8 Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 6

Nick Vannett, TE, Seattle Seahawks

Continuing a trend that dates back to last season, things get very ugly, very quickly at the tight end position.

The Seattle offense looked like a spot to try to find a sleeper tight end with either Nick Vannett or Ed Dickson this offseason, but Will Dissly immediately threw a wrench in those plans, notching 13 targets through the first three weeks of the season before suffering a campaign-ending knee injury in Week 4.

Vannett played only 50% of the team's offensive snaps (compared to 62% for Dissly) through the first three games, but he went on to play 82% in Week 4 and 83% in Week 5 -- the two highest marks of the season for any of the team's tight ends.

He hasn't seen especially encouraging volume in the passing game, averaging fewer than four targets per contest, though he has notched at least four targets in three of his five games this year.

A solid 25% of the Seahawks' red-zone targets have gone to tight ends this year, and with Vannett sitting as the team's clear number-one option at the position, his low volume could easily be made up for with scoring chances. As we mentioned for Davis, the 'Hawks have a solid implied total this week, and there should be no shortage of scoring opportunities to go around.

Our models have Oakland ranked 30th against the pass, and while Vannett's volume isn't likely to be high, big volume isn't something you're going to find from a tight end on the waiver wire. The plus matchup gives him opportunity for both efficiency and scoring, which is what you need to salvage a strong fantasy week from a sleeper tight end.