In recent years the tight end position has been very top heavy in fantasy football. Finding a consistent starter outside of the 4-6 elite options is particularly tricky. Streaming the position can provide better weekly returns than hoping a middling veteran suddenly catches fire.
If I miss out on one of the top tight-ends, my strategy will be to wait for a late round option at the tight-end position. I think that’s a pretty likely outcome with the best options going in the first 5-6 rounds. For a week one streamer, I’m looking for a later round pick (10th+), a sleeper pick, rather than someone available on waivers. Preferably this will be a younger player that has the potential to break-out early in the season.
With that brief in mind lets check out the best tight-end streaming options to get the season started with a win. All ADP’s are taken from Fantasypros.com and all points are half PPR.
Gerald Everett, LA Chargers
ADP: 157 (TE18)
Gerald Everett is in his second year as the starting tight end for the LA Chargers. In his first season he put up career numbers for receptions (58) and yards (555), but still didn’t do enough for a top-12 fantasy season at the position. In week one, the Chargers face the Dolphins who were very generous to tight-ends last season, giving up 12 points per game on average.
The Dolphins have added David Long Jr at linebacker over the off-season and changed defensive co-ordinators to Vic Fangio. Long has been a solid defender in coverage over his career and Fangio should improve the defence as a whole. But, on balance, I think this is still a solid match-up to play Everett in.
The outlook for the season looks pretty bright for Everett. Obviously, having Justin Herbert as his quarterback is a huge plus. But the change to Kellen Moore as the Offensive Co-ordinator could be even more impactful. During his time as the Cowboys OC, Moore featured the tight-end very effectively and turned Dalton Schultz in to a valuable TE1 in fantasy.
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
ADP: 131 (TE15)
For a week 1 streaming option, Dulcich gets an ideal match-up against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders were appalling against Tight Ends last year and haven’t added much to think they would improve. They did add LB Robert Spillane in free agency, but he wasn’t great in coverage last year giving up a 109.2 passer rating on 43 targets according to Pro Football Reference.
Early in the off-season Sean Payton talked up Greg Dulcich as someone that could play the ‘Joker’ role in his offence. For Payton the Joker position has usually been a running-back that can be moved around to provide mismatches in the passing game – Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, Alvin Kamara to name a few. But the role is fit for a tight-end with strong ball handling skills as well. Payton went as far as to say Dulcich’s “menu in the passing game will be lengthy”. It might have been in June, but it’s certainly high praise from Payton.
Outside of the Joker position, Payton has always had a strong role for a big bodied receiver over the middle of the field – think Jimmy Graham or Michael Thomas. Dulcich is a great fit for this role on the Broncos right now, but there mat be some competition from Courtland Sutton. Sutton hasn’t played much in the slot in his NFL career, but he does have the size and athleticism for it.
One potential stumbling block is the question marks at the Quarterback position. Russell Wilson was pretty terrible last year, although Dulcich still managed to put up some solid scores for Fantasy. I do expect Wilson to improve this year under Sean Payton’s guidance, so we could see an improvement in opportunities and efficiency for Dulcich as a result.
Sam La Porta, Detroit Lions
ADP: 142 (TE17)
Sam La Porta was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Lions and typically Tight End is a position that requires a learning curve in the NFL. However, La Porta was a very strong receiver in College and joins an offence with plenty of targets up for grabs. He could see a big role early on whilst Jameson Williams serves a 6 game ban for gambling.
The Lions had a strong role for TJ Hockenson in the first half of last season. Before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings, Hockenson was averaging 6 targets and 56 yards per game. There’s a real possibility La Porta could have similar opportunities this season and he’s definitely capable of turning them into strong fantasy scores.
In week one, the Lions face the Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs. It’s a game they will need to throw early and often to keep up in. The Chiefs were also a relatively nice defence for tight-ends last season, giving up 10 points a game on average. It’s prime spot for La Porta to see 7-10 targets and with his great athleticism turning that into a top 12 fantasy score is a realistic possibility
Options Beyond Week One
In Las Vegas, Darren Waller is out leaving a lot of targets up for grabs. He has been replaced by a combination of rookie Michael Mayer and Austin Hooper. In Josh McDaniels offence, there is a strong role for a tight-end but with the talent at WR it’s unlikely to be enough to support two fantasy relevant players. With the competition from Hooper it’s hard to trust Mayer in week one, even in a decent match-up against the Chargers. However, he has the talent to make the tight-end role his own over the season!
Finally, Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals is a player with a great opportunity this season. After Zach Ertz got injured last season, McBride was excellent for the Cardinals finishing as the TE11 from week 14 onwards. With Ertz rehabbing on the PUP list at the moment and DeAndre Hopkins in Tennessee, McBride could have an opportunity to earn a big role early in the season. However, for week one I’d stay away – the Cardinals play the Washington Commanders who were excellent at defending tight ends last season. They allowed just over 7 points per game to the position, the 4th fewest points in the league.
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