Week 10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Target: Should You Add Buccaneers’ Cade Otton?

The tight end position continues to baffle fantasy owners. So far in week 9, Houston Texans’ Dalton Schultz and Chicago Bears’ Cole Kmet are the top-two producers at the position.

The No. 3 fantasy tight end in week 9 is Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Cade Otton, and he’s who I want to focus on as a potential waiver wire target for week 10.

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Week 9 Breakdown

Otton was targeted nine times in the Bucs’ loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. He caught six passes for 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Otton had a long reception of 24 yards and caught 3- and 14-yard touchdowns.

The Bucs’ tight end played 66 offensive snaps, which is what the team had for a total.

Otton’s Season Breakdown

Otton has been the Bucs’ starting tight end all season, but hasn’t been consistently involved in the passing game until these past couple weeks. 

He was targeted six times in week 2, but didn’t reach that number again until the team’s sixth contest. Otton had between 2-4 targets the other four games, finishing with one catch twice, two catches once and three catches once.

Otton had only scored one touchdown before week 9, and that came back in the team’s fourth contest.

The 24-year-old, who was a fourth-round pick of the Bucs in 2022, has been targeted at least six times in each of the past three games. He caught five passes for 43 yards in week 7 before tallying 27 yards on four grabs and six targets in week 8. 

Week 9 was the best game of his young career. He finished with his second-most targets ever, tied for the most receptions and had the most receiving yards. His two scores nearly matched the three he’s scored in his career so far.

Otton’s Fantasy Outlook

His two-touchdown performance is sure to catch the eye of fantasy owners, which will in turn make him one of the top waiver wire options going into week 10. The scores and yardage in week 9 were great, but the bigger thing is that he’s starting to consistently be involved, which is what I’m looking for in a fantasy tight end.

He’s not going to be the team’s top option. Running back Rachaad White leads the team in touches and scrimmage yards, while Mike Evans and Chris Godwin form a good 1-2 punch at wide receiver. After that, targets and production are there for the taking, and Otton is starting to deliver.

He’s already fourth on the team in scrimmage yards and now is tied for second on the team in touchdowns.

The best statistic that fantasy owners should like is his snaps played. Otton has played 505 offensive snaps this season. The team has run 520 plays in total.

Only five players - quarterback Baker Mayfield and four offensive linemen - have played more snaps than Otton, so the team clearly trusts him as a blocker, and now he’s starting to make a difference in the passing game.

While he might not consistently top Evans, Godwin and White in yards and fantasy production, the fact that Otton is on the field so much gives him the chance to produce solid fantasy numbers. Otton has played nearly 100 more snaps than any skill player, so it was really only a matter of time until he got more involved.

Mayfield and Otton appear to be developing a good connection as the season has gone along, and the tight end should remain involved with the offensive gameplan moving forward.

Should You Target Otton?

I don’t think Otton will always be a top-three fantasy tight end, but given the lack of consistency at the position, there’s reason to believe he could be a top-10 guy every week going forward. 

He’s becoming more involved as the season rolls along, and he’s a go-to target for Mayfield in the red zone of late. His touchdown numbers could help offset some lower-yardage showings and keep him among the better fantasy options.

I don’t view him as a top-end priority on the waiver wire, but definitely would consider adding Otton, especially if you need some help at tight end. 

He’s only owned in 13% of leagues, so there’s a chance he’s available in a deeper league of yours. I would certainly target him in deeper leagues.

In terms of whether or not you should start Otton, I would base things on the strength of the opposing defense if you aren’t 100% convinced of him as a fantasy option yet. 

He’ll face the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts before the month ends. The Colts are the only favorable matchup, and they are an average one. 

Keep that in mind as you prioritize the waiver wire tight ends. You might be able to wait one more week to see if Otton can deliver a good score against a stronger defense, but he might also get scooped up this week, and if he were to score well again next week, he’d likely be one of the hottest waiver wire commodities before week 11, so tread carefully.