Which tight ends have the most favorable fantasy matchups? Who is the best streaming option? And who has a poor matchup?
Here's a breakdown of five notable tight ends featured in Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon and Matthew Freedman's Week 6 fantasy football rankings.
The No. 1 TE
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce's 9.2 targets per game rank 15th among all positions, and he'll take on a Patriots defense that's allowing 7.7 targets and 59.6 receiving yards per game to tight ends.
He carries an average rank of 1.3 among our rankers, and Kelce leads all tight ends with his median and ceiling projections in the FantasyLabs Player Models.
The Most Favorable Matchups
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Gronk is featured in a game that presently owns an absurd implied total of 60 points, while the Patriots boast the slate's highest implied team total at 31.75.
Gronk will also take on a defense that should again be without S Eric Berry (heel) against Chiefs have allowed 9.6 targets and 86.3 receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends.
He carries an average rank of 4.0 between Koerner, Freedman and Raybon.
Matchup Downgrade
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Njoku played well last week, and his usage is trending upward:
David Njoku ran a pass route on 46 of Baker Mayfield's 50 dropbacks and set his season-highs in targets (11), receptions (six), and receiving yards (69) against the Ravens on Sunday.
— Justin Bailey (@justinbailey32) October 8, 2018
But quarterback Baker Mayfield had an absurd 50 dropbacks against the Ravens. Njoku will draw the Chargers next, a defense that's allowing just 3.8 receptions and 46.4 receiving yards to tight ends per game.
That said, two of those matchups came against teams that rarely utilize their tight end (Bills and Rams). The Chargers kept Kelce in check in Week 1 (1-6 on six targets), while George Kittle went rampant on them in Week 4 (6-125-1 on eight targets), and Jared Cook went 4-20 on six targets last week.
You're not fading Njoku because his volume keeps him in play. He carries an average rank of 11.7 among our rankers, but the matchup is worth noting.
The Best Streamers
Ricky Seals-Jones, Arizona Cardinals
The Vikings have struggled against tight ends this season, ranking 31st in Football Outsiders' pass DVOA against them. While RSJ had zero catches last week, he did receive six targets.
Additionally, he's tied with Larry Fitzgerald with 10 targets over the past two weeks with Josh Rosen as the starter.
The waiver wire is thin with tight ends this week, but RSJ is worth a look if you're desperate.
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals
Uzomah saw just two targets in Week 5, but he ran 28 pass routes to Tyler Kroft's nine against the Dolphins (Pro Football Focus).
Furthermore, the Steelers rank 25th in pass DVOA against tight ends, allowing 10.7 targets and 83 receiving yards per game against them this season.
Want another edge? Be sure to keep up with the week's news on FantasyLabs.
