3 Fantasy Football Tight End Streaming Options for Week 18
The story of the tight end position is a tale similar to every sports offseason. There's annual optimism in advance of the season. Yet, optimism turns into reality without fail, and every team isn't playing for a championship. Or, in the case of tight ends, the many mid- and late-round breakout candidates fail to materialize into weekly contributors.
Some gamers understand this reality and pounce on an early-round stud. Others recognize it and intend on streaming out of the chute. Still, others arrive in the streaming group unwittingly after their middle-tier or late-round dart throw flops.
Regardless of how you got here, this is your weekly home for streaming options. Below you'll find three widely available options for Week 18.
Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks
Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 51%
Last week, Gerald Everett had his least productive fantasy football showing since Week 13, and it came in a game where the Seattle Seahawks erupted for 51 points. But Everett's five targets, three receptions, and 36 receiving yards aren't awful.
This week, he will be treated to a pace boost against the Arizona Cardinals. According to Football Outsiders, the Cards play at the sixth-fastest situation-neutral pace. If the Cardinals can speed up the game, the Seahawks should be forced to run more plays. That's more fantasy-scoring opportunities for all of Seattle's offensive weapons, including Everett.
Since Week 10, Everett has caught at least three passes, cleared 35 receiving yards, or scored a touchdown in all eight games. Are those the highest bars to clear? Of course, they aren't. Still, that's enough to put him in the fringe-starter range in leagues as shallow as 12-team formats.
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings
Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 39%
Tyler Conklin couldn't be derailed from his typical, modest level of production even with Sean Mannion making a spot start for Kirk Cousins in Week 17. Conklin was targeted nine times, reeling in five receptions for 47 scoreless yards.
According to Pro Football Focus, among tight ends in 2021, Conklin is tied for 18th in touchdown receptions (three), 12th in targets (80), 12th in receiving yards (587), 10th in receptions (59), and 10th in routes (460). He fully epitomizes a fringe starter in 12-team leagues.
Moreover, he has consistently delivered at least modest contributions. Conklin has caught multiple passes in all but one game, reached at least 20 yards in 12 of 16 contests, securing a pair of touchdowns in one of the games in which he fell short of that yardage plateau. Unfortunately, his season-high for receiving yards in a game is 71, and he's reached at least 70 yards only one other time. The other time he did so, however, he showcased his ceiling with seven receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown.
Nevertheless, using Conklin is chasing a floor in lieu of swinging for the fences.
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals
Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 22%
C.J. Uzomah is the antithesis of Conklin. Uzomah has had fewer than 25 receiving yards in eight of 16 games. However, he has had a pair of games with more than 90 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown receptions. He's quietly caught three or more passes in six straight games, besting 30 receiving yards in three of those contests.
He's a good bet to avoid a bagel for fantasy teams. In addition, among tight ends since Week 13, Uzomah has been tied for 15th in receiving yards (162) as well as tied for ninth in both targets (28) and receptions (19). He's also run the sixth-most routes (170) and is attached to a high-powered offense.
According to Pro Football Reference, the Cincinnati Bengals are fifth in scoring offense (27.8). So, as a result, Uzomah has touchdown equity simply by being on the field and running routes in a high-octane attack.
Uzomah has the highest ceiling of the three tight ends featured in this space, followed by Everett and Conklin. However, flipping that order on its head illustrates their ranking for their floor. Thus, you should assess what your roster needs to win this week when selecting which member of the trio is the correct fit for your team.
Joshua Shepardson is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Joshua Shepardson also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username bchad50. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
