Streaming tight ends is going to be the next big fantasy football strategy, like how streaming quarterbacks has become all the rage in recent seasons. While we have been here all year to help you stream tight ends, it’s become increasingly needful this week with the six teams on bye. You’ll need some one-week punch at the tight end position, and we are here to help. Every week we explore three players at each fantasy football position that can assist you with your streaming or spot starts. In this article, we will highlight two wide receivers available in 50% or fewer fantasy football leagues (per Yahoo! statistics) and normally we highlight one wide receiver is available in 90% or more leagues for you deep divers.[embedit snippet=”jeff-ads”]
Cameron Brate versus Oakland (39% owned)
Brate has been phased out of the offense the last few weeks, getting only six targets in the last two games combined after going for ten and eight the two games prior. Obviously, his fantasy production suffered as a result. His production should get back on track this week as the last two games were run-heavy as the Bucs ground out a win against the Panthers and Jacquizz Rodgers is still running circles the 49ers defense in Santa Clara. The Raiders give up the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends this season and have given up three scores in their last two games, as the secondary shores up and teams go more towards the tight end against them.
Eric Ebron at Houston (37% owned)
Ebron was one of the mass of sleeper tight ends I believed in this preseason, but an injury derailed his season after being productive. He’s questionable but was a full participant in practice and is set to come back this weekend against Houston. This isn’t a great matchup on paper, as the Texans have shut down several fantasy relevant tight ends this season (Bennett, Walker, Rudolph). Doyle hit pay dirt last weekend, and Ebron is going to have plenty of opportunities to produce. It isn’t a great matchup, but he is a talented tight end that Matthew Stafford likes to get plenty of targets.
C.J. Fiedorowicz versus Detroit (13% owned)
This is a bit of a cheat because most of the sub-10% ownership tight ends aren’t worth a look. Maybe Virgil Green in a bad matchup (10%). Fiedorowicz got his article this week. The skinny: he has become a crucial part of Brock Osweiler’s game, as teams are scheming to take away DeAndre Hopkins. There was a clear delineation mark in targets when Fiedorowicz became a useful fantasy football commodity, wherein his targets exploded. The Lions are the third-worst this season against the tight end and have given six tight ends at least seven fantasy points, which is the basic threshold for a startable tight end. Fire up your Fiedorowiczes.