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 8

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Matchup: vs. NYJ

It's safe to say that Hunter Henry has enjoyed the New England Patriots quarterback change. Henry has finished as a top-seven tight end and cracked double-digit fantasy points in each of his first two games alongside Drake Maye.

Granted, this is a small sample. But Henry's spits with Jacoby Brissett and Maye speak for itself.

In Weeks 1-5, Henry averaged 5.2 fantasy points, 3.2 receptions, and 36.0 receiving yards per game. He did lead the team in target share (18.8%) but was second in air yard share (21.8%) and only averaged 1 downfield target (10-plus yards) per game.

Over the last two weeks, Henry has averaged 12.4 fantasy points, 5.5 receptions, and 66.5 yards per game. He leads the team in target share (20.9%) and air yard share (28.5%) while seeing 2.5 downfield targets per game.

New England's entire offense has looked better with Maye at the helm. They've gone from 28th to 21st in offensive Net Expected Points (NEP; numberFire's EPA metric) per play over the last two weeks, during which they've thrown for five touchdowns, tied for the second-most in football.

That could elevate Henry's fantasy stock even further if the Pats are even a league-average scoring offense -- though things get a lot tougher against the New York Jets in Week 8. But while the Jets do have a strong defense, they were torched in Week 7 and have been around league-average in fantasy points allowed to tight ends.

It's not the best matchup, but given Hunter Henry's new role, he's a clear top tight end streamer for Week 8 and someone who could help you rest of season with Maye under center.

Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins

Matchup: vs. ARI

Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins had been talking up Jonnu Smith for months leading into the season, but the early results were a mixed bag. Though Jonnu was the TE7 in Week 2, he had just 4.0 fantasy points combined in Weeks 1, 3, and 4.

But Jonnu scored 8.6 fantasy points off 8 targets in Week 5 before exploding for 7 receptions, 96 yards, and 19.1 fantasy points in Week 7. Entering Monday Night Football, Jonnu is Week 7's highest-scoring tight end.

Now, Miami's entire offense could look a lot different with Tua Tagovailoa hoping to return this week, but Jonnu's recent utilization is still something to monitor. He's led the team with a 28.3% target share the last two games and has hit at least an 18% single-game target share in three of six games this season.

Even if that share comes down a tad once Tua is back, that could be offset by higher quality opportunities with a quarterback upgrade. That could translate to more fantasy production, perhaps as early as in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona has been a soft matchup all season, especially through the air. Ahead of their Week 7 matchup, Arizona was league-average in tight end target rate allowed but had permitted the most passing yards per attempt overall. They were 28th in schedule-adjusted pass defense through Week 6.

Lucas Krull, Denver Broncos

Matchup: vs. CAR

If you're truly desperate at tight end this week, you could do a lot worse than Lucas Krull. The Denver Broncos tight end is coming off a 3-reception, 41-yard game and has seen 4 targets in back-to-back games.

We saw half of last week's targets come at least 10 yards downfield, helping him finish with over a quarter of Denver's air yards in Week 7.

Over the last two games, Krull leads all Broncos tight ends with a 53.5% snap rate, 54.7% route rate, and 14% target share.

Now, this isn't the most explosive offense in the league, and it's not one I'm typically looking to stream pass catchers from. But the Broncos get the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, and they're a team we can pick on.

Carolina was 30th in schedule-adjusted pass defense before letting up 205 yards and a 78% completion percentage to Marcus Mariota on Sunday. They've been especially friendly to opposing tight ends, permitting the second-highest target rate and fifth-most fantasy points per game to the position.

With his usage climbing and one of the league's softest defenses coming to town in Week 8, Krull is a capable tight end streamer this week -- one you likely won't need to dish out an arm and a leg for on waivers.

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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.