Fantasy Football Tight End Streaming: Week 13 Edition

Last week, 12 different tight ends caught touchdowns, resulting in 16 double-digit fantasy point producers. One of my touts from last week, Kyle Rudolph, continued his recent streak of positive play, leading the Vikings in targets (10) for the second straight week. He caught 7 passes for 53 yards, finishing as the TE14 on the week.

Heath Miller was off to a very strong start against Seattle before sustaining a rib injury, finishing with 5 catches for 45 yards in barely a half of action. Brent Celek, who ended up getting the start for the injured Zach Ertz, did catch a touchdown early against the Detroit Lions, but then proceeded to catch just one more pass, finishing with nine fantasy points.

The major development regarding tight ends heading into Week 13 is the injury to Rob Gronkowski. Although reports indicate that Gronk did avoid major injury, it’s unlikely he will be ready to go this week. 

So with that small hint of foreshadowing, let’s move onto the streaming tight end targets for Week 13.  

Scott Chandler

Owned – ESPN: 2%, Yahoo: 8%
numberFire Positional Rank: 16th 

With Gronkowski unlikely to suit up this week against Philadelphia, Scott Chandler has a golden opportunity.

Chandler has never really offered much in the way of fantasy football excitement, but with the wealth of injuries sustained to Patriots’ pass-catchers, he may be thrust into a prominent role moving forward. The now injured Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis combined for a staggering 51 percent of New England’s team target share, and even if Danny Amendola returns this week, it’s clear someone else needs to step up.

The Eagles have been extremely stingy against opposing tight ends this year, allowing just 4.8 fantasy points per game -- second-fewest in the league -- but did allow a top-10 finish to Cameron Brate in Week 11.

With a monstrous 34-point implied team total -- the highest on the week -- the Patriots are likely to be racking up yards and points frequently against Philadelphia. Oh, and there’s also some heavy “really angry Tom Brady” narrative going on here as well coming off New England’s first loss of the season, if you’re into that kind of thing. 

Kyle Rudolph

Owned – ESPN: 21%, Yahoo: 46%
numberFire Positional Rank: 27th 

Although he failed to find the end zone last week, Kyle Rudolph has seen the most targets of any tight end in football (19) over the last two weeks. 

With a heavy commitment to the run game featuring Adrian Peterson, Rudolph is finding an easier go of it with less attention directed his way. There also appears to be a real chemistry forming between he and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Not only has a bounty of opportunity been there for Rudolph, he also gets one of the best matchups possible this week against Seattle. Normally a daunting defense, the Seahawks have proven to be susceptible this season, especially against the tight end position. They’ve allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends (11.2), including 7 touchdowns.

The Vikings have a middling implied team total this week (19.75), but without a ton of ultra-enticing waiver wire options at the position, the combination of his recent uptick in targets and production make Rudolph one of the better options this week for those taking a streaming approach. 

Cameron Brate

Owned – ESPN: 0%, Yahoo: 0%
numberFire Positional Rank: 33rd

So this is where we’re at with the tight end position. I have never, ever recommending starting a player that was literally 0 percent owned, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.

Cameron Brate should see another start at tight end when Tampa Bay takes on Atlanta on Sunday, assuming Austin Seferian-Jenkins doesn’t make his return this week -- and let’s be honest, does anyone expect that at this point? 

Seferian-Jenkins’ absence has opened up a nice opportunity for Brate, who has caught a touchdown in two consecutive games.

Brate has seen 10 targets in the last two games and has finished as a top-10 fantasy option both weeks. The matchup against Atlanta is another reason to like the Harvard graduate this week.

The Falcons have surrendered the 10th most points per game to opposing tight ends, allowing seven touchdowns to the position. With a solid 25-point implied team total on his side, Brate is a dart throw that could very likely pay off again for fantasy owners in desperate need of a tight end.