The tight end position is strange sometimes in DFS (and no, we aren’t talking about Brenton Strange, though we do like him this week). Some weeks, there are like two guys that we actually like. In others, it feels like there are a TON of viable options and we have almost too many choices. This week feels more like the latter.
So, my biggest advice to folks this week is to fill out the rest of your lineup FIRST. Hit your QB, your WR stacks and correlations, your RBs, then toss in a defense and flex. Then check the tight end position to see if one of the many viable options fits nicely in there. Otherwise, recalibrate the flex and DST, then see who will work. There are a LOT of different options to choose from, and we’ll cover them all here.
NFL DFS TE Top Tier Picks For Week 8
Trey McBride TE, Arizona Cardinals - DraftKings: $7,400 | FanDuel: $7,300
At the very top of the tight end position, it’s basically turned into a weekly question of “Bowers or McBride”. They are not only playing at a higher level than anyone else, but they are priced $2,000 higher than any other tight end. In a vacuum, we typically choose Bowers, but last week we (correctly) chose McBride and, this week, we are once again going McBride.
The reason we were off Bowers last week was his negative matchup with the Rams. And he did fine for your redraft leagues, but at that price, we need better than TE11 on the week. We need 20+ points ideally at this price, as we got with McBride. And with McBride playing Dallas in a potential shootout (over/under 54.5 points), with Bowers having a slightly tougher matchup with the Jets, we are going McBride again here, as we are paying all the way up.
Dalton Kincaid TE, Buffalo Bills DraftKings: $5,300 | FanDuel: $5,600
Now that we have a bigger sample size of games, we are realizing who the tough matchups are for tight ends. And the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots are starting to look like two of the toughest ones. So we are willing to dismiss the down weeks that Kincaid had against them to some degree. He did bounce back nicely, catching 7 of 8 passes in his last game. It does make us a little nervous that Kincaid still has soreness in his ribs despite the bye week, but this matchup also carries a 54.5 point/over under, which is the type of game we like to target.
NFL DFS TE Mid-Tier Picks For Week 8
Hunter Henry TE, New England Patriots - DraftKings: $4,300 | FanDuel: $5,200
There are times that we have shied away from Hunter Henry this year. With Julian Hill out, he is sometimes asked to stay in and block against tough pass rushes. It happened against the Seahawks in Week One and again against the Raiders and Maxx Crosby. But this Dolphins team is no threat of that - in fact, they are a great matchup for tight ends.
I will throw in this curveball as well - we ALSO like Eli Raridon. If you can’t afford Henry, it’s not crazy to pay down for Raridon and give yourself a shot there. Henry has been running more routes, which gives him a better floor and ceiling, but Raridon has paid off at his price a couple times now as well, given the number of two TE sets they are running with no Romeo Doubs or Mack Hollins. Something to consider.
Brenton Strange TE, Jacksonville Jaguars - DraftKings: $4,000 | FanDuel: $5,100
Both Hunter Henry and Brenton Strange are likely to be good cash game options. And they are both also likely to be popular picks - for good reason. The matchups are good for both, and the odds that they return value at their price are also pretty damn good. Plus, any TE getting 4+ targets has the upside of 2 touchdowns; that’s the name of the game as we saw with Mason Taylor last week.
Strange has actually gotten 8, 8, and 7 touchdowns in his last three games. Now he’s coming out of the bye week to face a Colts team that is in complete shambles. Again, it should be a fairly popular play, so you can get different in this range chasing upside by going with Pitts or Fannin if you want, but it will be popular because it’s smart.
NFL DFS TE Value Picks For Week 8
Eli Raridon TE, New England Patriots - DraftKings: $3,300 | FanDuel: $4,500
We mentioned this one above already, but we like this kid Eli Raridon. The Patriots like him too, as he has found himself picking up a lot of snaps following the offseason injury to Julian Hill and recent injuries to Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins.
Against the Raiders, he managed five of five for 57. Against the Jets, he only caught one of his three targets, but one of those passes was an endzone target that he just couldn’t squeeze going to the ground. Then last week he caught three of four for 56 and a score - his second touchdown of the season. This guy is super affordable, he’s a threat to score every week, he’s a live handcuff for Hunter Henry, and the Dolphins are arguably the worst team in the league against the tight end.
Elijah Higgins TE, Arizona Cardinals - DraftKings: $2,700 | FanDuel: $4,600
Hear me out here, folks. The Arizona Cardinals traded away Marvin Harrison Jr. They replaced him on the outside with Jalen Brooks. Unfortunately, after playing 52 snaps this past week, Jalen Brooks suffered a season-ending wrist injury. That leads the Cardinals scrambling a bit for pass-catchers.
They signed Zay Jones, but he needs to get up to speed. They COULD promote Simi Fehoko from a guy who just got 7 snaps to a guy who plays a ton. Or they could lean into more two-TE sets with Elijah Higgins, who did play 39 snaps last week. We have to keep in mind that Elijah Higgins actually primarily played wide receiver when he was at Stanford. He converted to TE in the NFL, but he still skews that way. McBride led all tight ends last year with 24 broken tackles but, as crazy as it sounds, Higgins was actually 3rd among TEs with 14. We already mentioned that this game is going to be high-scoring. Plus, imagine what kind of game Higgins might have if Trey McBride were to make an early exit. The kind of game that wins you a million dollars, perhaps.
NFL DFS TE Fades For Week 8
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions - DraftKings: $5,100 | FanDuel: $5,700
Sam LaPorta caught just one pass last week despite playing 68 snaps. This is suspicious timing given his recent comments about his contract situation. Now, we could say that the Packers safety duo was largely responsible for that, as they are one of the best in the league. But this Vikings defense has been absolutely smothering in all facets this year, including against the tight end, where they are allowing the fewest points of any team. So we have no interest in paying up for Sam LaPorta at this time.
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings - DraftKings: $4,600 | FanDuel: $5,100
This might seem crazy to some. And Howard Bender might even disagree - which is fine; it’s okay to disagree. But I do not believe that the Lions defense is the worst in the league against the tight end anymore. Not with Brian Branch back hovering over the tight end. Last week, Branch proved that he was ready to go, as he was the second-highest-graded safety in Week 8 behind only Jessie Bates of the Falcons. Bates is a real problem for tight ends, and so is Branch when he’s healthy. This is going to be a super popular play this week in DFS - and we are fading it.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $3,700 | FanDuel: $5,200
We have NEVER been folks that just chase touchdowns. The last two weeks with a touchdown on six yards or a touchdown on four yards aren’t even good fantasy football weeks. If Gesicki was running a ton of routes and getting a lot of targets, that might be different. If we are betting on a guy to bet on boom/bust touchdown guys, we can do that for much cheaper than Gesicki. Throw Darnell Washington in there if you want to do that and save some money.