The tight end position matters greatly in fantasy football. Tight ends are not as flashy as their route-running counterparts at wide receiver. Most of them do not normally 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.
The tight end pool is the shallowest of them all in terms of fantasy. Finding production there weekly can be incredibly challenging, especially for those who did not invest in one of the top options during draft season.
One way to find success at the position is by carefully playing the waiver wire week-to-week. The goal of this weekly article is to help fantasy managers do just that by finding low-rostered tight ends in the best situations for that particular week.
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Fantasy Football Tight End Streamers & Waiver Wire Pickups
The following tight ends are rostered in fewer than 75% of Yahoo! leagues.
Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 66% Rostered
The hyped Falcons offense, helmed by second-year breakout candidate Michael Penix Jr., will make its season debut in a pivotal division matchup. Kyle Pitts is a key figure in the Atlanta attack, but for the most part, he has been a frustrating fantasy option over the past three seasons following a 1,000-yard rookie campaign in 2021.
Pitts has immense talent and big-play ability, and he could be a serious sleeper for 2025. Week 1 could serve, good or bad, as a sign of what to expect from the towering tight end this season.
The Buccaneers allowed the second-most receiving yards to tight ends in 2024. Pitts took advantage of Tampa’s weakness against the position twice, coming up with a season-high seven grabs in one game and recording his only two-touchdown performance of the year in the other.
Kirk to Pitts for the 41-yard TD on 4th and 3! #NationalTightEndsDay
????: #ATLvsTB on FOX
????: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/74YVXJTf29— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Hunter Henry (TE – NE) vs. Las Vegas Raiders | 59% Rostered
If Hunter Henry could’ve only found the end zone a few more times in 2024, there is a good chance he would’ve been drafted mostly as a TE1 this year and be ineligible for this list. In other words, the veteran presents a buy-low opportunity for fantasy managers in the early going.
Henry finished tied for sixth among tight ends with 66 receptions and eighth with 674 receiving yards. As young quarterback Drake Maye progresses, Henry could be a prime beneficiary. Only one team gave up more touchdowns to the tight end position than the Raiders (10) last season.
Brenton Strange (TE – JAX) vs. Carolina Panthers | 22% Rostered
Which team was it that surrendered the most touchdowns to opposing tight ends last season? The Carolina Panthers.
Brenton Strange sort of halfway broke out in 2024, catching 40 passes for 411 yards and two scores while playing all 17 games. In nine of those games, he was playing alongside Evan Engram, then the No. 1 TE in Jacksonville. Engram is gone now, leaving Strange as the unquestioned top man on the depth chart.
Trevor Lawrence has always utilized his tight ends in the Jaguars’ passing game, and the favorable matchup has already been pointed out above. Strange caught both of his touchdowns before Lawrence hit the shelf for the final couple of months last season. Strange also gained over 50 yards in four different games, which is a number that should go up in his third NFL season.
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