After a surprisingly big Week 1 for tight ends, Week 2 was a return to normalcy. The big-ticket names produced as expected, and everyone else was a middling pile of “meh.” Such is life in the fantasy football world.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 4 tight ends to target for Week 3
Tight end remains as thin as ever in fantasy, but here are some potential waiver options this week.
The good news for tight ends is that the bar is set so low you could end up surprising yourself. Five catches for 50 yards is considered a good day, and if your guy finds the end zone you’re sitting pretty. With that in mind, here are four tight ends owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues worth a shot this week.
Ladarius Green, San Diego Chargers (49 percent)
Antonio Gates’ four-game suspension opened up a big opportunity for Green, and he’s acquitted himself well so far with 10 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in the first two games. Green will probably be shuffled back down the depth chart once Gates returns, but he has two weeks left of TE1 upside. The Chargers face the Minnesota Vikings this week, and you could do much worse than Green in your starting lineup.
Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions (16 percent)
The second-year tight end still has issues with drops, but the Lions seem determined to get him the ball this year. He caught his second touchdown of the season in Week 2 and appears to be the clear No. 3 passing option behind Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate.
One thing to watch is the health of Matthew Stafford, who banged up his ribs and arm last week. Stafford isn’t expected to miss any time, but he’s clearly less than 100 percent. That’s a concern for Detroit’s offense, but Ebron could see more targets in the intermediate game as the Lions try to protect their quarterback. He won’t have an easy matchup with the Denver Broncos this week, but Ebron’s long-term arrow is pointing up.
Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams (15 percent)
Cook is almost a running joke in fantasy circles for his tendency to have one big game and then disappear for weeks on end. We won’t pretend that he’s for real this time, but we are encouraged that Nick Foles keeps feeding him the ball. Cook led the Rams with seven targets in last week’s game against Washington, turning them into five catches for 47 yards. You will never like starting Cook in your fantasy league, but if you’re desperate for options, he’s worth a DFS dart throw against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ burnable pass defense.
Crockett Gillmore, Baltimore Ravens (three percent)
The Ravens are desperate for playmakers beyond Steve Smith, so they responded by getting Gillmore more involved in the offense. He quickly made a name for himself in Week 2, hauling in five catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns against the Oakland Raiders.
Don’t expect the scoring to sustain itself, but Gillmore has emerged as Baltimore’s top tight end with rookie Maxx Williams slow to develop. He should continue playing a meaningful role while Breshad Perriman recovers from a preseason injury, and he’s on the TE2 radar against the Cincinnati Bengals this week.
