We went through a stretch earlier this season where the tight end position felt deep. That has shifted back the other direction. Both Dallas Goedert and Pat Freiermuth have struggled to regain footing since returning from their injuries and Dalton Kincaid has been hampered by Dawson Knox's return. Kyle Pitts and Taysom Hill continue to be wildly inconsistent as well.
Thankfully we have Darren Waller back now, and he's available in 37% of leagues. Waller may very well be the best waiver wire add, regardless of position. So much so, that I'm writing about him here instead of in the streamer section below. Don't worry, I have another name there for you if you can't add Waller.
In his first game back, Waller earned a 27.3% TPRR and 1.82 YPRR. Those are both in line with his career norms, and slightly better than what he's been so far this season. Assuming he becomes a full-time player for the final two games of the season, they would translate into elite production against a mediocre Eagles pass defense in Week 16 and a Rams defense that has struggled mightily against tight ends in the second half of the season. As frustrating as Waller has been he could be a league winner in the final two weeks of the playoffs, make sure he's rostered in your league.
Dawson Knox is a low-end streaming option and Khalil Shakir gets a boost if Kincaid is out.
TE Preview
Numbers to Know
26.9% -- Trey McBride leads all tight ends with a 26.9% TPRR. He may just be TE1 next year.
15.1 -- Travis Kelce hasn't scored 15 Fantasy points in a game since Week 12 against the Raiders, his Week 16 opponent. If he doesn't bounce back this week, we may be approaching the end of his elite run.
42% -- Darren Waller scored eight PPR Fantasy points playing just 42% of the snaps in Week 15. We would expect him to be more involved in Week 16.
Everett has a combined 16 targets and 10 catches in his last two games combined. If Keenan Allen remains out, I like him as a top-12 tight end this week. Even if Allen returns, Everett is the top streamer.
Trey McBride is finally priced as one of the top options on the slate, so I'm looking a different direction. Njoku has 55 targets in his last six games and only one game below 11 PPR Fantasy points in that stretch. The Texans have allowed the most targets to tight ends, the second most catches, and the third most yards.
Engram may only be contrarian if C.J. Beathard gets the start for Jacksonville because Tampa Bay provides a great matchup as a bad defense that also gives up a lot of points to tight ends. But I don't mind Beathard at all for Engram. He has a history of feeding George Kittle and has thrown six of his 14 passes to Engram this season.
