The Week 12 waiver wire is like every other week at the tight end position: There just isn’t much out there. Waiver adds at TE are very much an exercise in chasing your tail and hoping to catch it just once. With that in mind, here are some potential targets for fantasy football managers on the wire this week.
Top TE Waiver Wire Targets in Week 12
Donald Parham, Los Angeles Chargers (5% Rostered)
At this point, we do not know how long Gerald Everett might be sidelined. But in his stead, Donald Parham operated as the Chargers’ TE1 and played well enough to garner fantasy attention.
Parham caught four of six targets for 57 yards. After the 1 p.m. ET games, that was somehow good for the TE5 on the week. I’ll take 9.7 points from a tight end. Parham is definitely worth a look if you lost Mark Andrews.
FAAB Recommendation: 4-8%
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens (3% Rostered)
There are actually a surprising number of useful fantasy tight ends this season. However, they’re pretty much all rostered. If you had Andrews or Dallas Goedert and are looking for a replacement, it’s tough to find a worthwhile tight end on the waiver wire.
More Waiver Wire Targets: WRs | RBs | QBs
Isaiah Likely is not going to be the answer. But he still may be worth taking a shot on.
In Week 1, Likely filled in for Andrews and saw exactly one target. Last Thursday night, Andrews went down in the first quarter. Likely was the primary tight end for the rest of the game. He saw two targets.
Talent matters. Likely is far from a terrible player. But he’s not Andrews. He’s not good enough to command targets at the expense of the wide receivers the way Andrews is.
If you are desperate for a tight end, the semi-unknown of Likely is still a better gamble than picking up someone we know isn’t going to help you. Unfortunately, between the Ravens’ upcoming Week 13 bye and Likely’s lack of production even when Andrews has been out, I would not get my hopes up.
FAAB Recommendation: 0-2%
Which TEs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?
Should You Roster Donald Parham or Luke Musgrave?
Earlier in the season, I was quite bullish on Luke Musgrave. I thought he would emerge into a weekly startable tight end. While he has fully grown into the TE1 role for the Packers, it is now Week 12. If it hasn’t happened yet from a fantasy perspective, it probably isn’t going to.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
Musgrave’s 64% snap share against the Chargers was actually his lowest since Week 6. He caught four of six targets for 28 yards. Musgrave now has just two games with more than four receptions and only one with a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Parham excelled as the Chargers primary TE, with Gerald Everett sidelined. We don’t know how long Everett will be out, but for as long as Everett is out, I prefer Parham. Just know that Parham’s value is tethered to Everett’s status.
Should You Roster Isaiah Likely or Cole Kmet?
Fantasy managers absolutely cannot trust Cole Kmet to be a weekly producer. But how many tight ends can you really trust?
Kmet has as many games with 15+ fantasy points as he does with 5.0 or fewer. Last week was one of the latter.
With that said, Kmet has an established role and proven upside. Likely does not. I am just not a believer in Likely, regardless of Andrews’ health. This time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more Charlie Kolar.
You probably already have Kmet on your roster in this scenario and are perhaps considering a change. Stick with Kmet and let someone else add Likely.
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