3 Fantasy Football Tight End Streamer Options for Week 1
The tight end position isn't overflowing with depth. Instead, it's still top-heavy. So, those of you who kicked the can down the road at the position instead of investing in an elite tight end might dabble in the streamer waters. Some of you came out of drafts with the intention of streaming.
No matter the path to this point, those who need help identifying widely available tight ends to help their fantasy squad each week have found the correct spot. This is your weekly home for streaming options. Here are three choices for this week.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 23%
Sadly, Gerald Everett didn't have a change-of-scenery breakout with the Seattle Seahawks last year. Nevertheless, he continued to flash some potential and joined a more favorable situation this season. According to Pro Football Focus, out of 44 tight ends with at least 30 targets last year, including the postseason, Everett was 19th with 1.34 Yards Per Route Run (Y/RR).
After playing in Seattle's low-play-volume offense in 2021, he's in an uptempo, pass-happy offense in 2022. According to Football Outsiders, the Los Angeles Chargers played at the sixth-fastest situation-neutral pace in 2021. Additionally, the Chargers were tied for the fourth-highest pass rate (61 percent) in neutral game scripts, per Sharp Football Stats.
Everett can help fantasy squads, even in an ancillary role behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, jostling for looks with Austin Ekeler and Josh Palmer. He'll have some down weeks, but a projected shootout with the Las Vegas Raiders is the ideal situation for Everett to deliver a borderline top-12 tight end performance in Week 1. According to the numberFire Heat Map, the Chargers-Raiders game has a 52.5-point total and 3.5-point spread.
Everett has touchdown potential and can deliver in Week 1.
Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts
Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 8%
Taking on the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts have a tantalizing implied total at a robust 27.00 points, the fourth-highest mark in Week 1. The high implied total makes skyscraper tight end Mo Alie-Cox intriguing.
The former basketball player is a matchup nightmare in the red zone. Fortunately, he hasn't been only a theoretically attractive option in scoring territory. Last year, Alie-Cox's seven targets from the 15-yard line and in were the third-most on the Colts, and his three touchdown grabs from that vicinity tied for the second-most.
Things have changed since last year, and most of the changes have been favorable changes for Alie-Cox's outlook. First, the Colts upgraded from Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan. Second, fellow tight end Jack Doyle retired. As a result, the runway is clear for a larger role for the big-bodied tight end.
The preseason drumbeat has been promising, too, including picking up some of Doyle's vacated routes.
Caught up with Mo Alie-Cox, who's sliding into the TE1 role this year. Is the job much different?
"Nah, I just have a few different routes."
"Like what?"
"Those short little sit routes. You gotta be that guy on third down."
"You mean the Jack Doyle routes?"
"Yep."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 23, 2022
He also dominated snaps with Ryan in the preseason, running routes on a nifty rate of Ryan's dropbacks and moving around the alignment a bit.
Matt Ryan played 33 snaps this preseason. Mo Alie-Cox:
* In on 29-of-33 snaps
* 15 routes on 20 Ryan dropbacks
* Slot 5, wide 1
* 0 catches on 1 target
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) August 29, 2022
Alie-Cox has an opportunity to carve out a significant role in Indy's passing attack, which lacks established talent behind Michael Pittman Jr. Thus, Alie-Cox might be more than a streamer and graduate to popular waiver suggestion by this time next week. It's wonderful when a tight end doubles as a viable streamer with the upside of sticking on fantasy teams, and Alie-Cox fits the bill.
Brevin Jordan, Houston Texans
Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 3%
Brevin Jordan is admittedly the least exciting option in this week's streamers. Nonetheless, I wanted to give desperate gamers in deep leagues an option who is rostered in under five percent of Yahoo! league.
Unfortunately, the Texans are tied for the third-lowest implied total (18.50). Thus, Jordan's touchdown potential is low. Still, he could have a somewhat important role in Houston's offense since it's bereft of established pass-catchers behind Brandin Cooks.
Nico Collins has generated buzz in fantasy football circles on Twitter, but Jordan is also a second-year player with an opportunity for a rebuilding team. In addition, Jordan was used as a route-running tight end in the preseason, not wasting snaps held in to block.
Pharoah Brown (hamstring) has barely played. But Brevin Jordan usage still notable:
* Been in for 58 of Davis Mills' 71 snaps
* Been in for 19 of Mills' 20 3rd-down snaps
* Run 40 routes and pass-blocked just twice
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) August 27, 2022
The Texans recently signed O.J. Howard. Still, Howard played his way off of the Buffalo Bills, and he'll probably need time to learn Houston's playbook and get up to speed. So, Jordan might be on the field and running routes a ton for the Texans in Week 1, especially if the Texans are forced into catch-up mode as an 8.5-point underdog.
Jordan is a useful dart throw in deep leagues.
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.
