Fantasy Football: 3 Tight Ends to Stream for Week 6

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 6

Tyler Conklin, New York Jets

Matchup: vs. BUF

Tyler Conklin was busy again in Week 5, catching 6 of 9 targets for 55 yards. He finished with 8.5 fantasy points, 14th among tight ends headed into Monday Night Football.

While his final output wasn't anything to write home about, Conklin finished with a 17.6% target share -- his third straight game seeing at least 17% of Aaron Rodgers' pass attempts.

For the season, he's now 15th among tight ends in target share (14.7%) and second at the position in snap rate (89.2%). But that target share has jumped to 18.3% over the last three games, second among New York Jets pass catchers.

So, with his usage trending up, Conklin makes for a viable tight end streamer ahead of a Week 6 showdown with the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo has been a mixed bag against tight ends. They're right around league average in fantasy points allowed to the position, though they've let up the seventh-fewest on a per-target basis. Thankfully, the Bills have surrendered the eighth-highest target rate (20.5%) to tight ends.

Considering how many looks Conklin has gotten in recent weeks -- and the fact that the Jets are 3-point home underdogs on Monday night -- this is another solid matchup for Conklin to produce if you're in a tight end pinch for Week 6.

Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders

Matchup: at BAL

It's easy to gloss over Zach Ertz's measly 2.0 fantasy points last week and dismiss him as starting option in Week 6, but his underlying utilization remained rock-solid in spite of the lackluster final output. Ertz tied for the team lead in target share (29.6%) and saw 4 of the Washington Commanders' 5 red zone targets.

Now, he caught only 2 of those 8 targets, but those looks upped his season-long target share to 18.2%. That's well behind No. 1 receiver Terry McLaurin's 27.3% share, but there's a sizable gap between Ertz and Washington's No. 3 pass catcher, Noah Brown (12.3% share). Ertz now leads the team in red zone target share (30.8%).

That sets him up well in a road date with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6.

Baltimore has permitted the 10th-highest target rate (18.7%) and 6th-most yards per route run (1.60) to opposing tight ends this season. They've surrendered an above-average catch rate (76.7%; league average is 71.8%) on said targets while sitting in the bottom 10 in average depth of target (7.1) allowed to the position.

Ertz further benefits from what's expected to be a strong game environment for Washington pass catchers. This Commanders-Ravens game has the week's highest over/under (52.5), and Washington is a 6.5-point underdog. In theory, the Commanders will face a negative game script in a high-scoring affair, perhaps pushing them to air it out more than they have in the last few weeks.

If that's the game script we end up getting, it could result in a productive fantasy outing from Washington's secondary pass catcher and primary red zone target.

Theo Johnson, New York Giants

Matchup: vs. CIN

With Malik Nabers sidelined with a concussion, rookie fourth-round pick Theo Johnson enjoyed his best game as a pro. Johnson hauled in all 5 of his targets for 48 yards in the New York Giants upset win. He finished third on the team with a 16% target share.

Johnson had been the clear No. 1 tight end for New York all season, but Nabers' absence resulted in a target surge for the rook. Following Sunday's performance, Johnson now has a 78.4% snap rate and 66.8% route rate for the season.

Granted, his target share is just 7.8% on the year, even with last week's season-best effort. There's a chance Nabers returns last week, which would likely cut down on his already-shaky target share. But we've seen concussions result in longer-than-expected absences in recent years, and there's also a chance Nabers doesn't immediately take on the same 38.2% target share we enjoyed in the first four games.

With the Giants slated to host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football next week, Johnson could be a sneaky streamer even if Nabers suits up.

The Bengals have struggled to defend tight ends all season, most recently allowing a combined 10 receptions, 132 yards, and 36.4 fantasy points to Baltimore's three tight ends. With that, the Bengals have now allowed the second-most fantasy points per target (1.81) to the position.

Cincy's struggles to defend opposing tight ends makes Johnson an uber-intriguing streamer if Nabers sits. But given the recent utilization, we could see his target share continue to climb even if their talented wideout is back in the mix.

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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.