Fantasy Football: 3 Tight End Streamer Options for Week 13

Tight end, as the kids say, is a wasteland.

Of all the positions in fantasy football, tight end has consistently been the most volatile. It's gotten to the point where we're lucky to have even a handful of tight ends we can rely on week to week.

This year is no different. Unless you were one of the lucky few to nab a top option at the position, you'll likely be scouring the waiver wire in search of a diamond in the rough.

However, just because you punted on the tight end position doesn't mean you've punted on your team as a whole.

Streaming tight end is a real, and effective, strategy -- you just have to know where to look.

That's where I come in, giving you three tight end streamers to target each and every week of the 2023 NFL season. All of these guys should be available in the majority of 12-team leagues and at the very least possess value for the upcoming week.

Projections and rankings via numberFire.

Week 13 Tight End Streamers

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

He won't be around in every league, but if Pat Freiermuth is floating around on waivers, he's a priority add.

Freiermuth broke out in his second week off IR. Entering Monday Night Football, he's the TE2 on the week thanks to 16.5 half-PPR points. Most impressively, Freiermuth didn't even need a touchdown to get here. He secured nine of his 11 targets for 120 yards.

The utilization was stellar. Freiermuth only ran a route on 68% of dropbacks, but he was targeted on a staggering 44% of them. That translated to a career-high 35% target share.

The 25-year-old was one of the most consistent tight ends in fantasy last season, so perhaps the departure of Matt Canada is all that was needed to get him back on track. We're just a year removed from him commanding a 19% target share and outputting eight weeks inside the top 12 at the position. I don't think it's a stretch to say he gets back on that track.

In Week 13, Freiermuth and the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona has strong numbers against tight ends, but they just gave up an overall TE1 week to Tyler Higbee and rank 26th in numberFire's scheduled-adjusted pass defense metrics.

Freiermuth suddenly looks like the tight end that was being drafted as the TE8 before the season, per FantasyPros' average draft position data. If he's anywhere close to that in Week 13, Freiermuth is only a top tight end streamer, but he's a top waiver wire target, regardless of position.

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

While Juwan Johnson didn't exactly light the world on fire last week, he produced a serviceable 6.5 fantasy points. That alone would put him in the streaming conversation for Week 13, but his strong utilization makes him a top streamer.

Coming out of the bye, Johnson set season-best marks in route participation (85%) and target share (19%). He saw a target on 21% of his routes, while his 7.3-yard average depth of target was adequate.

Johnson had five top-12 finishes last season, so it's not like he hasn't been fantasy-relevant in the past, but the context behind last week's utilization is what really has me excited about him in Week 13.

The New Orleans Saints were already down Michael Thomas (knee) headed into last week, and then Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (quad) exited with their own injuries. Shaheed is already looking unlikely to play in Week 13, while Olave's status remains up in the air.

Even if Olave is cleared before next week, Juwan Johnson could find himself as a primary option in this Saints passing attack. It's not the most explosive offense in the NFL, but they're averaging the second-most pass attempts per game. Volume is volume.

It helps that New Orleans hosts the Detroit Lions next week. Detroit has been a fairly average matchup for tight ends this season, allowing the 13th-most fantasy points, 16th-most receptions, and 14th-most yards per game to the position. Overall, they've given up the 13th-most passing yards per game.

Suddenly a top option for an offense that's averaged the second-most pass attempts per game, Juwan Johnson is a top tight end streamer option for Week 13.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cade Otton has become a staple in this tight end streamer piece. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' pass catcher hasn't proved to have a very high ceiling (just two finishes inside the top 12) but continues to sport a strong floor (seven games with at least six points).

The last two weeks have been stereotypical Otton performances. He caught four of five targets for 49 yards in Week 11 before snagging all four targets for 45 yards this past week.

Otton is on the field a ton. He's run a route on at least 80% of dropbacks in every game since Week 4 but has only been targeted on 13% of his routes over that span.

Still, he's commanded a 19% end zone target share in that sample and consistently flirts with a 15% overall target share. That's enough to be viable at the thinnest position in fantasy football.

Looking ahead, Otton and the Bucs take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 13. That's not ideal considering Carolina has been one of the most stingy defenses to opposing tight ends. They've allowed the second-fewest receptions, fifth-fewest yards, and 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to the position.

However, the Panthers are merely average against the pass overall, so this shouldn't be that daunting of a matchup for Otton. He's not a flashy name, but if you need a one-week fill-in, you could do a lot worse than Cade Otton.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.