Fantasy Football Week 17 Tight End Preview: TE1 in 2024 is still yet to be determined
Everything you need to know about tight end in Week 17
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2 min read
It's the time of the year where the majority of Fantasy managers are looking to the future and at tight end that future is entirely uncertain. Sam LaPorta and Trey McBride have become must-start options, but after T.J. Hockenson's torn ACL everything after them is questionable at best, and that includes Travis Kelce.
Kelce is still TE1 per game this year and he's unlikely to give that up in the final two weeks of the season. But he's not himself. His 8.3 yards per target is a career low as is his 10.8 yards per reception. Digging deeper we find the lowest aDOT of the past six seasons combined with his second-lowest YAC per reception. He's seeing shorter targets and doing less with them.
All that adds up to his lowest yards per game since 2015 and it's been much worse than that since his 179-yard outburst way back in Week 6. Since then he does not have a 100-yard game and he has 44 yards or fewer in half of his games. All of this from a 34-year-old is more than enough reason for consternation.
The problem is, there are not many guys to put ahead of Kelce besides LaPorta and McBride, especially after T.J. Hockenson tore his ACL and MCL in Week 16. With age concerns for George Kittle and Darren Waller the elite tier of tight ends may very well be a top-two next year. Of course, Kelce could use the final two regular season games and the playoffs to make this all look hilarious. Stay tuned.
You can find more in my weekly projections over at SportsLine. Now let's get to the rest of the Week 17 TE Preview:
Week 17 TE Preview
TE Preview
Who's Out
The following players are not being projected to play Week 17 at this time. Here's what it means:
We wouldn't trust any Vikings tight end in the Fantasy championship but there are streaming options below.
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If Kmet is out we will avoid the Bears tight ends and possibly Justin Fields as well.
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TE Preview
Numbers to Know
- 1 -- Travis Kelce has scored one touchdown since Week 6. He is TE6 in that stretch.
- 22% -- Gerald Everett has been targeted on 22% of Easton Stick's throws.
- 6 -- Tucker Kraft has seen exactly six targets in three of his last four games.
- 5.9 -- Dalton Kincaid is averaging 5.9 PPR FPPG in nine games with Dawson Knox this season.
- 0 -- Despite playing 63% of the offensive snaps in Week 16, Pat Freiermuth did not receive a target.
TE Preview
Matchups that matter
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Waiver Wire Targets
Week 17 Streamer (TE Preview)
The Broncos have given up the most Fantasy points and touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season. Everett has been Easton Stick's favorite target with a combined 24 targets and 17 catches in his past three games combined.
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Kraft is a top-10 tight end this week based on the Packers injuries at wide receiver and the general state of the position. It also helps that he has scored double-digit PPR Fantasy points in three straight games.
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TE Preview
DFS Plays
Top DFS Play
Projections powered by
Sportsline
If you're too scared of Kelce's recent form I would suggest punting the position with Everett with his high target volume and great matchup. He's still $2,500 cheaper than Kelce and he's outscored him each of the past two weeks.
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Contrarian DFS Play
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Is it possible we could get contrarian Kelce in a squeaky wheel game against the defense that has given up the second-most FPPG to opposing tight ends this season? I believe it is and I will be taking advantage of it.
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Heath's Projections
My full set of Week 17 Fantasy Football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 17. Projected stats for all starting quarterbacks are available at SportsLine.
