Tight end remains as deep as ever, but owners of Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Cameron might need a backup play. He suffered a concussion and his status is in doubt. Besides him, you're probably not going to want to get too fancy with a waiver wire pickup, even with six teams on bye.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 tight ends to target for Week 9
Some players are coming back from injuries, while some will have bigger roles because of injuries to other players. Here are five tight ends worth a look in fantasy leagues.
Michael Thomas
Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams (owned in 32 percent of leagues): The loss of receiver Brian Quick is going to have a trickle-down effect to the tight end spot. The Rams have a fairly inept group of receivers, so counting on Kenny Britt, Chris Givens and Stedman Bailey won't be something that will carry them. Cook's numbers have really taken a turn for the worse in the last two games, totaling four catches for 36 yards. However, he had a couple bad matchups against the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. He was targeted 11 times against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 13 and he'll likely be a big part of the offense again. He's a risky play and is more of a stash.
Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings (owned in 30 percent of leagues): He is not expected to return this week against Washington and he'll have a bye in Week 10, so this is more of a stash pickup. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is checking down all game, so that would suggest Rudolph will get plenty of looks in this boring offense. Tight end Chase Ford had six catches for 61 yards on Sunday but has nowhere near the talent of Rudolph. If you need a tight end down the lineup, Rudolph is worth stashing.
Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals (owned in 15 percent of leagues): Tight end Jermaine Gresham has been awful as one of the most useless first-round skill guys in the NFL. The Bengals need some help in the passing game, so Eifert will likely be thrown into the fire if he can return for Week 11. Obviously, this is deep-league territory right here.
Tim Wright, New England Patriots (owned in 14 percent of leagues): The New England Patriots poured it on against the Chicago Bears in Week 8. Quarterback Tom Brady found Tim Wright seven times on his seven targets for 61 yards and one score. Of course, he did put up a goose egg across the board in Week 7, but he's now scored in three of his last four games. Defenses justifiably pay a lot of attention to Rob Gronkowski, so that has made Wright wide open on two of his scores. This week, the Patriots will get the Denver Broncos, who have been the 19th-toughest matchup for tight ends. Plus, they have been effective with the blitz, so Wright should be an option in the slot as a hot receiver. Give him a look if you need help while Cameron is out.
Clay Harbor, Jacksonville Jaguars (owned in 7 percent of leagues): He's been on the field a lot, but it hasn't really translated to production. Harbor had a big game against Tennessee on Oct. 12 with 91 yards and one score, but he's fizzled out since with a combined eight catches for 61 yards in the last two weeks. He'll get a decent matchup against the Bengals. If you're desperate, he should get more targets this week and could have a big game like he did against the Titans.
