Tight end is always a difficult position for fantasy football managers to fill, and Week 12 is an especially dicey outlook. Six teams are on bye, including fantasy mainstays like Evan Engram, Dalton Kincaid, and Kyle Pitts.
With that in mind, we take a look at some potential tight end streamers for needy fantasy managers this week.
Jonnu Smith
Miami Dolphins (vs. NE)
Jonnu Smith continues to be rostered in fewer than half of all ESPN and Yahoo leagues. That’s despite six consecutive performances of at least six PPR points entering Week 11, as Smith ranked as the TE5 in PPR points per game since Week 5.
If you didn’t pick him up already, you could face a lot more competition this week after the Miami Dolphins tight end recorded a career-high 101 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jonnu Smith WIDE OPEN for the 57-yard TD!
📺: #LVvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/VMOXPnzMzM— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
The New England Patriots rank in the bottom half of the league in PPR points per game allowed to tight ends. Smith had five catches for 62 yards in the first matchup between these teams in Week 5.
He only scored once prior to Sunday’s outburst, so Smith is a better option in full PPR leagues. He should be rostered in those leagues by now, though, so add him if you need a starting option for Week 12.
Theo Johnson
New York Giants (vs. TB)
This is probably only a play in full-PPR leagues, but Theo Johnson has seemingly usurped Wan’Dale Robinson as the high-target, low-yardage option in the New York Giants passing game.
Theo Johnson caught this 35 yard seam pass for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Overall, he had a rough game…still, this is the second week in a row where his size, leaping ability, and catch radius up the seam were assets. pic.twitter.com/VVrGXJlhlF
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) November 3, 2024
Over the Giants’ three games before their Week 11 bye, Johnson was targeted on 17.4% of his routes, the second-highest rate on the team behind Malik Nabers. Johnson caught 10 of 16 targets for 123 yards in that span, receiving an average of 5.3 targets per game.
Now he faces a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense allowing the third-most PPR points per game to tight ends this season. Johnson is owned in 2% of ESPN leagues and 1% of Yahoo leagues, so he’s a solid option if you’re in a deeper format.
Will Dissly
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. BAL)
Would you believe it if I told you that Will Dissly has the second-highest target rate among tight ends this season, behind only Evan Engram?
To be fair, Dissly doesn’t actually run very many routes, as he’s more valuable to the Los Angeles Chargers as a blocker. Dissly ranks 22nd among tight ends in routes per game, and just scored his first touchdown of the season on Sunday night. For that reason, he’s rostered in fewer than 15% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.
Still, Dissly is the clear TE1 for the Chargers and faces a Baltimore Ravens defense that is in the bottom 10 in PPR points per game allowed to tight ends. Dissly is second on the team in red-zone targets behind Ladd McConkey, so positive touchdown regression could arrive in time for this matchup.