When we talk about tight ends, upside doesn’t often come to mind. A large part of their value is dependent upon reaching the end zone but they don’t have upside in the way a wide receiver has. Seeing a tight end go for 100-plus yards just isn’t something that will happen often unless you are dealing in the truly elite territory. Fifty yards and a touchdown is a perfectly reasonable expectation from your tight end, and that means your budget should be allocated accordingly. Just make sure you are paying for the production you are getting.
This doesn’t mean you should never look towards the higher end options if the situation dictates or the salary cap allows, but tread carefully here. There is a fine line to walk between risk and reward as you can’t afford to take a zero from a lineup spot. At the same time, you don’t want to spend any more than necessary at the risk of other positions.
For those who have yet to subscribe, what are you waiting for? Until then you will get one free pick to whet your appetite. Mike Gesicki ($4,500 DK, $5,700 FD) should see lots of opportunities this week with the Dolphins taking on the Chiefs. I expect the Dolphins will game plan for more short to mid-range plays as they likely will play to try and keep the ball away from the Chiefs’ offence. This places Gesecki in a nice place to see a lot of targets. Last week Gesecki saw 11 targets, and I think we see that in the game plan again this week, oh and he has a touchdown in each of the last two weeks as well. Take the discount on him this week, it should pay off.
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We will get the first of the two big boys out of the way with Travis Kelce ($7,400 DK, $8,200 FD) it wouldn’t be unreasonable to start building your lineup each week with Kelce. He is fifth in the league in receptions and second in yards, not just for tight ends, but for all receivers. When you consider how he is priced versus the top receivers, his pricing is really quite reasonable. This week the Chiefs are taking on the Dolphins, who have the 8th best passing defence, however, this is the Cheifs, and they have largely proven themselves to be matchup proof. Find a way to get Kelce into your cash games, and if you can your gpp, but the ownership level definitely makes him more desirable in cash.
This now brings us to the second big tight end Darren Waller ($6,800 DK, $7,100 FD). Waller was a beast last week putting up a couple of touchdowns and 200 yards receiving. While I don’t expect those types of stats this week, he will remain a focal point in the Raiders’ pass offence. He is in the top 25 for receiving yards and is 5th in the league in receptions. The Colts are an average pass defence, so I would expect Waller to continue to be productive, but likely closer to the 100 yards receiving than 200.
T.J. Hockenson ($5,000 DK, $6,000 FD) if nothing else has been very consistent for the Lions. Hockenson is typically going to see between 6-8 targets, and provide somewhere between 60-80 yards. While that doesn’t sound sexy, you can use that in cash games where you don’t want to risk taking a 0 on one of your players. The Lions are likely going to spend most of this game playing from behind against the Packers, so look for Hockenson to have lots of opportunities to have a nice DFS day.
Hunter Henry ($4,400 DK, $5,600 FD) is a nice option at his price point for GPP’s. The Chargers are facing the Vikings this week who have struggled against the pass(6th worst in the league in passing yards allowed). Henry’s target share has varied week to week, with as many as 10 two weeks ago, and as low as two last week. Expect the number to even out closer to 7, and Henry to be in line for a good day.
Rob Gronkowski ($4,800 DK, $6,200 FD) is coming off a season-high of 106 receiving yards and the Buccaneers will be facing a poor pass defence in the Vikings this week. To add to that if Mike Evans doesn’t play, that should open up more of the target share for Gronkowski. I see Gronk as a GPP play this week, because of his lack of consistency from week to week, but if you really like the matchup, and want to have a piece of the Bucs offence, he is priced in a way that won’t hurt you.
Noah Fant ($4,100 DK, $5,500 FD) is another nice GPP option if you’re looking to save some money. He is getting a decent amount of targets(7 last week), and the Broncos are facing a team in the Panthers that has given up an average of 300 passing yards or more in three of the last four weeks. There is some upside, with Fant being more than due to score a touchdown (he hasn’t scored since week 2).
