Yeesh, Week 8 was not a fun time. But what doesn't make us money in DFS makes us stronger. Or something.
Regardless, I will put on a brave face. It's time to give the people what they want, nay, crave -- tight end streamers. The good ones.
Throughout the season, this column should/will/must be your go-to resource for identifying tight ends to stream when you're in a pinch. Based on monitoring 12-team Yahoo! roster percentages, everyone listed will be rostered in fewer than 60% of Yahoo! leagues.
If you need waiver wire recommendations, then click here.
While from a pure volume standpoint it was a light week of tight end injuries, sadly George Kittle is out for eight weeks with a broken foot. It is a devastating injury at fantasy's worst position.
Based on the incredible reputation of this column (surely it's famous by now), Week 8 was an average output. We didn't end up getting to play Richard Rodgers with Dallas Goedert's return, so he's a wash. And can we really fault the process on Harrison Bryant when Baker Mayfield throws for fewer than 130 yards? Thankfully, weekly column feature Trey Burton found the paint and saved the day.
As bye weeks continue, identifying usable streamers will become even more valuable. The Cleveland Browns (as punishment I'm pretty sure), Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, and Los Angeles Rams are all on bye, which luckily doesn't hurt the tight end pool much. Of course, we'll need to monitor any potential COVID-induced byes for other teams.
It usually takes a good six weeks before positional points allowed data is somewhat reliable. Now that we're there, I'll lean a bit heavier on points allowed to the position in this process where applicable. In the end, though, we're chasing opportunity.
We're not exactly shooting fish in the barrel with tight end streamers, but we'll aim for more successful plays in Week 9.
Ross Dwelley, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Roster Percentage: 0%
There's nothing quite like a 0% rostered recommendation to get me fired up. If you're new here, legends like Robert Tonyan and Trey Burton were both sub 2% rostered before smashing as streaming recommendations earlier this year.
This one is tricky. While we know George Kittle is out, we don't yet know about the status of Jordan Reed, who did practice last week but also didn't seem close to playing, based on quotes from general manager John Lynch. Now we get some conflicting news, as head coach Kyle Shanahan said he's optimistic about Reed returning.
To be clear, that quote is littered with coachspeak, and optimism doesn't mean Reed will play. It's an incredibly short week with the San Francisco 49ers playing on Thursday night, and it wouldn't make much sense to rush human Operation board Reed back onto the field.
Enter Ross Dwelley, who caught a touchdown from Nick Mullens in relief of Kittle. Mullens is hardly a downgrade considering how well he's moved the ball this year compared to Jimmy Garoppolo, and as we saw in Kittle's Sunday night explosion earlier this year, Mullens loves to target tight ends.
Dwelley, to his credit, logged 4 grabs for 49 yards in Week 3 despite Reed seeing 6 targets in that game. With Deebo Samuel already ruled out, there's a real possibility Dwelley finishes second on the team in targets behind Brandon Aiyuk.
It might speak more to the tight end landscape than to Dwelley, but if Reed is out, he's an immediate streaming option this week. Reed is the better long-term pickup, however.
Eric Ebron, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers
Roster Percentage: 45%
A weekly staple of this column. it is so fitting that Eric Ebron finally found the end zone without being written up last week. So hopefully I'm not jinxing things here.
Ebron simply has a good role in a good offense, which is enough to keep him on the TE1/2 border each week. Since Week 3, Ebron is the TE12 in PPR leagues by points per game. Ebron has 40 yards and/or a touchdown in four of his past five games, remarkable consistency for a tight end in a crowded offense.
The only real concern here is passing volume. With the Dallas Cowboys on deck, it's possible the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense puts the clamps on Andy Dalton and company, and it's equally possible James Conner runs all over Dallas.
Still, the Steelers have one of the highest team totals (29.0) on the slate. Ebron has a secure target share and end zone role in an offense we expect to put up points. His floor is likely lowered due to potential pass volume concerns, but his ceiling heightened by the matchup and scoring outlook.
Logan Thomas, TE, Washington Football Team
Roster Percentage: 23%
To be frank, there aren't a ton of great streaming options this week. The Colts are legitimately playing three guys at tight end, and Albert Okwuegbunam played only 16 snaps last week. At the very least, we know Logan Thomas has a secure role featuring end zone equity, and he's scored touchdowns in consecutive games.
Thomas is a true conundrum. His volume is way down from when Dwayne Haskins was chucking it around the field, but in Kyle Allen's full games played, Thomas has caught 7 of 8 targets for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. Even in a small sample, that's pretty insane efficiency.
Notably, one of those touchdown spikes came against the New York Giants on the road. He gets the very same Giants at home this week.
With a secure role in a somewhat improved offense and better quarterback efficiency, Thomas is passable as a streamer for those in a pinch.