It was a weird weekend for tight ends. Rob Gronkowski had his worst game of the season and was only TE9 on the week in what was a favorable matchup. The No. 1 guy? That would be Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert with his eight catches, 90 yards and two scores. He’s made it very clear he is a top-three tight end and maybe even the second-best option.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 6 tight ends to target in Week 6
Gary Barnidge is on fire and has become a must-start player. Here are some other guys to pick up.
There were also A LOT of low-end guys busting loose this past week. If you had San Francisco 49ers tight end Garrett Celek beating Gronk in fantasy points, you probably have a gift or something. Anyway, here are some pickups:
Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns (owned in 51 percent of leagues)
This one is pretty simple: Barnidge is a must-add player
Richard Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (owned in 46 percent of leagues)
If you missed out on Barnidge, Rodgers is a fine pickup. The Packers haven’t seen receiver Ty Montgomery or Jeff Janis step up, which creates some opportunity for Rodgers. In his last two games, he’s caught 11 passes on 14 targets for 90 yards and one score. He’s getting more snaps and he’s looking at a very good schedule. The Packers get the San Diego Chargers, a bye, Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions in the next month.
Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills (owned in 80 percent of leagues)
He was a huge letdown on Sunday, catching just one pass for seven yards. Clay was supposed to dominate with the Bills missing their top two backs and also receiver Sammy Watkins. Both backs could miss more time, but Watkins should be back. Still, Clay had 111 yards in Week 4 and is a solid own. He’ll get the Bengals in Week 6 and Jaguars in Week 7, so that should be a nice little run for him.
Larry Donnell, New York Giants (owned in 45 percent of leagues)
The Giants are trusting him more as a blocker, which has led to more snaps. Donnell caught a game-winning touchdown with 21 seconds left against the 49ers and he should see more looks going forward. Plus, the Giants have banged up receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle -- both should play.
The Giants get the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots before their bye in Week 10.
Jacob Tamme, Atlanta Falcons (owned in 1 percent of leagues)
He’s in a very similar situation as Donnell. The Falcons are a little banged up with Julio Jones dealing with a hamstring issue, Roddy White looking old, and Leonard Hankerson also missing some time on Sunday. That led to Tamme putting up eight catches for 94 yards on his 10 targets. Although, Washington can’t stop tight ends, so take that with a grain of salt.
He gets a great matchup against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday, which is good for him because those receivers have less time to heal. He could be a top-10 TE this week.
Derek Carrier, Washington (owned in 3 percent of leagues)
We have no idea how long Jordan Reed will be out with his concussion and knee injury. So that means it’s tough to pick up Carrier even though he played well on Sunday. He caught two passes for 27 yards and one TD. You have to be desperate to add him.
