NFL DFS Week 14 TE Coach: David Njoku, Brock Bowers & Evan Engram
Published: Dec 05, 2024
Of course, the one week that I actually suggest Taysom Hill as an option, he gets hurt. Classic Taysom, sticking it to me one last time on his way out the door.
Luckily we were bailed out by some decent discount performances on the main slate from our guys like Pat Freiermuth, Hunter Henry, and even our super value play Tommy Tremble.
NFL DFS Week 14 TE Coach For FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy
This week we have a challenging slate with SIX teams on bye. After that we only have a few weeks left of the NFL season to cling.
If you’re eliminated from your regular fantasy leagues by now just know that our old friend DFS will always be there for you!
NFL DFS TE Top Tier Picks For Week 13
Brock Bowers, TE Las Vegas Raiders - DraftKings: $6,500 | FanDuel: $7,000
Brock Bowers leads the entire league in receptions. By five. Not just tight ends. Everyone. So why isn’t he priced that way? Why do we have all these running backs and tight ends priced at $8,000 - $9,000 on DraftKings when Bowers is $6,500? Brock Bowers is essentially playing like prime Travis Kelce right now.
Prime Travis Kelce WAS priced in those ranges for many weeks. If you are going to pay up at tight end right now, just pay all the way up for Bowers. He’s got one of the best matchups for tight ends this week going up against Tampa Bay. FanDuel has priced him up a bit so it’s not as obvious of a play over there. But on DraftKings it is.
David Njoku, TE Cleveland Browns - DraftKings: $5,100 | FanDuel: $6,200
Some folks might be scared off of Njoku because he only had one catch last time they faced the Steelers. But you have to remember the context of that game. It was essentially a white out blizzard game on a Thursday Night.
Those won’t be the conditions this week. If that’s what we could expect, you’d think sportsbooks would have Njoku’s props fairly low. But a book like MGM actually sets his over/under for receptions at 5.5. Which makes sense because, outside of the snow game, he’s had at least five receptions in six straight games.
I mean, he got 17 targets last week and scored two touchdowns. FanDuel has six tight ends priced ahead of him so he’s definitely affordable over there but he’s a good option on either platform.
NFL DFS TE Mid-Tier Picks For NFL Week 13
Evan Engram, TE Jacksonville Jaguars, DraftKings: $4,800 | FanDuel: $5,100
Trevor Lawrence is done for the season after a brutal hit. Which means we get Mac Jones from here on out in a lost season for the Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s not ideal and the quality of targets should obviously be down. And perhaps the scoring chances as well.
But you still have to play the games. The scheme isn’t going to change either. And guys like Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis are ALSO done for the year. It really is just Brian Thomas and Evan Engram. In the two games with Mac Jones, Evan Engram got 7 and 8 targets.
Doug Pederson is still going to scheme things up. If you get 6-8 targets and score a touchdown, you are well worth a mid-tier price tag. I’m willing to go there in this range.
Cade Otton, TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers- DraftKings: $4,400 | FanDuel: $5,600
This could end up being a fairly popular play if Mike Evans is out. As of Thursday, he has not been spotted at practice. We honestly like the play regardless though. It’s a slam dunk if Evans doesn’t go but it’s still a reasonable option if he doesn’t.
I know stats like DVOA attempt to capture more facets than just raw points but there is something to be said about the Giants allowing the second fewest fantasy points to tight ends this year behind only the Lions.
That one down game for Otton might just have been matchup related while he bounced back with 7 targets last game. I think Cade Otton is still capable of big target games with or without Evans and the Las Vegas Raiders are one of the best matchups you are going to get.
NFL DFS TE Value Picks For NFL Week 13
Pat Freiermuth, TE Pittsburgh Steelers, DraftKings: $3,800 | FanDuel: $5,500
Last week we mentioned that PFF had Pat Freiermuth listed with a 92% catch rate on the year. That is so good that Muth went out and caught 6 of his 7 targets this week and that actually brought his catch rate DOWN to 91.1%.
The Steelers seem to be figuring out what we have known all along as of late which is that Muth is a damn good pass-catcher. He’s gotten 11 targets over the last two weeks which ends a long stretch where he hadn’t gotten more than three in a game since September.
Things are trending in the right direction for Freiermuth just as he faces a good matchup with Cleveland. Last time he faced them he caught 4 of 4 for 59 so hopefully they give him more than 4 here if he’s going to catch everything.
Chig Okonkwo, TE Tenneessee Titans - DraftKings: $3,000 | FanDuel: $5,300
With Dallas Goedert out and the Eagles facing the worst team vs. the tight end, there will be a LOT of Grant Calcaterra lineups. And, if you are a volume player, you might want to make one yourself just in case. But we actually think Chig Okonkwo, who is even cheaper, might be the better discount option.
And, if Chig outscores the chalk play Calcaterra, that creates a lot of leverage. In Week 12 Chig caught a fourth quarter pass and took it 70 yards to the house. They rewarded him the next game with six targets.
Okonkwo, along with George Kittle and Kyle Pitts, is one of three tight ends in the league to have three or more 40+ yard plays in the same season over the last five years. Not only can he break off big chunk plays but he gets the Jacksonville Jaguars who have been one of the worst teams against the tight end.
BONUS DART THROW: Chig Okonkwo, TE Tenneessee Titans - DraftKings: $3,000 | FanDuel: $5,300
NFL DFS TE Fades For Week 13
Jonnu Smith, TE Miami Dolphins - DraftKings: $4,600 | FanDuel: $5,400
You might be tempted to start Jonnu here coming off back to back 11 target games. But the Jets defense is still fairly stingy against the pass. And, with three good corners, there really is nowhere to hide against the defense.
Jonnu has benefited out of the slot but the Jets zone just means that he’s going to run into Michael Carter II in there. Vegas has this one set to be a fairly low scoring affair so, even though we like Jonnu a lot in general, we’re going to hold off this week.
T.J. Hockenson, TE Minnesota Vikings - DraftKings: $4,300 | FanDuel: $6,300
In his first three games back, T.J. Hockenson didn’t crack a 50% snap share. Over the last two he has been at 68% and 64%. That’s a little better and it makes us more comfortable in redraft. But in DFS we want the ultimate upside.
Now that T.J. Hockenson is priced back up towards the elite options, do we really want to pay up for a guy that might not be getting a full-time workload? He’s especially expensive on FanDuel.