The tight end position is in as bad of a state as I can ever remember. At this point, the goal on the waiver wire is just to find a usable body. If you end securing one with legitimate upside, that’s just a bonus. We now have three weeks’ worth of data and can start to form stronger opinions on the season-long fantasy football value of these players. With that in mind, let’s examine a couple of potential TE targets on the wire this week.
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Top TE Waiver Wire Targets in Week 4
More Waiver Wire Targets: QBs | WRs | RBs
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers (18% Rostered)
There are a lot of Packers on the Week 4 waiver wire. Luke Musgrave is another one whose role is uncertain when WR Christian Watson returns. Still, the tight end position is terrible. Musgrave saw eight targets against the Saints, catching six for 48 yards. It could’ve been even better if Jordan Love hadn’t missed him on at least one wide-open pass.
MORE: Early Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups
Tight ends typically struggle as rookies, especially early on. If Musgrave is already this good, he could be a weekly starter in short order. Given the state of the position, he’s worth a pickup.
FAAB Recommendation: 4-6%
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys (41% rostered)
The wheels fell off this Dallas Cowboys offense on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, but Jake Ferguson was a solid fantasy asset as he reeled in five of seven targets for 48 yards.
While these aren’t groundbreaking numbers, it’s certainly enough to be on the streaming radar week in and week out with how the rest of the TE position is performing. Fantasy managers are legitimately going to be making decisions on whether or not to keep someone like Kyle Pitts with Ferguson available on the waiver wire for them.
FAAB Recommendation: 5%
— Analysis by Kyle Yates
Which TEs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?
Should You Roster Luke Musgrave or Juwan Johnson?
I had a feeling about Juwan Johnson entering this season. He was a red-zone monster in 2022 and showed a good rapport with Derek Carr in training camp and the preseason. As it turns out, sometimes feelings don’t pan out.
Through three weeks, Johnson has a total of seven catches for 61 yards. He hasn’t scored a touchdown and doesn’t appear to be a key member of this offense.
MORE: Fantasy Buy Low, Sell High Week 4
Musgrave hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire, but he’s been better than Johnson. Plus, Musgrave is a rookie. He is only getting better.
Through three weeks, Musgrave’s snap share is up over 80% — higher than Johnson’s. He has more targets, receptions, and yards. I would argue he has a better quarterback, too.
I no longer see any real upside with Johnson. On the other hand, I do see it with Musgrave. At this point, I would much rather take the chance on Musgrave off the Week 4 waiver wire.
Should You Roster Kyle Pitts or Dalton Kincaid?
In this dichotomy, Dalton Kincaid is undoubtedly the new hotness. The 2023 tight end class is probably going to end up being the best group of rookie tight ends for fantasy purposes of all time.
With that said, Kyle Pitts is still immensely talented. You can see it every week watching Falcons games. The problem is Desmond Ridder should not be a starting NFL QB. Unfortunately, that is unlikely to change unless the Falcons start stringing losses, which, given their schedule, is unlikely.
In the right environment, Pitts would have elite TE1 upside. However, that does not exist in Atlanta.
Kincaid has actually seen his snap share drop every week of the season. However, I would attribute his limited usage in Week 3 more to the score than anything else. He is still being used plenty. Kincaid ran just one fewer route than Dawson Knox and, overall, ran a route on 65% of Josh Allen’s dropbacks.
While Kincaid undoubtedly belongs on fantasy rosters, I am not ready to start him over Pitts. Even with fewer targets than he deserves, Pitts is able to scrounge together more production than Kincaid. Plus, he doesn’t have a Stefon Diggs on his team gobbling up all the targets. I am sticking with Pitts here.