him see more work moving forward, but he does have a bye this week, so act accordingly.
Darren Fells, Houston Texans (12.5 percent)
Fells also has a bye, but he keeps on scoring touchdowns, and when Deshaun Watson is throwing you the ball, that might not stop. He now leads all tight ends with six touchdowns, with five in his last five games. Last week was disappointing compared to his recent work, as he only had three targets and caught one for a one-yard touchdown. And now the bye shows up to stifle our touchdown streamer, but if you can hold onto him or throw him on your bench, his touchdown upside is something to keep around.