With the Thanksgiving weekend behind us, it’s now a dead sprint to the fantasy playoffs, which begin either next week or Week 15, depending on your league settings. At this point, most of your starting lineup should be well-established, especially with the bye weeks over. But it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the waiver wire.
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The big news in the tight end world was the return of Greg Olsen, who almost immediately aggravated his foot injury. The Carolina Panthers believe he’ll be fine for Week 13, but this is yet another reminder that foot injuries can linger far longer than expected. Fantasy owners hoping for a late-season magic bullet from Olsen should rightfully be worried now.
So with all that in mind, let’s take a look at the top tight ends owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues.
Tyler Kroft, Cincinnati Bengals (47 percent)
Kroft has settled as a touchdown-or-bust streamer after scoring in two straight games, but recording just 30 yards combined in his last three games. He’s now up to five touchdowns on the season as he continues filling his role as the dime store Tyler Eifert. Kroft’s floor and ceiling are the same as ever when he faces the Pittsburgh Steelers this week.
O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26 percent)
Howard has six catches for 104 yards in his last two games as the Bucs keep trying to get their first-round rookie going. Cameron Brate has been all but phased out of the passing game, but Howard still isn’t seeing many targets despite his obvious talents as a pass catcher. He’ll continue being a boom-or-bust TE2 when the Bucs face the Green Bay Packers.
Ricky Seals-Jones, Arizona Cardinals (two percent)
Perhaps it’s not a fluke after all? Seals-Jones has been balling with Blaine Gabbert under center. He scored two touchdowns in Week 11 as a complete unknown, then followed it up with 72 yards and another score against the Jacksonville Jaguars on four catches. Showing some legitimate chemistry with Gabbert, Seals-Jones’ breakout is probably not a coincidence (it’s not uncommon for third-string quarterbacks to heavily target receivers they worked with in practice down the depth chart). We’ll see if Seals-Jones can keep it up against the Los Angeles Rams this week.
