NFL DFS Week 15 TE Coach: Trey McBride, Travis Kelce & Mark Andrews
Published: Dec 12, 2024
It wasn’t a bad week for us in Week 14 DFS TE land. David Njoku came through for us from our top tier, Cade Otton snuck into the top 10 with a late 44 yard grab and Pat Freiermuth gave us a TE6 week from the value tier.
We successfully faded T.J. Hockenson (TE14) and Jonnu Smith didn’t have a single catch in regulation though he bailed folks out with overtime heroics.
NFL DFS Week 15 TE Coach For FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy
On the flip side, Brock Bowers and Evan Engram were TE16 and 17 while Chig Okonkwo and the entire Titans offense didn’t show up.
The best laid plans of mice and men, am I right? If you are eliminated from playoffs, have no fear, as NFL DFS Week 15 TE Coach is here to fill that fantasy football sized hole in your heart.
NFL DFS TE Top Tier Picks For Week 15
Trey McBride TE Arizona Cardinals - DraftKings: $6,000 | FanDuel: $7,500
We’ll have to monitor this knee issue for Trey McBride. He was limited in practice on Wednesday but at least he participated in some capacity. It’s no surprise that he’s a little banged up given the insane workload he has had.
Over the last three games, he’s averaging an insane ~13.7 targets per game and that’s not even based on an anomaly spike week - he has had 12, 14, and 15 targets. Guys being targeted at the level that he and Brock Bowers are should honestly be priced like top wide receivers.
Both players are averaging 6.6-6.7 receptions per game which is essentially second only to Ja'Marr Chase, Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacua. Yet they aren’t priced that way, especially on DraftKings where there are 17 WRs priced higher than McBride. Khalil Shakir is priced higher.
Who would you start in your flex - Trey McBride or Khalil Shakir? Even without a receiving TD, McBride has outscored Shakir in DK scoring by 20 points on the season.
Travis Kelce TE Kansas City Chiefs - DraftKings: $5,700 | FanDuel: $6,700
We would have LOVED to use David Njoku this week. But he did not practice in any capacity with a hamstring issue which has us a little spooked. If he does a complete 180 and they remove him completely from the injury report by Sunday, he’ll be back on the menu. As of now though, we can’t trust a guy like that.
Folks will be off Travis Kelce because there is a bit of a stigma surrounding him. And that’s because we are used to him being head and shoulder above the other tight ends.
But his 80 receptions this year are still tied with Trey McBride for second behind Brock Bowers and are 19 more than the next highest tight end (Jonnu Smith). With Jameis Winston keeping the tempo up, I could see Kelce having a big day in a good matchup.
NFL DFS TE Mid-Tier Picks For NFL Week 15
Hunter Henry, TE New England Patriots - DraftKings: $4,300 | FanDuel: $5,000
Just like with Travis Kelce and Noah Gray, I’m not really concerned about what Austin Hooper is doing. Noah Gray and Austin Hooper don’t take snaps away from Kelce and Henry, they come in for two tight end sets.
If anything, it takes snaps away from the wide receivers - which is a good thing. Travis Kelce and Hunter Henry are BOTH top five tight ends in receptions on the season. Yes, check the stats. Hunter Henry, top five.
Not only that but he leads his team in routes run, targets, receptions, and yards. He’s averaging ~8.7 targets per game over the last three games but has only found the endzone once all season. If you get one of those 8-9 target games and he scores (maybe scores twice), he could be the TE1 overall on the week.
Henry has been perpetually banged up for essentially his entire career but he’s coming off the bye week so he should be healthy here. How are there 19 tight ends that are more expensive on FanDuel? Dawson Knox? Mike Gesicki? He’s the same price as Foster Moreau for crying out loud.
Mark Andrews, TE Baltimore Ravens - DraftKings: $4,100 | FanDuel: $6,300
There is a bit of a pricing discrepancy here. I understand that DraftKings is full PPR and FanDuel is half, which should lead some guys to be more expensive on FanDuel.
But Kelce is TE5 on FanDuel, which includes the Sunday night game, while he’s TE11 on DraftKings. So we don’t love him for FanDuel (we already mentioned how cheap Henry is there). But on DraftKings they are both great plays.
We have seen players take a long time to get back to 100% after having tightrope surgery for high ankle sprains. Tony Pollard and Darnell Mooney are a couple that come to mind.
Mark Andrews has looked much better in recent weeks and he finally got back to a 74% snap share even with Isaiah Likely out there. Bobby Okereke is once again not practicing for the Giants on Wednesday and this defense is not as good against the tight end without him.
NFL DFS TE Value Picks For NFL Week 15
Pat Freiermuth, TE Pittsburgh Steelers, DraftKings: $3,800 | FanDuel: $5,500
We will continue to Freier up the Freier Truck for as long as he is hot. I mean, it’s about time Arthur Smith got him more involved. This guy has a 91.7% catch rate on the season per Pro Football Focus, maybe it would be smart to throw him the ball more?
That catch rate leads all tight ends and wide receivers with at least 25 targets by a wide margin. Over the last three weeks Muth has had 11.4, 19.2, and 14.3 PPR points. George Pickens will once again be out for this week’s game leaving Van Jefferson as the top wide receiver. At his price point, Pat Freiermuth is a rock solid option.
Stone Smartt, TE Los Angeles Chargers - DraftKings: $2,600 | FanDuel: $4,500
Our old friend. We’ll never forget Week 11 last year when Gerald Everett was out, so we had him in this article as a bare minimum priced play. Then he proceeded to score a 51 yard touchdown. Fond memories.
But that wasn’t a coincidence. There is a method behind all this. In our deeper dynasty leagues, we monitor athletic specimens like Smartt. He’s a former high school basketball star who played quarterback (JUCO player of the year in 2018) then converted to WR then converted to TE at the NFL level.
With Will Dissly out and Hayden Hurst nowhere to be found, this is the time for Stone Smartt to shine once again. And his pricing is only $100 off the bare minimum on DraftKings.
NFL DFS TE Fades For Week 15
Dalton Kincaid, TE Buffalo Bills - DraftKings: $4,900 | FanDuel: $5,700
You might be tempted to get cute here with Dalton Kincaid. The thought process being that his ownership will be low with him coming off injury in a bad matchup. We like doing that - if the pricing and situation are good. But in this case he’s actually priced fairly high.
And this new Bills offense seems content spreading both the snaps and the ball around. With Dawson Knox and Khalil Shakir, there’s really no reason to force Kincaid into a massive snap share in his first game back. Especially with the division locked up. Plus, the Lions have been the worst matchup for tight ends.
Cade Otton, TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DraftKings: $4,500 | FanDuel: $5,500
This isn’t just about Mike Evans being back. Or Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepard seeing targets. That is concerning no doubt. But the Los Angeles Chargers are also just a terrible matchup for DFS in general.
They not only allow the fewest points per game of any team at 15.9, they are 20th in scoring themselves. Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman like slowing the game down and making it boring. That is great for old timey football fans but it’s terrible for fantasy football.