Just when one top tight-end comes back into the mix, the other is having issues and looks like will be a problem for fantasy owners in week 8. Jimmy Graham has been one of the top fantasy tight ends over the past couple of years. However, fantasy owners are feeling a little pinched now that his injury, which at first didn’t seem that serious, has now lingered on for weeks and could hold him up again.
He looks like he will be a true game-time decision, but don’t count on him for fantasy this week and start to have a back-up plan. Reports from the beat reporters are that it doesn’t look good that he’ll suit up, and if he does it would be a limited role and mostly as a decoy. There are some fantasy options for owners and we’ll take a look at them in this week’s fantasy 911 tight end edition.
For fantasy owners of Jimmy Graham, there are a couple of options that might be available on the wire. The first tight end option that I would look for on the wire would be Jordan Reed. He is still available in about a third of leagues on Yahoo so if you see him, grab him and start him for sure. He is in the top 10 for receptions among tight ends on the year, and he is a getting a lot more comfortable in the Skins offensive that is starting to click now that RG3 is getting healthier.
If he is not there, the next option could be a guy like Jermaine Gresham, who is available in about half of the leagues. He is also a top 10 tight end in receptions on the year so he at least gets you consistent opportunities. He doesn’t have a touchdown yet on the year, but this could be the week that it changes. Heath Miller is another guy to look for and he is available in about a third of the leagues, but both of these guys are pretty well known.
I can hear you are saying, “okay, dude we know, but what if all these guys are not out there”, well no problem. Here are some deep pickups you can make and play in week 8 that will at least get you some points and maybe a good opportunity for a score. The first would be Jeff Cumberland, who ranks among the top 10 tight ends in receiving yards over the past 4 weeks and has 2 touchdowns over that spam. This is a guy that gets consistent work and a has a shot at a red-zone target. He is available in 90% of the leagues on Yahoo so look for him on the wire and start him if you need a tight end.
The last really deep sleeper pickup, just in case all of these guys are not there, would be Rob Housler. He is a guy that is getting more work in the Cards offensive and over the past two weeks he has 11 receptions on 12 targets for 85 yards. He hasn’t scored a touchdown yet, but they do use him a lot in short yardage so in PPR leagues he is even more solid.
This list has plenty of options for fantasy football owners to look out for at the tight end position for week 8. Injuries are something that savvy owners don’t worry about as much, as long as they are on top of it and have a good backup plan. This week will be a tough week for most teams because of the byes and injuries, so don’t worry about not having a optimal lineup since plenty of teams will be in the same boat.
