NFL

3 Fantasy Football Tight End Streaming Options for Week 2

Josh Shepardson  —  @BChad50 Sep 10th, 2019
Outside of the top few options, tight end can be hit-or-miss in fantasy football. Who are some viable streaming options this week to fill that roster spot?

The tight end position in 2019 features distinct tiers. It's headlined by the elite trio of Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Zach Ertz. Behind them is a young trio of promising options who many gamers expect to take a leap forward this year in the form of O.J. Howard. Evan Engram, and Hunter Henry.

The talent doesn't evaporate after these half-dozen players, so don't fret if you've opted to punt the position and stream. Furthermore, with the position featuring a handful of players on the rise, others coming off of career years, and some youngsters joining the mix, the streaming options look more appealing this year than in recent memory. Below, there are three widely available options for streamers for the second week of the 2019 NFL season.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Yahoo Ownership: 17%

Interestingly, Dallas Goedert is the first of two tight ends highlighted as streaming options who are the second options at tight end on their own real-life squad. Zach Ertz tops the depth chart at tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles, but Goedert's a talented second-year tight end with his own receiving chops.

In the season opener against Washington, he hauled in two receptions for 16 receiving yards on three targets. That's hardly an eye-catching line, but it's promising that he was on the field for 55 percent of Philadelphia's offensive snaps, according to Pro-Football-Reference. Last year when Carson Wentz played quarterback, Goedert tallied 24 receptions on 31 targets for 261 receiving yards and four touchdowns. His 0.57 Target Net Expected Points (NEP) per Target on passes thrown by Wentz in 2018 was excellent and equal to George Kittle's mark -- which was tied for the seventh highest with three others out of 49 tight ends targeted a minimum of 25 times.

This week, the Eagles are on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. The game is a pick 'em, and the game's over/under total is a tantalizing 51 points, according to FanDuel's sportsbook. The game's over/under total is the highest of Week 2 as of Monday evening. With so many mouths to feed in the Eagles offense, Goedert's floor is low. Having said that, his efficiency in 2018, and being tied to a projected shootout makes Goedert a viable streaming option in Week 2.

Hayden Hurst, Baltimore Ravens

Yahoo Ownership: 1%

Fun fact, the Baltimore Ravens spent their first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft (pick 25) on Hayden Hurst. He was selected before Lamar Jackson and the dual-threat second-year quarterback's preferred tight end target, Mark Andrews. The Ravens selected Andrews with the 22nd pick in the third round (86th selection overall).

None of this means Hurst is a better fantasy option than Andrews, but there could be room in the offense for both. Hurst played 56 percent of Baltimore's offensive snaps compared to Andrews' mark of 42 percent last week. In fact, Hurst was only a co-offensive snap percentage leader at tight end with Nick Boyle.

The Ravens love to run 12-personnel (one running back, two receivers, and two tight ends). Jackson took over as Baltimore's starting quarterback in Week 11 last year, and they ran 12-personnel 25 percent of the time (tied for the fourth highest rate during that time frame), per Sharp Football Stats. Scrolling over the 25 percent for Baltimore while using that personnel grouping in the linked table at Sharp Football Stats, it reveals the team passed 30 percent of the time out of that grouping, and those pass plays resulted in a blistering 103.8 passer rating.

Jackson and Andrews have a remarkable connection, but Jackson had success airing it out to Hurst last year, too. Hurst had 10 receptions for 132 receiving yards, one touchdown reception, and 0.43 Target NEP per Target on 14 targets last season. In Baltimore's Week 1 romp of the Miami Dolphins, Hurst reeled in two of three targets from Jackson for 30 receiving yards and added another reception for 11 yards from Robert Griffin III. In all, that amounted to three receptions for 41 receiving yards on four targets against the Dolphins.

The Ravens are 12.5-point favorites with an implied team total of 29 points against an Arizona Cardinals team coming from the Mountain Standard Time zone to play in the 1:00 PM ET group of games at Baltimore after playing an extra quarter in a tie against the Detroit Lions. The betting numbers are favorable for using pieces of Baltimore, including Hurst. Furthermore, the Cardinals were steamrolled by rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson to the tune of six receptions for 131 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine targets. Fellow tight end Jesse James also chipped in one reception for 15 receiving yards on his only target. Hurst is my favorite streaming option at tight end this week.

Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills

Yahoo Ownership: 0%

Rookie tight end Dawson Knox played 55 percent of the Buffalo Bills offensive snaps in Week 1, tops among Buffalo's tight ends. Knox didn't sniff a fantasy-relevant line with only one reception for one receiving yard on two targets, but Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat reporter for The Athletic Buffalo, pointed out Josh Allen failed to take advantage of a great route run by Knox.

Knox is no stranger to posting ho-hum (or worse) numbers. However, his college stats don't tell the whole story, as Nick Wojton wrote about for Bills Wire of USA Today in August. Connor Rogers, Adam Lefkoe, and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report lauded the Knox draft pick in the following tweet.

Miller specifically comped him to Greg Olsen. There are tools to work with, and the matchup is right for Knox flashing his upside in Week 2. Defending tight ends in 2018, the New York Giants allowed the ninth most receptions (81 receptions), 11th most receiving yards (959 yards), and tied for the 13th most touchdown receptions (six) to them, per Pro-Football-Reference. They didn't shore things up out of the chute this year. The combo of Blake Jarwin and Jason Witten combined for six receptions, 54 receiving yards, and two touchdown receptions on seven targets against the Giants last week. Knox checks enough boxes to be worth a look in deeper leagues as a streamer in Week 2.