It's been a long year for the tight end position. It's been a long year for the Cleveland Browns. David Njoku stands out as a glimmer of positivity for both. And last week, we found out that's true even with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback.
In Week 16, Njoku caught eight of 10 targets for 66 yards and 14.6 PPR Fantasy points. For the year, he now ranks as TE4, averaging 13.1 PPR Fantasy points per game. In Week 17, Njoku has a mediocre matchup against the Dolphins, but he still projects as a top-five tight end. I would start him over Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, and Sam LaPorta.
I would also start Njoku over any streamer you might find on the waiver wire. But that doesn't mean there aren't good streaming options available for this week. I make my case for Chigoziem Okonkwo and Dalton Schultz in the waiver wire section below.
Here's everything else you need to know about tight end in Week 17:
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Okonkwo has been Mason Rudolph's favorite target over the past two weeks and has 21 targets in those two games. The Jaguars have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. That's enough to make Okonkwo a top-12 tight end in this environment.
Schultz's involvement has been hit-or-miss over the last month, but his best two games of the season have come in the last three weeks. The absence of Tank Dell should mean more targets, and the Texans should be pass-heavy because no one runs on Baltimore.
Five of my top nine tight ends this week are not on the main slate. But number two by production and number one by value is there, that's Jonnu Smith. Smith has already set the Dolphins' record for catches by a tight end with 76, but he still has an outside shot at hirs first 1,000-yard season. He has at least 12 PPR Fantasy points in six straight games.
Ertz was awful last week, but he now has a good matchup against a bad pass defense with a lower roster rate and price. That makes him a perfect Week 17 contrarian play.
TE Preview
Heath's Projections
My full set of Week 17 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. You can find them here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 17. Projected stats for all starting tight ends are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.
