The tight end position matters greatly in fantasy football. They are not as flashy as their blazing-fast, route-running counterparts at wide receiver. They do not get the same volume of touches as fantasy-relevant running backs. That can sometimes lead to them being overlooked or treated as an afterthought. Do not make that mistake.
Tight end is the shallowest position of them all. Finding production there on a weekly basis can be incredibly challenging, especially for those that did not draft or since manage to land one of the top handful of options.
Success can be found at the position by carefully playing the waiver wire week-to-week. The goal here is to help fantasy managers do just that by finding low-rostered (under 75%) tight ends sitting in the best situations for the particular week.
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Tight End Waiver Wire Options (Week 16)
Noah Fant (SEA) at Kansas City Chiefs
Fant was completely shut down by the Panthers in Week 14, but he rebounded against arguably the best defensive unit in the league this past Thursday. Despite a 21-13 loss, the Seahawks TE grabbed five of his six targets for 32 yards. More importantly, Fant scored his third touchdown of the season and second in his last three games.
Around the goose egg he put up a couple of weeks ago, Fant has now caught at least three passes in five of his last six games. In that stretch, he has averaged 11.9 yards on his 20 total receptions while securing 80% of his targets. Fant is playing well and has a fairly favorable matchup on Christmas Eve.
The Chiefs’ defense has not given up a ton of yards to opposing tight ends this season. However, the unit has been susceptible to the position in the red zone. Texans’ TEs hit paydirt twice against the Chiefs in Week 15. Fant should find some opportunities for production this Saturday.
Chigoziem Okonkwo (TEN) vs. Houston Texans
At this point, Okonkwo should be viewed as a “must-start” fantasy asset. Despite the Titans’ run-first approach, the rookie TE has emerged as an integral piece of the offense over the last few weeks.
The Titans have dropped four games in a row, but that has not been due to Okonkwo’s performance. During the current losing streak, he has averaged over four catches and better than 50 yards while seeing a minimum of five targets in each contest.
Okonkwo finished with 4/54/0 line on the road against the Chargers this past Sunday. If recent trends continue, Week 15 offers another matchup that should allow Okonkwo to continue his solid run. The Texans’ defense has allowed a combined 19 receptions for 223 yards to the tight end position over their last two games.
Juwan Johnson (NO) at Cleveland Browns
Back in action for the first time in three weeks this past Sunday, Johnson was right back to putting points up on the board for the Saints. The third-year pro was on the field for 51% of the snaps, hauling in four of six targets for a season-high 67 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Falcons.
Johnson has now scored seven times over his last eight games. In that span, he has also had multiple grabs seven times while going over 40 yards five times. The Browns have been pretty tough on tight ends in terms of fantasy points allowed (sixth fewest), but Johnson has an important role in the Saints’ offense, particularly in the red zone. The touchdown potential makes him a worthy option.
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Nate Miller is a featured writer at FantasyPros and an 8-year veteran of the fantasy sports industry. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Miller_RotoDad.
