Week 1 Fantasy Football: Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups
Most drafts are in the books but many league’s waiver wire has not run yet prior to the first week of the season. Now is the time to look for last year’s James Robinson on the waiver. You may not get a player quite of that caliber, but if you have an empty spot on your roster due to an injured player, or if you drafted J.K. Dobbins or Travis Etienne pre-injury, now is the time to find some hidden gems. Use FantasySP’s Waiver Wire tool to help you get a leg up.
Tight Ends
Albert Okwuegbunam, Denver Broncos (1%)
Big Al is the beneficiary of the Noah Fant injury. He could be an intriguing play this season and we know that Teddy Bridgewater likes to target players who run short and intermediate routes.
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings (6.27%)
Irv Smith went down with a season-ending injury. The Vikings traded for Cristopher Herndon, formally of the New York Jets. Now fantasy Twitter is acting like Herndon is the second coming of Christ. Sorry Herndon truthers but the guy has abysmal hands and cannot catch a contested pass to save his life. You would be much better served with the veteran in Conklin. Check out this clip of Conklin's 20-yard touchdown run after the catch as he bulldozed his way into the end zone carrying multiple defenders.
Dan Arnold, Carolina Panthers (8.33%)
The Sam Darnold to Dan Arnold connection is going to be a lot better than many think. Although the Panthers have CMC, D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson as solid threats, none of those guys are great red-zone targets. Enter Dan Arnold. Don't be shocked if Arnold finishes the season with eighth touchdown grabs.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (13.35%)
Eric Ebron is another player with shaky hands. Despite all the puff pieces about the chemistry that Ebron and Big Ben established entering into the 2020 season, they were just puff pieces, nothing more. And the Steelers invested draft capital in the tight end out of Notre Dame for a reason. Freiermuth will surpass Ebron on the depth chart by the midway point of the season.
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (36.89%)
He’s too talented for the Eagles to stick on the bench. Even with Dallas Goedert as the top tight end in Philly, the Eagles will employ plenty of two-tight-end formations. Ertz is worth a roster spot at the very least.
Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks (43.6%)
Everett has become a little buzzy over the last week or two, but he’s still available on most waiver wires. While he’ll have to fight for targets with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Everett doesn’t have to compete for tight end targets with Tyler Higbee anymore, and we should see his stats take a jump now that he gets to upgrade from Jared Goff to Russell Wilson.
Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns (63.94%)
Hooper is just the 16th tight end off the board in most leagues, yet he is still available on some league's waiver wire. Grab him before it's too late. He could eat, especially Week 1 against the Chiefs.
