The tight end situation has been pretty messy after the big three of Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas and Rob Gronkowski. A big takeaway is that it makes a lot of sense to use your first- or second-round pick on a tight end next year -- unless you already learned that lesson last season.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 tight ends to target for Week 11
There are a couple tight ends on the shelf who could come back soon. What other options will fantasy owners want to keep their eyes on this week?
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Sure, guys like Martellus Bennett and Greg Olsen have been productive here and there, but they've had a lot of letdowns, too. Here are five other tight ends to help you deal with this season-long struggle.
Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns (owned in 53 percent of leagues) -- There really isn't a lot of analysis needed here. Cameron has frustrated his owners way too much and he's justifiably been cut a lot. If he's on waivers, he could be a huge asset and is better than anyone on this list. Plus, quarterback Brian Hoyer has been hot lately. If you hate your tight end(s), give him a look and see what happens.
Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams (owned in 30 percent of leagues) -- Sometimes the implications of injuries reach to different positions. The Rams lost receiver Brian Quick for the season and none of the team's other receivers stepped up against the Arizona Cardinals. However, Cook was effective to the tune of 84 yards and a score. Of course, the Cardinals have been one of the worst defenses against tight ends in the past two seasons, so take this with a grain of salt. He's popped up as a hot waiver wire pickup a few times, but maybe it sticks this time.
Mychal Rivera, Oakland Raiders (owned in 34 percent of leagues) -- The Raiders just can't get anything going from their receivers. We have been trying to figure out who is going to benefit from Rod Streater going down, but maybe it's a tight end. Rivera has been sneaky good, but the TDs just aren't there. He's really seen his snaps go up; over the past three weeks, Rivera has been playing 79.5 percent of snaps. He's been a favorite option for quarterback Derek Carr during that time with 28 targets, which tops the team. He is coming off a six-catch, 64-yard game with a score, so perhaps he gets it going.
Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings (owned in 30 percent of leagues) -- The Vikings are coming off a bye and there's a good chance Rudolph is ready to go. Cordarrelle Patterson has been a massive bust while Greg Jennings can't string games together. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has really struggled at getting the ball down the field, so perhaps Rudolph will get himself 7-10 targets. He's worth a look.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (owned in 2 percent of leagues) -- ASJ scored for the Buccaneers on Sunday and he's done so twice in the past three weeks. Seferian-Jenkins also was targeted a career-high nine times this past week, and the switch to quarterback Josh McCown looks like it helped him. He's worth a look as a spot-start against Washington and his potential owners can just roll with the punches from there.
