NFL

Fantasy Football Tight End Streaming: Week 6 Edition

Jordan Hoover  —  @jhoover9787 Oct 8th, 2014
With Dennis Pitta out, Owen Daniels is making the most of his opportunity in Baltimore.

In last week’s article, I went out on a limb and recommended a very youthful, inexperienced trio of tight end streamers. In theory, opportunity plus relative athleticism should equal results. But as we all know by now, sound theory doesn’t always pan out in fantasy football.

Clay Harbor, Jace Amaro, and Austin Seferian-Jenkins finished 25th, 27th and 46th respectively in PPR scoring last week.

A large part of my thinking on these guys last week was the assumption of volume. None of the above received more than four targets, as both Jacksonville and the New York Jets struggled to mount much of any offensive attack. Seferian-Jenkins dropped two passes early, and from then on was basically phased out of the game plan.

With that atrocious week behind us, let’s look forward to Week 6 and some juicy matchups that can get our streaming train back on track.

Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts

Owned - ESPN: 11.6%, Yahoo: 47%
Week 6 numberFire Rank: t/11th

It’s no secret that the Colts’ offense is red-hot, guided by Andrew Luck, the top fantasy quarterback through the first five weeks. And if you’re looking for consistency, Dwayne Allen has caught a touchdown pass in three straight games, and four in the first five weeks.

He has converted 15 of his 20 targets into receptions and ranks ninth among all tight ends in Reception Net Expected Points(NEP) this season. On a per-target basis, Allen ranks third in Reception NEP among tight ends with at least 10 targets.

The matchup isn’t great, as the Houston Texans currently rank first against the pass according to our metrics, but it’s worth taking a shot on a guy who is consistently getting four to five targets per game in an Andrew Luck-led offense and has shown a nose for the goal-line in recent weeks.

Owen Daniels, Baltimore Ravens

Owned - ESPN: 8.1%, Yahoo: 43%
Week 6 numberFire Rank: 10th

Last week against Indianapolis, Owen Daniels took advantage of his opportunity in the wake of Dennis Pitta’s season-ending injury to the tune of 5 catches for 70 yards. Gary Kubiak has a strong affinity for the tight end position, and it shows as Daniels was targeted seven times.

Daniels ranks 14th in Reception NEP among tight ends, but on a per-target basis, he ranks fifth among tight ends with at least 10 targets. It’s clear that Daniels is doing well with his new-found volume.

Daniels’ Week 6 opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have been absolutely dreadful against the pass this season ranking dead-last in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP. They have also surrendered 16.0 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.

At this point, Daniels could be considered the second option in the Ravens’ passing game behind Steve Smith, Sr.

Stream away.

John Carlson, Arizona Cardinals

Owned - ESPN: 0.3%, Yahoo: 0%
Week 6 numberFire Rank: t/21st

Despite the Cardinals finishing Sunday’s matchup against Denver with their third-string rookie under center, there appears to be good news on the horizon.

Carson Palmer is getting closer to returning, meaning more (and better) opportunities coming for the Arizona pass-catchers.

John Carlson was highly sought after coming out of college, and while he doesn’t have an extremely elite athletic profile, you can’t dispute his growing role in the Cardinals’ offense. He played 97% of the offensive snaps last week, and is now the clear number-one tight end in town.

Arizona gets Washington at home this week, offering up a very exploitable matchup for Carlson. Washington ranks 26th in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP and has given up 18.6 PPR points per game to opposing tight ends.

While the quarterback situation is worrisome, Carlson is worth a dart throw in a good matchup.

Deeper Streamers

Tim Wright (vs. Buffalo), Eric Ebron (vs. Minnesota)