Week 8 DFS: Tight End Report
The top five tight ends in Week 7 were all chalk players. Travis Kelce (12/179/1) posted an impact game, leading to him opening up a 27.50 fantasy point lead in tight end scoring. Darren Waller (7/98/1) finished second, followed by Mark Andrews (4/63/2), T.J. Hockenson (11/86), and Dallas Goedert (5/77/1). The best two outlier tight ends with uptick games last week were Taysom Hill (5/68/1) and Dalton Kincaid (8/75). Here’s a look at the top five tight ends after seven weeks based on fantasy points per game in PPR formats:
- Travis Kelce (17.79)
- T.J. Hockenson (13.86)
- Mark Andrews (13.39)
- Sam LaPorta (12.96)
- Darren Waller (79.00)
Here are the top plays this week via the Week 8 DFS: Tight End Report. Also, check out the Week 8 DFS: QB Report.
Top Tier Option
Travis Kelce, KC (DK – $8,400/FD – $9,000)
After a slow start to the season in yards (26, 69, 60, and 67), Kelce started to make bigger plays over the last two games (three catches of 20 yards or more. Two performances reached the 40-yard mark). He scored more than 20.00 fantasy points in three consecutive games. That was highlighted by his production in Week 7 (12/179/1). Over the last three weeks, Kelce has 31 catches for 370 yards and two touchdowns on 33 targets (93.9% catch rate). In Week 6, he had nine catches for 124 yards on nine targets against the Broncos.
Denver ranks 28th defending tight ends (42/486/3 on 50 targets). Their biggest failures came against Washington (7/89/1), Chicago (10/111/2), and Kansas City (11/138). The Broncos pass defense allows 8.4 yards per pass attempt. Quarterbacks have tossed 16 touchdowns over seven games.
Kelce has an insanely high salary. One that he reached in fantasy points once in 2023 (35.90) and twice in 2022 (33.50 and 35.50). He is the clear No. 1 receiving option for Kansas City (nine targets or more in five of six games). I can’t dismiss a pair of scores and an active role in catches and yards. But his price point requires more creative roster building with fewer outs shining at the backend of the player pool at other positions.
Mid-Tier Options
Mark Andrews, BAL (DK – $6,400/FD – $7,700)
DraftKings bumped Andrew’s salary by $700 this week, leading to him needing to post his best game of the season to fill his salary bucket. In four of his last five starts, the Ravens gave him six targets or fewer due to lower-scoring games by their opponents. He has a floor of four catches in all of his games while gaining more than 60 yards over his last four contests. Andrews scored twice in two games. In 2022, Baltimore gave him double-digit targets in five contests, leading to four winning days (9/104/1, 8/89/2, 8/89/1, and 7/106/1).
Arizona has the third-best defense against tight ends (23/265/0 on 34 targets). They’ve faced Logan Thomas (4/43), Darren Waller (6/76), Jake Ferguson (5/48), George Kittle (1/9), Tyler Higbee (2/18), and Noah Fant (1/25). Last season, the Cardinals had the worst defense in the league vs. tight ends (101/1,084/11 on 129 targets).
Baltimore’s offense made strides in scoring vs. the Lions (38 points), pointing to another productive day in Week 8 based on Arizona allowing at least 30 points in three of their seven matchups. Unfortunately, Andrews needs the Cardinals to solve the Ravens’ defense to shine in this game.
George Kittle, SF (DK – $5,400/FD – $6,100)
No Deebo Samuel and a chaser game led to Kittle having more chances against Minnesota (5/80 on seven targets). His ticket in the daily games only came in once (3/67/3) over his seven starts. The 49ers gave him short targets in four games (3, 1, 4, and 3). That makes him a challenging player to trust in any format. Over his last 22 games, Kittle scored 14 touchdowns.
The Bengals rank 27th in tight end defense (31/304/4), with each opponent’s tight ends catching at least five balls despite receiving a max of six targets in four of their six games. Cincinnati allowed a touchdown to a tight end in four matchups (CLE – 5/41/1, BAL – 6/53/1, TEN – 5/55/1, and ARI – 6/49/1).
The 49ers’ tight ends have 24 catches for 306 yards and three touchdowns on 34 targets this season. Kittle (23/294/3 on 32 targets) has almost of their production from the position. His matchup this week suggests a floor of five catches and high chances of scoring. His receiving yards should come along for the ride. I see him on a path to score 20+ fantasy in Week 8, with more upside if Joe Burrow and the Bengals can put up a fight on the scoreboard.
Sam LaPorta, DET (DK – $5,500/FD – $6,100)
LaPorta had 18 targets over his last two games. But he failed to produce winning stats (4/36 and 6/52) in the daily market. His best two outcomes (8/84/1 and 3/47/2) came in his last two matchups at home. LaPorta is on pace to catch 85 passes for 915 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Raiders come into this week as the 13th tight end fantasy defense (34/290/2 on 45 targets), with the Bills (8/53/1) having the most success. Las Vegas has yet to face an elite tight end – Adam Trautman (5/34), Dalton Kincaid (5/43), Pat Freiermuth (3/41/1), Gerald Everett (2/9), Luke Musgrave (6/34), Hunter Henry (3/28), and Cole Kmet (0/0).
Over the past two weeks, Amon-Ra St. Brown dominated the Lions’ stats sheet in the passing game (12/124/1 and 13/102 on 34 targets), leaving fewer chances for LaPorta. The Raiders’ defense has risk vs. the run, especially at the goal line (nine rushing touchdowns), leading to them allowing 200 passing yards or fewer in five of their seven matchups. Detroit has a well-rounded offense, and the success of Jahmyr Gibbs and St. Brown could give LaPorta sneaky upside in this game.
Darren Waller, NYG (DK – $5,200/FD – $6,400)
The midweek reports have Daniel Jones missing another game, which may work in Waller’s favor based on his uptick in play over the last three weeks (8/86, 5/43, and 7/98/1), with the latter two games coming with Tyrod Taylor behind center.
The Jets struggled to defend the tight end in three games (DAL – 4/12/2, NE – 5/106/1, and KC – 7/94/1). They rank 31st against tight ends (31/321/5 on 45 targets). New York played a challenging overall schedule over the first six weeks (BUF, DAL, KC, and PHI), but they’ve allowed 12 touchdowns, with quarterbacks gaining 6.3 yards per pass attempt.
Waller comes into this matchup with a one-game winning streak, but he can’t post a playable game unless the Giants throw the ball better and improve their scoring (only four touchdowns over the last five weeks). Their offensive line has allowed 37 sacks, but LT Andrew Thomas has a chance to play on Sunday. Tempting, but I have mixed emotions about his value in the DFS market in Week 8.
Low-Value Option
Evan Engram, JAC (DK – $4,500/FD – $5,700)
Over the last six weeks, Engram has at least seven targets in each matchup (8, 8, 8, 8, 7, and 7), leading to four double-digit outcomes in fantasy points (6/57, 7/67, 7/59, and 7/41). Unfortunately, no touchdowns on the year leave him off the winning ticket in the DFS market. He ranks third in tight end targets (51) and catches (41) but seventh in salary at DraftKings in Week 8. Last year, Engram had a monster game (11/162/2) in Week 14 while also posting to other winnable showings (7/113 and 7/93/1) for his salary.
The Steelers haven’t allowed more than 13.50 fantasy points to the tight end position this year. They rank fourth in tight end defense (19/188/1 on 31 targets) while facing George Kittle (3/19), David Njoku (4/48), Las Vegas (0/0), Dalton Schultz (3/42/1), Mark Andrews (6/65), and Tyler Higbee (1/7).
Engram falls into a steady piece of a fantasy puzzle due to his lack of scoring. Over his last 15 games in the Jaguars’ offense, he caught 89 passes for 880 yards and four touchdowns (13.40 FPPG). His matchup appears to be against the grain, but Engram looks due to reach the endzone.
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