High End Ceiling Tight Ends
Travis Kelce – DraftKings – $ 8,200 | FanDuel – $8,500
Travis Kelce is in a league of his own as a tight end with an offensive ceiling that rivals just about any wide receiver every week. With week three’s matchup against the Chargers seeing the Chiefs as 6.5 point favorites in a game with a 54.5 total, this sets up to be a big week for one of Kelce or Tyreek Hill, if not both.
The two accounted for close to 50% of the team’s targets last year. They are already over that this year. If points are scored in this game as is expected, a good number of them should run through these two. This season, the Chargers have struggled against tight ends, although it is too small of a sample size to draw too much from that. Sometimes it’s best to just keep it simple: it’s the best offensive tight end in the league by a considerable margin in a game with a total nearing 55. Kelce could put up a score that breaks the slate at the tight end position.
Darren Waller – DraftKings – $7,400 | FanDuel – $7,400
Darren Waller is likely the only tight end on the slate with a similar ceiling to Kelce, and he does come at a discount on both sites. Other tight ends may have the ability to score multiple touchdowns or break off some big plays, but the sheer WR1-level volume Waller gets on his offense is what sets him apart.
The matchup with the Dolphins is not spectacular. Still, it’s impossible not to put Waller in tight end consideration just about every week. His ceiling is arguably unmatched due to the Raiders’ lack of alternative offensive weapons and his own talent.
Mid-Range Value Tight Ends
Kyle Pitts – DraftKings – $4,900 | FanDuel – $6,200
Highly-touted rookie Kyle Pitts has yet to breakthrough in his first two NFL starts. Still, until his price starts to come up on DraftKings, he’s going to have to be in solid consideration every week. As soon as Pitts gets into the endzone, he’s most likely going to have a fantasy performance that far outweighs his DK price tag.
The 47.5 total game between Atlanta and the New York Giants isn’t the best for fantasy production on the slate. Still, it’s not the worst either, and it could be a sneaky game to target. It should remain close and have shootout potential with the Giants a -3 favorite. We know what kind of upside he has based on his college performance. It’s only a matter of time before he has a ceiling game, and his price goes up considerably. I’d continue to buy low until that time comes.
Noah Fant – DraftKings – $4,800 | FanDuel – $6,100
As long as Jerry Jeudy remains on the sidelines, Noah Fant seems to be locked into a virtual WR1 role for Denver. He currently leads the team in both targets and receiving yards, even with Jeudy having played in week one before his injury during that game. This price is just too low for a guy with this amount of talent and this role.
Denver is a 10.5 point favorite in a game with a low total, so it isn’t a particularly great spot for passing offense. Still, to get a player serving the role of the top pass catcher on his team at the often weak TE position for sub-5K on DraftKings is a bargain as long as he remains this cheap. He is currently marked with a Q tag which may serve to lower ownership in tournaments. We will have to keep an eye on that to make sure he is active.
Tyler Higbee – DraftKings – $4,000 | FanDuel – $5,500
Higbee let us down as a chalk value piece in week two, and hopefully, that only serves to suppress his ownership this week. He’s way too cheap for his role as the clear TE1 in LA with Gerald Everett gone to Seattle (more on him later). Yes, he only received one target in week two, but he was on the field for every offensive snap. This game was clearly dominated by Cooper Kupp, and Stafford did not have to throw a ton in either week one or week two.
This week’s matchup with the Buccaneers may be the fantasy game of the week, featuring a 55.5 total and a one-point spread. Stafford is likely to throw a lot more than he did in weeks one and two, and you’ll probably want pieces of this game from all directions. Filling in a tight end spot with a cheap Higbee is a great way to get an inexpensive part of this game. He also fits in excellent with Stafford stacks as a cheap second pass-catcher with Kupp or Woods.
Bonus: Cheap Value Tight End
Gerald Everett – DraftKings – $3,000 | FanDuel – $5,000
With all of the decent mid-to-low-mid-range TE options this week, we might not have to go this low. But if we do, Everett is a very viable option. He’s seen close to 80% of the snaps in Seattle despite a discouraging lack of targets. Will Dissly also competes for production, which is less than ideal. Still, a tight end on the field for 75+% of snaps for 3K is nothing to scoff at.
We’ve seen the talent that Everett has during his time with the Rams when given the opportunity. This is the second-highest total game of the week and is one we want pieces of where we can get them. He would serve as a great secondary piece in Russell Wilson stacks with Lockett or Metcalf.
I'm a DFS player (JackG1111), DFS content provider, and musician.
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