Tight end has long been the most volatile position in fantasy football. While 2024 offers an exciting crop of tight end options at the top, not every fantasy team has the luxury of rostering an elite option.

Unless you were one of the lucky few to nab a top guy, 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 all hope is lost.

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 2024 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.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise stated.

Fantasy Football: TEs to Stream in Week 12

Will Dissly, Chargers

Matchup: vs. BAL

Six teams are on bye in Week 12, so we're losing some of our favorite tight end streamers, including Taysom Hill and Mike Gesicki.

Luckily, the trending-upward Will Dissly is around, and he draws a great matchup in Week 12.

Dissly has served as the TE1 for the Los Angeles Chargers ever since they came out of a bye in Week 6. In that six-game span, Dissly has been on the field for 64.3% of snaps and is running 58.6% of routes. He's enjoying a 21.7% target share and a team-leading 26.3% red zone target share in that stretch, too.

In last night's thrilling SNF battle, Dissly caught four of his six targets for 80 yards and a touchdown. He was on the field for 75% of red zone snaps. His awesome usage numbers have popped up at the perfect time as the Chargers are letting Justin Herbert sling it after starting the season with a more run-heavy approach.

Herbert has thrown at least 32 pass attempts in four out of six games since the bye. Last night, Herbert logged 297 yards via 36 attempts. And now, Herbert and company's juiciest game of the season awaits. The Chargers will host the Baltimore Ravens for a contest that's showing a close spread (3.0) and a massive over/under (50.5).

The Ravens own the third-best schedule-adjusted rush defense but struggle with the third-worst pass D. Baltimore's opponents are passing the ball at a 65.2% rate (second-highest in the NFL). That's great news for Dissly, who has established himself as an integral piece of the Chargers' passing game.

His output figures to be solid against a Ravens team that is letting up the second-most targets, third-most receptions, and fourth-most yards to TEs.

Zach Ertz, Commanders

Matchup: vs. Cowboys

Zach Ertz has become an evergreen inclusion in our TE streamer piece. Since a Week 12 date with the Dallas Cowboys looms, we've gotta go back to the well with Ertz.

On the season, Ertz has managed a 67.9% route rate, 19.9% target share, and 26.2% red zone target share. Since Week 5, he's seen a 22.3% target share and a 32.4% red zone target share. Across his last two games, he's been handed a team-leading 23.4% target share and 33.3% red zone target share thanks in part to an 81.8% route rate.

Ertz's biggest fantasy week came this past Thursday as he caught six of his seven targets for 47 yards and a touchdown. He's had some decent yardage games this season (62, 68, 77) but hasn't been able to pair a big yardage day with a TD. It could all come together for Ertz in this weekend's game versus Dallas.

The Cowboys entered Week 11 with the 28th-ranked schedule-adjusted pass defense. They're allowing the 10th-most fantasy points to tight ends, including the fourth-most touchdowns to the position. This matchup could open doors for Ertz, who -- despite scoring in Week 11 -- is still due for a bit of touchdown regression. He's posted a underwhelming 3.3% touchdown rate on 61 targets despite his aforementioned team-leading red zone target share.

The 34-year-old doesn't exactly have the highest ceiling, particularly since the Commanders are favored by 9.5 points in Week 12, but Ertz's usage and soft matchup make him a top streamer target.

Ja'Tavion Sanders, Panthers

Matchup: vs. Chiefs

This is more of a desperation play considering the Carolina Panthers have just a 14.5-point implied total in their matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, but Ja'Tavion Sanders has a path to do something this week.

Bryce Young has been back under center for three straight games. In that span, Sanders has run 59.2% of routes and has held an 18.2% red zone target share. In Week 9, Sanders popped off for 87 yards via five targets. In Week 10, Sanders was a near non-factor in the yardage column but did catch a five-yard touchdown pass and ran 85.2% of routes. His usage continues to increase alongside Young as he walks into a fantasy-friendly matchup versus the Chiefs.

Kansas City is coughing up the third-most targets, most receptions, most yards, and the 12th-most touchdowns to TEs. All in all, the Chiefs are letting up the second-most fantasy points per game to the position. Now, that might not mean a whole lot if Young and company are ineffective against an otherwise dominant Chiefs defense, but Sanders' rising usage and good matchup make him a viable pickup in a week where some of our favorite TEs are on bye.

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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.