I never thought I would be writing so much about tight ends this late into the season, but those were some of the interesting receiving performances in Week 10. The advice in this space has basically been to just stream tight ends as the list of viable every-week starters has dwindled from an already small number at the start of the season. The problem with streaming tight ends is very few tight ends have popped enough to chase even temporarily. Only six tight ends scored touchdowns last week, and since we’re not messing around with Cameron Brate , Durham Symthe, Pharaoh Brown and Colin Thompson, we have to scrounge for value where we can get it. That being said, there were some interesting target totals among receivers and running backs as well this week, so let’s get right to it.
Michael Pittman 15 targets in the last 2 weeks after getting 13 targets total through his first four NFL games. He is fast enough for his size, and while I doubt this offense is good enough for Pittman to be a consistent fantasy starter, he is certainly worth owning in just about every format.
Mark Andrews still hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 5, and that will always be the primary source of his fantasy value, but it was nice to see him get new season highs with seven receptions on nine targets for 61 yards. This offense just isn’t good enough for Andrews to separate himself from the rest of the meh tight end starters, but his touchdown upside keeps him in that conversation even when the targets and touchdowns wane.
Andrews is fourth in average depth of target among tight ends with at least 30 targets, one spot ahead of Robert Tonyan . Tonyan still hasn’t scored a touchdown since Davante Adams returned from injury, and I’m ready to give up on him, even though I am somewhat encouraged by the downfield shots he is getting.
Logan Thomas may be the exact opposite of Mark Andrews and Robert Tonyan . He has at least four targets in every game this season, including six in each of the last two. He was better before Dwayne Haskins got demoted, but it is encouraging to see him get six targets in each of the last two games with Alex Smith at quarterback. If you are sick of chasing whichever tight end is hot only to wind up disappointed, Thomas should be a much steadier ride, even if his ceiling isn’t particularly high.
I’m not sure I completely trust Chase Claypool, but he has 32 targets in his last three games, with at least 13.2 PPR fantasy points in each game. Pittsburgh continued to throw last week even when they didn’t need to, and while that doesn’t mean it will always be thus, but it doesn’t hurt. Claypool’s ceiling is too high to ever really bench him unless you’re stacked at wide receiver, but I think a four-target game is probably coming soon.
It was nice to see Justin Jefferson with double-digit targets for the second time in his career. He has had five targets or fewer in six of nine games this season and four of his last six, so he still has a way to go before he contributes consistently for fantasy. I like Jefferson as a DFS play this week against Dallas, but I don’t really expect consistent targets so long as the coach and quarterback remain in Minnesota. If Stefon Diggs couldn’t get consistent targets in this offense, there is no reason to believe Jefferson can. Interestingly enough, Jefferson is on pace for 96 targets, after Diggs had 94 targets with Minnesota last season.
Tyler Lockett reached nine targets for just the third time all season, so it was disappointing to see he only finished with five receptions for 66 yards. Has any receiver been more boom or bust this season? Lockett caught 15 of 20 targets for 200 yards and three touchdowns against Arizona the last time out, and while I expect D.K. Metcalf to be more involved in the rematch, this could just be a matchup that favors Lockett.
My inclination is to dismiss Cole Beasley ’s 11 receptions on 13 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown, especially since John Brown left the game with an injury. That being said, Brown wasn’t injured until the fourth quarter, and he had eight targets himself. On the other hand, Josh Allen had a career-high 49 pass attempts, so it’s no wonder there were a lot of targets to go around. Beasley had five targets total in his previous two games, so if John Brown can play in Week 12, Beasley can safely go back to your bench until he puts together another big game or two.
Christian Kirk has 22 targets in his last three games, the most of any three-game stretch this season. Even with the increased targets, he has fewer than 40 yards in two of those games, though he saved fantasy players with two touchdowns against Seattle. Even if he continues to average seven targets per game, Kirk is unlikely to be consistent enough to be a WR1. That being said, his ceiling is as high as anyone’s, and the increased targets lately are certainly a good sign.
J.D. McKissic had the most targets of any player in Week 10, the first time all season a running back topped the league in targets. McKissic was second in targets in Week 9, so this wasn’t exactly shocking. McKissic has the most consistent receiving back in the league of late, with at least six targets and six receptions in five of his last six games. The lone exception was when Washington beat Dallas 25-3 in Week 7. McKissic is a bit dependent on game script, but considering Washington is 2-7, game script will probably favor him more often than not.
Dallas Goedert and Jordan Reed both had six targets, and while neither did much, I think they’re both fantasy starters going forward. It’s difficult to justify using a roster spot on Reed during his bye week, but there are worse things you could do this late in the season. In seasons past, I would say you can’t wait around to see if Goedert can overcome his terrible offense, but with so few tight ends performing consistently, why not just play the guy with a boatload of talent and hope his quarterback starts to find him?