NFL

Tight End Streaming: Week 7 Edition

Matt Grasso  —  @Jeematt Oct 19th, 2013
Jimmy Graham had zero points in Week 6. Joseph Fauria had 21. 'Nuff said.

As we approach Week 7, I'm finding that owners are still wary of jumping into the tight end stream with both feet. They're sticking with their Jermicheal Finleys and Jared Cooks and losing precious points at the tight end position. Why aren't more owners taking advantage of the deep and plentiful stream of tight end talent on the waiver wire? Well, I've heard many reasons for this, and I'd like to put some of these rumors to rest.

Tight end streaming does not cause:
 MRSA
Erectile disfunction
Shingles
Pringles
Fumblitis (aka David Wilson Syndrome)
Hair loss
Hair gain
White Castle addiction
Post Traumaic Peyton Manning Stress Disorder

Week 6 Recap

Jimmy Graham had zero fantasy points in Week 6.

Joseph Fauria had 21.

'Nuff said.

Week 7 Streamers

Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Freemen (owned in 88.9% of ESPN Leagues)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Tight End played the role of invisible man through four games this year, with 103 yards on 12 catches and only one touchdown. Then came Week 6: nine catches, 97 yards and a touchdown for our boy Rudy. He raised his receiving net expected points per target, which gives us a great idea of his value to the Vikings' offense, to .57. To draw a comparison, Greg Olsen's receiving NEP per target is .60.

Rudolph heads into Week 7 with momentum and a new quarterback, Josh Freeman. With little time to learn Minnesota's play book, Freeman is expected to play conservatively in his first game as a Viking, and I expect that to include checking down to his tight end on the reg. Expect Rudolph to find space in the Giants' Swiss cheese defense and look for his shiny nose to find the endzone this week.

Jordan Reed, Washington Native Americans (owned in 3.8% of ESPN Leagues)

As Jordan Reed continues to reinvent the term "Jordanesque," his role in the (Washington nickname left out because it's the cool thing to do) offense keeps on expanding. With an excellent receiving NEP per target of .95, the rookie has caught the attention of Mike Shanahan and savvy fantasy owners. Reed has already taken over as the primary tight end and relegated Fred Davis to more of a backup role. Look for RG3 to "feed the Reed" against the Bears this week, a team that's given up six or more tight end receptions in four of their six games this year. It's time to get him out of your stream and into your lineup.

Joseph Fauria, Detroit Megatronians (owned in 4.3% of ESPN Leagues)

Did you know that Fauria the Destroyer-ia actually makes his offseason home in an end zone? I'm not actually sure if that's true, but I do know he's quite comfortable there this season. With five touchdowns on only seven receptions, Fauria has an extraordinary receiving NEP per target of 1.40, which means that he's added almost a point and a half to Detroit's offense each time Matthew Stafford throws one his way.

The "eye test" tells me Fauria has a knack for finding open areas at the end of scoring drives. He's been a "boom or bust" player thus far: three games with at least one touchdown reception, three games with goose eggs across all categories. One of those empty games for Fauria was played with Calvin Johnson on the sideline. It takes practically a whole secondary to cover a healthy Megatron, especially down by the goal line, so I hope Fauria has prepared another touchdown dance or two this Sunday. We project Fauria to have a better chance to score this week than Martellus Bennett and Jermichael Finley.

Deeper Streamers

Jeff Cumberland, New York Genos

Scott Chandler, Buffalo MattFlynns