Tight end is typically frustrating for fantasy football managers. However, this season, it’s a dumpster fire and is even worse than usual.
Reliable, every-week-starting tight ends are scarce, and there’s a long list of TEs who have disappointed (Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid, Mark Andrews, etc.).
In Week 11, there are four teams on bye (the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers), so let’s examine several streaming options that you should target this week.
All TE streamers are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (vs. LAR) | 46% Rostered
We’ve featured Hunter Henry in this column several weeks in a row, and we’ll continue to do so until he’s rostered in more than 50% of leagues.
Among all tight ends this season, Henry has the sixth-most receptions (40), sixth-most targets (57), and seventh-most yards (428). He’s the TE15 on the season, and the only reason he’s not higher is because he has just one touchdown this year.
Drake Maye taking over as the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback was the best thing that could have happened to Henry.
Drake Maye to Hunter Henry 🔥
His 2nd TD throw of the day
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/XyE101pvF4
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) October 13, 2024
Over the last four weeks, Henry has caught 21 passes, which is the third-most among tight ends over that span.
New England’s wide receivers have left much to be desired throughout the first half season, so it’s no surprise that Henry is currently leading the Patriots in receptions (40), targets (57), and receiving yards (428).
Given New England’s struggles at wide receiver, Henry is being used in the slot quite a bit, which bodes well for his fantasy production. While he had a dud in Week 10 against the Chicago Bears, that was a tough matchup. Chicago is allowing just 10.2 fantasy points per game to tight ends, which is the fewest in the NFL this season.
In Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams, Henry will face a defense that ranks in the bottom five in yards per pass, yards after catch, and passing-touchdown rate this season.
Also, against tight ends specifically, Los Angeles is allowing the seventh-most receiving yards per game (59.25), second-most yards per catch (11.85), and sixth-most touchdowns per game (0.5). As a result, the Rams are giving up the eighth-most fantasy points per game to TEs (8.0) this season.
And since Henry is the No. 1 weapon in the passing attack, he has a solid floor most weeks.
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins (vs. LV) | 24% Rostered
With Tua Tagovailoa back under center after recovering from his latest concussion, the Miami Dolphins’ offense looks drastically better. Since Tagovailoa returned, the Dolphins are averaging 39.5% more yards per play than in the games he was out.
With Tagovailoa out, none of the Dolphins’ pass catchers were playable — even Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle struggled mightily. But with Tua under center, everyone’s fantasy value has skyrocketed, and even tight end Jonnu Smith has become a reliable fantasy asset.
Entering Week 10, there were six tight ends who caught at least four passes in each of the past four games: George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Brock Bowers, David Njoku, Evan Engram, and Smith.
Smith is the TE18 on the season, averaging 8.3 PPR fantasy points per game and turning 40 targets into 30 receptions for 302 yards and one touchdown. However, almost all of his production has occurred over the last month or so.
Over the last five weeks, he is averaging 6.7 targets per game, which ranks 10th among all tight ends. Over that same span, Smith is the TE12, with 21 receptions for 224 receiving yards and a touchdown. And over the last three weeks, his 16 receptions rank seventh among all tight ends.
Now, he gets a terrific matchup against a Las Vegas Raiders team that has struggled against tight ends all year. Against tight ends, the Raiders are allowing the third-most fantasy points per game (9.3), third-most touchdowns per game (.56), and fifth-most yards per game (60.2).
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals (at LAC) | 45% Rostered
Mike Gesicki is a receiver labeled as a tight end in our world, and that’s great when an injury opens up usage.
Over the last three games that Tee Higgins has been sidelined due to a quad injury, Gesicki has been targeted 23 times, which is third-most among all tight ends. In the previous four games when Higgins was active, he totaled just four targets.
Over that three-week span, Gesicki is the TE5, averaging 15.4 fantasy points per game. He totaled 203 yards (second-most among tight ends), two touchdowns (second-most), and 16 receptions (third-most).
In other words, this is a simple situation that you need not overcomplicate. If Higgins is out, Gesicki is a top-10 tight end without much thought. If Higgins is active, Gesicki is a low-end streamer at best.
The Mike Gesicki griddy is one of the best traditions in football pic.twitter.com/b1eIsnl4Gh
— Billy Moy (@PFF_Billy) November 3, 2024
If you add Gesicki, be sure to check the Bengals’ practice reports throughout the week to see if Higgins is trending toward playing or missing his fourth consecutive game.
Even if Higgins plays, it’s possible that Gesicki has earned a larger role than he had early in the season when he was still getting acclimated to his new team and developing chemistry with quarterback Joe Burrow.
Gesicki is the third-most-reliable pass catcher in this offense, and that role should thrive given the attention that Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase demand. But until the Bengals show any interest in getting that role consistently involved when Higgins is healthy, it will be hard for fantasy managers to trust Gesicki.
Here’s the good news: Cincinnati has a Week 12 bye, so if Higgins is still banged up, it’s very possible that the Bengals will sit him out one more week and then target Week 13 for him to return. That would be excellent news for Gesicki’s fantasy value.
And while the Los Angeles Chargers have done a good job of keeping tight ends out of the end zone, they are allowing the second-most receptions per game (6.5) and ninth-most receiving yards per game (56.9).