For a player to be listed, he must be owned in 50 percent (or less) of Yahoo! leagues. The goal is to provide recommendations of players that have a greater chance of being available on your league's waiver wire. Of course, your league's size and settings could significantly impact whether these players (or better options) are available in your particular league(s).
With that said, here are some tight end waiver-wire options that I like heading into Week 5 (Yahoo! ownership in parenthesis):
[Note: Players listed below are sorted by my preference to add.]
1. Evan Engram, New York Giants (47 percent)
Only five tight ends -- Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, Charles Clay and Jason Witten -- have scored more fantasy points than Engram. On Sunday in Tampa, the rookie had six catches for 62 yards on 11 targets and now has 19 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown on the season.
Rookie tight ends tend to struggle to make a consistent impact, but Engram has been extremely consistent. Through the first quarter of the season, he has a minimum of four catches, five targets and 40 yards in all four games. Perhaps that doesn't seem like much of an achievement, but only six players have four such games -- Engram and Ertz and then four wide receivers.
2. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, New York Jets (7 percent)
Back now for two games, Seferian-Jenkins had five catches for 31 yards in Week 3 and four catches for 46 yards in Week 4. Far from spectacular, but his 10 targets represents 18.18 percent target share over the past two weeks.
Given the team's weak receiving corps and favorable matchups on the horizon, ASJ could be much more productive in the near term with matchups against the Browns and Patriots in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively. The Browns and Patriots have allowed the second- and fifth-most fantasy points (per game) to opposing tight ends this season.
3. Ben Watson, Baltimore Ravens (24 percent)
Despite a catch-less performance on one target in Week 1, Watson has 16 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown over the past three weeks combined. Watson has finished as a top-12 fantasy tight end in two of the past three weeks in standard-scoring formats, but he's been even better in PPR formats with TE4, TE12 and TE16 finishes, respectively.
So far this season, Oakland's issues at defending tight ends has carried over as they rank amongst the 10 friendliest fantasy defenses to opposing tight ends. The Raiders have allowed three top-10 fantasy performers in four weeks including double-digit fantasy points to Vernon Davis and A.J. Derby in each of the past two weeks.
4. Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccanners (49 percent)
Even if he's on the field for fewer snaps than rookie O.J. Howard, Brate has been (and should continue to be) the team's most productive and featured receiving tight end this season. Brate (and Howard) had big games in a favorable matchup against the Giants, who have historically and continue to hemorrhage fantasy points to tight ends.
The good times should continue for Brate in Week 5. As noted above, the Patriots have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to the position so far this season.
5. Tyler Kroft, Cincinnati Bengals (1 percent)
This week's version of Marcedes Lewis could be Kroft, who blew up for six catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns in Week 4. If Tyler Eifert misses Week 5, I don't expect a goose egg from Kroft (like we saw from Lewis), but it's unlikely that he comes anywhere close to his Week 4 production. The Bengals have a less than favorable matchup against the Bills in Week 5 and then a bye in Week 6.
- More Fantasy Football Waiver-Wire Advice Heading Into Week 5
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