Tight ends are a crapshoot. This has been true of fantasy football since the beginning of time, and nowhere has it been more apparent than in the 2014 season.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 tight ends to target for Week 7
The tight end position is as thin as ever heading into Week 7, and the waiver wire doesn’t look too hot, but here are some players that could still help you out.
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With six weeks in the books, only two tight ends have more than 100 Yahoo! fantasy points — Julius Thomas and Greg Olsen. Only 14 are averaging more than 10 fantasy points a week, and some of them (Vernon Davis, Marcedes Lewis) have been chronically injured while others (Jared Cook, Dwayne Allen) are just plain unreliable.
It's easy to see why owners in 12-team leagues are scrambling to find starters. If you didn't manage to get one of the elite tight ends you're just plum out of luck. Not even the top fantasy studs are safe, with Jimmy Graham battling a shoulder injury that could keep him out a few games.
Needless to say, the standards for tight ends aren’t as high as they would be for, say, running backs. It’s slim pickings on the waiver wire, and the guys below probably won’t help you win your league, but they could offer decent upside with a floor that shouldn’t cripple your lineup. With that in mind, here are five guys owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues worth a look.
Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins (42 percent)
If you drafted Clay hoping to chase last year's stats you're bitterly disappointed. He has just 17 catches and 146 yards in five games, with almost no indication that new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has any plans for him. That said, Clay has gotten 30 or more yards in three out of five games. Low standards, I know, but the Chicago Bears defense is about as friendly a matchup as Clay will see this year. You could do worse as a TE2 in 16-team leagues.
Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions (13 percent)
Ebron remains a work in progress in his rookie season. Despite the Lions missing Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush, Ebron saw only four targets against the Minnesota Vikings, hauling in two for 23 yards. He is seeing more playing time, earning 47 snaps compared to 46 for Brandon Pettigrew. Ebron has the physical talent to be a red zone target, if he can hang on to the ball. He's firmly in TE2 territory, but the late-season upside is there.
Clay Harbor, Jacksonville Jaguars (3 percent)
Harbor is filling in nicely for Marcedes Lewis, racking up 183 yards and a touchdown on 14 catches in the past three games. Hardly sexy numbers, but when you're looking for a bye week fill-in, that will do. Harbor and the Jags get the Cleveland Browns next week.
Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills (2 percent)
Who saw this coming? Certainly not the New England Patriots. With Darrelle Revis shadowing Sammy Watkins, Kyle Orton turned his attention to Chandler, who blew up for 105 yards on six catches while seeing nine targets. Is he a one-week wonder? Probably — this is Chandler's first 100-yard game in his eight-year career. Still, the Bills offense is moving better under Orton and it's worth monitoring Chandler's production against the Minnesota Vikings next week.
Jace Amaro, New York Jets (2 percent)
Like Ebron, Amaro is a rookie tight end still learning the ropes. Unlike Ebron, Amaro had his first real breakout game in Week 6, grabbing 10 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. His snap count is increasing as well, getting 36 snaps against the Denver Broncos compared to 25 in Week 5 and 22 in Week 4. Amaro is still stuck behind Jeff Cumberland on the depth chart and the quarterback situation is still a mess, but he's slowly starting to win the coaches' trust. Amaro is a desperation play against the Patriots on Thursday night
