Heading into last week there was quite a bit of talk about how much deeper tight end is this year. This is nothing new; we do it every year. I think I even did it earlier this year. And it almost always ends up the same way.
In Week 10 it ended with T.J. Hockenson, Dawson Knox, Dalton Schultz, and Dallas Goedert combining for 9.9 PPR Fantasy points. And "poof!" there goes our supposed depth.
The truth is, tight end has been a little bit deeper this year. Through Week 10 we have 12 tight ends averaging at least 10 Fantasy points per game. That's more than we've had each of the past two seasons. But not by much, we had 11 in both 2019 and 2020. And that includes Rob Gronkowski, who has only played four games and George Kittle, who has only played five. It also includes Dawson Knox and Hunter Henry, who have built their house of cards entirely on an unsustainable touchdown rate.
In other words, tight end is still a debacle.
That's what makes it so surprising that Dan Arnold is still only 51% rostered. I think that's at least partially because his time in Carolina pulls down his scoring average. But Arnold has now scored at least 10 PPR Fantasy points in four of his past five games, and that's without a touchdown. He's like Bizarro Hunter Henry, and I'd much rather bet on Arnold's catches and yards holding up than Henry's touchdowns.
Here's everything else you need to know about tight end in Week 11:
Week 11 TE Preview
Who's Out
The following players are not being projected to play Week 11 at this time. Here's what it means:
IND
Indianapolis
• #83
Age: 31 • Experience: 6 yrs.
John Bates will be the starter if Logan Thomas isn't ready.
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PHI
Philadelphia
• #88
Age: 31 • Experience: 9 yrs.
DeVonta Smith could see a target share boost if Goedert is out.
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Numbers to Know
- 60 -- Darren Waller has only topped 60 yards once since Week 2.
- 4 -- Dawson Knox has one game with more than four catches this season.
- 29 -- Pat Freiermuth has 29 targets in his past four games.
- 22% -- Cole Kmet has a 22% target share since Week 5, the fourth-best mark in the league.
- 1 -- T.J. Hockenson saw one target in the first week of Dan Campbell calling plays for the Lions.
Matchups that matter
Kyle Pitts
TE
ATL
Atlanta
• #8
Age: 25 • Experience: 6 yrs.
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HOU
Houston
• #86
Age: 30 • Experience: 9 yrs.
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Mike Gesicki
TE
CIN
Cincinnati
• #88
Age: 30 • Experience: 9 yrs.
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Waiver Wire Targets
Dan Arnold
TE
PHI
Philadelphia
• #46
Age: 31 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Arnold is the only tight end widely available who I think is actually more than a streamer. In fact, I think what we've seen the last month is closer to his Fantasy floor than ceiling, because he hasn't yet reached the end zone.
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Evan Engram
TE
DEN
Denver
• #1
Age: 32 • Experience: 10 yrs.
Engram and Arnold are the only tight ends who have scored double-digit Fantasy points in each of their past three outings. Yes, the bar is that low at tight end.
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Logan Thomas
TE
SF
San Francisco
• #82
Age: 35 • Experience: 10 yrs.
Thomas would be No. 2 on the list if we knew he was actually playing. For now he's more of a stash than a streamer, but he could be a top-12 guy rest of way once he gets back.
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DFS Plays
SF
San Francisco
• #85
Age: 32 • Experience: 10 yrs.
It's much easier to pass on Jacksonville than to run against them, so I'd expect a little uptick in volume for Kittle this week against a bad secondary. Kelce is right there with Kittle, but I would expect his roster rate to be higher, which is a nice tiebreaker.
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MIN
Minnesota
• #87
Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.
He just saw one target in a game! Does it get any more contrarian than that? In all seriousness, Hockenson's targets have bounced all over the place this season and I expect them to bounce back in Week 11.
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Heath's Projections
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