Top daily fantasy football tight end plays for Week 12

Welcome to Week 12 of the Daily Fantasy season. Pricing has stabilized as trends have emerged but there are still bargains to be found and even some higher-priced options that will go under-owned and can make a difference in your lineups. This article looks at some of the projected lesser-owned plays at tight end who could provide huge boosts to your tournament lineups, as well as some trap plays to avoid.

A.J. Green is out. Giovani Bernard is out. Someone is going to have to step up and lead this offense. The leading candidate is Eifert, who has one 20-point game among four since his return from injury and should be a target monster with such a huge void created in the passing game. Eifert is essentially now the No. 1 receiver in this offense, but he’s priced like a No. 3. Take advantage of this new normal in Cincinnati.

The trend in concerning: Over his past seven games, Fiedorowicz has alternated weekly between good games and bad ones. This week, he is due for a bad one. On the plus side, he’s facing the Chargers, who seemed determined this season to make all opponents feel happy by allowing enough points to lose. Fiedorowicz remains Brock Osweiler’s second-favorite target with Will Fuller struggling in his rookie season. Maybe that Chargers magic will upend Fiedorowicz’s odd-even trend.

McDonald was a tight end hero in the preseason and then notched a huge touchdown in Week 1. And, for the last couple months, that was all we heard of him. But since Colin Kaepernick was installed as the starter, McDonald has seen his season turn around. McDonald scored for the second time in three weeks last week and has six targets in four straight games. There’s no reason to think Kaepernick will shy away from McDonald against a tough Dolphins pass defense this week. He is a sneaky bargain at $4,800.

The Browns have been bludgeoned by opposing tight ends this season. Tye has 20 targets over his past three games and actually scored a touchdown last week in another good matchup against the Bears. This is an even better matchup, yet Tye remains near the basement in salary. Tye opens up all sorts of lineup flexibility and is a solid bet to find paydirt again. Don’t be afraid to Tye one on this holiday season (sorry).

With Jacob Tamme out for the year, Hooper has the opportunity to take total control of the position. He his shown flashes during his rookie season of being a reliable option for Matt Ryan. He might be needed more than ever this week, with Julio Jones dealing with Patrick Peterson and the Honey Badger. Don’t sleep on this super-cheap option.

Like with his quarterback, the only concern here is how much Walker will be needed in what could be an ugly blowout. In addition, the emergence of Rishard Matthews has caused Walker’s production to dip. In any other week, Walker would be a “Play.” But the cost is prohibitive this time.

Bennett did nothing last week with Rob Gronkowski out and he isn’t a sure thing to play himself after not practicing on Thursday. Keep an eye on the news this weekend, but between the late start and his inability to seize the opportunity last week, Bennett is a risky play.