Bye weeks haven’t hurt too bad the past few weeks and this week we have no one on bye. You probably have a solid feeling about your team and who is and isn’t in your weekly lineup but there is still room for improvement. With the tight end position most of the early draftees are lackluster so finding a streamer or sleeper could be the difference between a win and loss this week. Here are the tight end streamers and sleepers for Week 8.
Must starts: George Kittle, Trey McBride, TJ Hockenson, Evan Engram, Brock Bowers, Tucker Kraft, David Njoku, Kyle Pitts, Travis Kelce
Week 8 Tight End Sleepers and Streamers
Streamers
Chig Okonkwo – Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are not great right now. They are struggling to score points and click on offense. They have only scored over 20 points in one game this year. Part of the issue is the quarterback position. Week 1 starter Will Levis suffered an AC Joint sprain in Week 6 which forced him to miss the Week 7 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Mason Rudolph played in his stead but was just as bad. There is rumors swirling that veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins might be shipped out ahead of the trade deadline. Less competition for targets and a team that is always playing from behind are all great things for tight end Chig Okonkwo.
The third-year tight end has been consistently playing 50% of the team’s snaps and seeing about 3 targets a game. We certainly want both numbers to increase but Chig has caught all but two of his targets so far this season. He’s consistent. If Hopkins does get traded or is taken out of the game like he was in Week 7 it should open up more for Okonkwo. The Titans are playing the Detroit Lions who have been very good against tight ends but just allowed Johnny Mundt to catch 4 passes. He only had eight yards which is really bad but it’s the underneath passing that is open against a solid Lions secondary. Okonkwo can turn those into more yards. Even a bad team can produce solid fantasy options if you know where to look.
Hunter Henry – New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are going up against the New York Jets in Week 8. It’s a divisional rematch from Week 3. While the Jets are known for having a solid secondary and currently giving up the fifth-fewest points to tight ends I really like Hunter Henry this week as a tight end streamer.
First, plenty has changed since Week 3. We now have rookie Drake Maye quarterbacking the Patriots’ offense, not Jacoby Brissette. The receiving group for the Patriots has gone from Demario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, and Ja’Lynn Polk to Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, and K.J. Osborn. The Jets secondary is banged up with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed both dealing with injuries. All of these are pointing to Henry continuing to see solid volume and production.
Noah Fant – Seattle Seahawks
I can’t get away from pass catchers on the team that is throwing the ball the most in the NFL. That’s why you see Noah Fant here more often than not. He will be even better with DK Metcalf, possibly missing or being limited by a knee injury suffered in Week 7. Fant has only been playing on 70% of snaps lately but early in the season, he was closer to 80%. He could get back to that if Metcalf isn’t a full go. The Seahawks are throwing the ball a ton. Geno Smith leads the league in passing attempts. The sheer number of potential opportunities for Fant is exciting.
The matchup against the Buffalo Bills isn’t super exciting considering they are giving up the fifth-fewest points to tight ends. I do like it more since the Bills just let the trio of Tennessee Titan tight ends combine for 109 yards. The betting odds lean toward a higher-scoring game with the Seahawks being behind. A game script for more passing is always attractive when I’m looking for a tight end streamer. Fant has been playing well and should see plenty of opportunity this week. It’s been a long time coming for those who drafted him when he came into the league and he now looks to be building chemistry with Geno Smith and an offense that is starting to work the tight end position into the game plan more.
Tight end Sleepers
Lucas Krull – Denver Broncos
One of my favorite movies growing up was this 1983 movie about a prince trying to save a princess with his rag-tag group of compatriots. What I loved about it was this very cool and unique weapon. It was a five-pointed starfish-looking weapon that had blades coming out of each arm. You could throw it and it would come back to you. It is called a Glaive. That movie, which had future stars Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane was called Krull. Much like how that movie has a cult-like following so does third-year Denver Bronco tight end Lucas Krull. A player who is now becoming a tight end sleeper each week.
After missing the first four games of the year Krull has seen his production increase each of the last three weeks. In Week 7 he caught three of his four passes for 41 yards. He now gets to face the Carolina Panthers who are giving up the fifth most points to tight ends. The Denver Broncos have found their future quarterback in Bo Nix and his continued development means more development for Lucas Krull. If you are stuck looking to fill in your flex spot or a movie to watch this week, you should be looking for Krull.
Jonnu Smith – Miami Dolphins
Rumors are swirling that Tua Tagovailoa will return in Week 8 for the Miami Dolphins. It can’t come soon enough as the current starter Tyler Huntley left the Week 7 matchup with a shoulder injury and their replacement Tim Boyle was less stellar. You probably have seen multiple tweets by now that Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle only had two receptions combined. What you probably didn’t see is that tight end Jonnu Smith had his second game in a row with five or more catches and over 50 yards.
Does that continue if Tua comes back? It could. He had similar numbers in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. They play the Arizona Cardinals who are giving up the 17th most fantasy points to tight ends. The game plan for Tua coming back will certainly be to get Hill and Waddle involved but after missing so much time, the coaching staff might build in some high-percentage throws which usually go to the tight end. I’m willing to roll the dice on Jonnu Smith this week. If Tua can’t come back for this game I like him even more.
Colby Parkinson – Los Angele Rams
If you started Colby Parkinson in Week 7 you were let down. That’s because he only had two receptions for 32 yards. While it was a letdown coming off two bigger weeks, the game script just wasn’t there for Parkinson. Matthew Stafford only threw the ball 23 times which is the lowest number in a complete game in his Rams career. Next week will trend back towards the norm of his average 35 times.
They play Minnesota Vikings who are coming off their first loss of the season. The Vikings are giving up the fourth most points to the tight end position. It’s an amazing matchup for Parkinson. The Rams should be getting Cooper Kupp back which will help draw coverage to other areas of the field, opening up more space for Parkinson. If you are looking for a tight end sleeper for Week 8, I like Parkinson. He has a history of snaps and targets and the matchup is primed for him to have a solid fantasy outing.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!