Fantasy Football Tight End Streaming Week 7: Henry Returns to Paydirt

Oct 15, 2024

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

It’s been two straight decent weeks for a moribund position, with some familiar (nearly forgotten) faces climbing back into weekly production. Eight options scored double-digit points, with 19 scoring 6+, both the second-highest marks on the season, trailing only the week prior.

For streaming purposes, 4for4’s Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed (aFPA) is a metric we rely heavily on to determine weekly matchup strength. As the season progresses and more data is available, aFPA becomes more and more reliable, using rolling 10-week data. Targets and efficiency metrics are also considered when choosing weekly streamers.

To provide the advice you can implement, candidates for streaming must be rostered in no more than 40% of Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

More Week 7 Streamers: D/ST | K | QB

Week 6 Recap

A moderately successful week, though a stinker from Tyler Conklin really puts a cloud over what would have been a high-floor/low-ceiling outcome. Zach Ertz is back in our good graces after catching his usual four balls, while our deep plays at least avoided the dreaded goose egg in less-than-inspiring performances.

Bye weeks are light on this slate, though we are missing both Jake Ferguson and Cole Kmet, so, welcome to the streaming article if you’ve been riding with one of them.

Top Streamers

Tyler Conklin - 2.0 half-PPR points (TE34)
Zach Ertz - 8.8 points (TE10)

Deep Plays

Cade Otton - 8.5 half-PPR points (TE12)
Theo Johnson - 4.5 points (TE24)
Chigoziem Okonkwo - 2.1 points (TE32)

Top Streamers

Hunter Henry (Patriots @ Jaguars)

Week 1 of the Drake Maye season in New England wasn’t exactly an offensive renaissance, but it was enough to breathe a little life into the passing game. Up until the team’s last game, they hadn’t eclipsed 170 yards in a game, averaging a lowly 143.6 through the first five weeks. Maye eclipsed that by basically a full 100 yards (243-3-2), which allowed his pass-catchers to make a splash in fantasy box scores.

While Hunter Henry didn’t get there on volume (3-41-1 on five targets), he did find the end zone for the first time this season, on a release route from the six-yard line. It was only the sixth pass attempt from inside the opponent’s 10-yard line and Henry’s second target in that range on the season. If Maye will be the tide to lift all boats, we should expect more of those chances moving forward. As an added bonus, the Patriots face off against a Jaguars team that has allowed the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing squads while also ranking 29th in TE aFPA. Henry is available in 74% of Yahoo leagues.

Zach Ertz (Commanders vs. Panthers)

This is honestly Zach Ertz’s world: we’re just living in it. Ertz is the weekly “if you’re avoiding a zero” option, and he continues (ignore Week 5) to cash in. Jayden Daniels has dropped back 35.8 times per game to this point in the season, and while we’re unlikely to get some sort of explosion game from the veteran tight end at this point of his career, he is firmly entrenched as the No. 2 pass-catcher on the Commanders, in both targets (28) and routes run (173) behind Terry McLaurin. The next closest in either category isn’t even that close: 20 (Olamide Zaccheaus) and 116 (Luke McCaffrey), respectively.

Ertz has 3+ receptions in five out of six games (again, ignore Week 5) and is a solid option once again against a Panthers team that has allowed 0.19 EPA/dropback, the second-highest mark in the league (Jaguars). The vet is available in 75% of Yahoo leagues.

Deeper Streaming Picks

Cade Otton (Buccaneers vs. Ravens)

We knew that Cade Otton would eventually find the end zone, and though it came in a 51-27 blowout of the Saints, we can still mark it as a win. We would have liked to see more in the yardage department (2-15-1), but his six targets brought him up to 27 over the last month, as he continues to operate as the No. 3 option behind Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. In that span, he has logged the ninth-highest route participation (70.0%), ranking 13th in air yards share (16.2%), and ninth in target share (17.9%) among the position.

This week, Otton finds himself up against a Ravens team that has allowed the sixth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing offenses while giving up 72.8 yards to TEs per game, the second-highest mark in the league (Chiefs). In a game that has shootout potential, he could very easily add to his touchdown total in back-to-back games. Otton is available in 64% of Yahoo leagues.

Taysom Hill (Saints vs. Broncos)

Taysom Hill in a TE streaming article often feels like lazy analysis, but we’re not going to ignore fantasy potential based on some silly sense of pride. Hill looks to be near the end of his road to recovery from his rib issue(s), and he could return in time to take advantage of further injuries all over the Saints’ offensive roster. Quarterback Derek Carr is all but guaranteed to be missing Week 7, while Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, and Chris Olave are each dealing with different ailments that have their availability in question.

Taysom has all of three catches on 17 routes in his three games but has converted two goal-line carries into touchdowns and added 12 other attempts for 70 more yards. While his “quarterback” snaps this season have really just been a variance of “Wildcat,” it’s certainly not out of the question that he chucks the ball a few times, as well. If they’re willing to move Carr out of his home for Hill, they’ll undoubtedly do it for Spencer Rattler. If Taysom Hill gets cleared ahead of the weekend and/or one (or multiple) of the skill position players get ruled out, he jumps up into a top streaming play this week. He’s available in 67% of Yahoo leagues.

Jonnu Smith (Dolphins @ Colts)

While Jonnu Smith’s Week 5 stat line (5-62-0) looks a little fluky, it was the second time this season he’s gone for at least seven targets and five catches, pairing with Week 2 (6-53-0), when Tua Tagovailoa initially went down. In the second pop-up game, Smith ranked third on the team in routes run (19), route participation (47.2%), and targets (7) behind Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, earning a 24.1% target share. This, of course, came just one week after a complete zero in the box score, but Tyler Huntley threw for all of 96 yards in his season debut, so it’s not like anyone was doing much in the Dolphins offense in Week 4.

Coming out of the bye, Smith will face off against a Colts defense that has allowed the fourth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing offenses, including a 25th ranking in TE aFPA. It’s not an incredible play, but it makes sense for managers needing to look deep in the bag. Smith is available in 96% of Yahoo leagues.

Looking Ahead

For those looking to get ahead of the crowd, a few tight ends have softer matchups in Week 8. Here are the best ones and their opponents in terms of TE aFPA rankings: