Fantasy Football Tight End Streaming: Week 10 Edition
With both Coby Fleener and Larry Donnell finishing as top-10 PPR scoring tight ends in Week 9, it was a successful week for the streaming crowd.
Fleener wasn’t overly efficient, turning 11 targets into just 4 catches, but finished as the 4th-best tight end with 77 yards and a touchdown. While he probably won’t reach double-digit targets on a weekly basis, it’s becoming apparent that both Fleener and teammate Dwayne Allen can co-exist in Indianapolis’ dynamic passing game.
Donnell saw eight targets, turning in a 4-catch, 25-yard, 1-touchdown line on Monday night. Donnell now has 15 targets in the last 2 games and is becoming a steady-usage option for Eli Manning.
In a game that saw 64 total points, Tim Wright failed to see a single target in New England's Week 9 win against Denver. Rob Gronkowski predictably saw high volume, but Wright’s volatile usage makes him a very risky proposition from a week-to-week perspective.
Gronkowski owners, myself included, will be looking for a bye-week fill in, so let’s tackle Week 10.
Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins
Owned - ESPN: 20.2%, Yahoo: 44% Week 10 numberFire Rank: 19th
After playing the part of streaming wonder-boy in 2013, Charles Clay has been an inconsistent fantasy producer thus far this season.
His 5-catch, 65-yard day also included a touchdown in Week 9. This was just the second time all season that he has reached 5 receptions and 50 yards in the same game, and it was and was just his second score all season. But there are reasons to be optimistic about Clay moving forward.
Dion Sims’ absence due to a toe injury was certainly a factor in Clay’s increased involvement last week and will be something to monitor as the week progresses. If Sims is ruled out for Week 10, expect Clay to see a large majority of snaps.
The Dolphins’ offense has also been red-hot as of late. Led by a surging Ryan Tannehill - currently 14th in Pass Net Expected Points (NEP) - Miami is averaging 26.4 points per game, which ranks 9th in the league.
Clay will face Detroit this week, who despite being terrific on defense overall, is only middle-of-the-road against opposing tight ends.
Jace Amaro, New York Jets
Owned - ESPN: 7.5%, Yahoo: 8% Week 10 numberFire Rank: 17th
After seeing 22 targets in weeks 6 through 8, Jace Amaro posted a goose egg on Sunday, with a 21-yard kickoff return as his only registered touch.
The Jets have now lost eight consecutive games, as their season is bordering on complete implosion. Despite the real football Armageddon on the horizon, Week 10 is setting up nicely for Amaro to have a bounce-back performance.
Michael Vick has been serviceable since relieving Geno Smith in Week 8, completing 60.9 percent of his passes. He’s also attempting 32 throws per game, ensuring volume for Jets’ pass-catchers.
Amaro hasn’t been very efficient – Travis Kelce has doubled Amaro's Reception NEP on the same amount of catches – but faces Pittsburgh next, a team that ranks in the bottom third against opposing tight ends, so the matchup is good.
If the Steelers’ offense continues their torrid run on Sunday, the Jets will be throwing a ton, meaning a nice PPR day could be in line for Amaro.
Mychal Rivera, Oakland Raiders
Owned - ESPN: 2.2%, Yahoo: 2% Week 10 numberFire Rank: 28th
Aside from the occasional reference to his older sister Naya, Mychal Rivera normally flies well below the fantasy football radar.
If the last two weeks are anything more than a mere fluke, all that may be about to change.
Rivera has registered 15 catches on 20 targets in the last two weeks and scored 2 touchdowns last week, finishing as the 2nd best tight end behind only Rob Gronkowski.
Rivera has played 76% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps over the last 3 weeks and now faces Denver, who has struggled to stop opposing tight ends, allowing 10.3 PPR points per game.
If we combine Denver’s relative ineptness against tight ends with the fact that the Broncos should score early and often, forcing Derek Carr to operate in comeback mode, Rivera could be in for a nice PPR game again, with the opportunity for a touchdown in garbage-time.
Deeper Streamers
Clay Harbor (vs. Dallas Cowboys), Andrew Quarless (vs. Chicago Bears)
