The qualification for being a top-12 tight end after three weeks is essentially this: Have you had one good week? Only seven tight ends are averaging double-digit PPR Fantasy points, and only five of those seven have played all three games. Twelve tight ends have topped 100 receiving yards for the season. It's been a complete bloodbath, and now Trey McBride is in the concussion protocol, and Sam LaPorta is questionable with an ankle injury.
I will have streaming options for you below, but I should be clear about one thing. No matter where Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce are in the projections (outside the top 10), I am not considering dropping them. And I am not likely carrying two tight ends to pick up one of the streamers below, even if that stream projects for one more Fantasy point this week. I am getting a lot of questions asking what I am doing about Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews. For now, my answer remains the same: I am probably starting them.
This is not my way of trying to shrug off their miserable starts. I am genuinely concerned. I just do not have enough confidence in any of the waiver wire tight ends to make that move. I also don't have enough confidence in Kelce or Andrews to criticize you if you do want to make that move. There is very little reason for optimism.
Here's everything else you need to know about tight end in Week 4:
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In his first full game without Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, Parkinson saw a 21.7% target share from Matthew Stafford. He has two games this season with five targets, and the Rams are projected to be playing from behind.
In two games without Evan Engram, Strange has a 15% target share, and he ranks as a top-10 tight end with 9.4 PPR FPPG. Watch the injury report closely, but if Engram is out again, Strange is a fine streamer.
Kmet has 14 catches on 15 targets in the Bears' last two games. He just scored 25 PPR Fantasy points against the Colts. And his price hasn't had time to catch up. He's one of the few truly cheap tight end options that have slate-busting upside, which he just showed. Since there's no sure thing at the position, you might as well go with the cheapest upside.
In tournaments, I may just find the cheapest tight end with a big point total and pray for a touchdown. Higgins already has one score playing with Trey McBride and now may get a chance to play against the Washington Commanders without McBride. If the projected roster rate later in the week shows Higgins as chalk, then you can pivot to Erick All, who has turned eight targets into 13.4 PPR Fantasy points without a touchdown.
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Heath's Projections
My full set of Week 4 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 3. Projected stats for all starting tight ends are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.
