Matt LaCosse

Week 16 vs Buffalo Bills
Matt LaCosse has seen snap shares of 81% and 75% over the last two games, and his five receptions for 36 yards lead the position for New England. Yikes. The Patriots have stared into the abyss that is their tight end corps and decided to look elsewhere before it stared back at them. If you are in the fantasy finals in a redraft league and have Matt LaCosse as your starting tight end, post a screenshot on Twitter and then delete your account in a blaze of glory, as you've just achieved the impossible and will never reach these fantasy managerial heights again. For DFS purposes, if you're playing a Patriots tight end against the Bills, you should probably quit DFS and donate your money to a cause close to your heart.

Week 6 vs New York Giants
The New England Patriots lined up with a tight end on the field in Week 5 for far more plays than they had all season prior, and Matt LaCosse saw more targets than he had in the previous three weeks combined. The Patriots also declined to activate tight end Ben Watson following his four-game suspension, making him a free agent. That was either a vote of confidence in the growing roles of Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo, or they were simply looking to increase their cap space for a potential trade in the near future.

Either way, LaCosse was on the field for a team-high 94% of the offensive snaps, and that alone makes him a tight end worth keeping an eye on. His target rate of 5.5% was ultimately the lowest among Patriots receivers for the week, but even a modest increase in that percentage could make him a viable pickup in the near future.

Week 16 at Oakland Raiders

Last Saturday versus Cleveland, Matt LaCosse turned six targets into four receptions for 43 yards. Case Keenum threw 48 passes in the loss, helping the TE register his highest yardage total since early November. Look for the Broncos to have a better ground game on Monday night in Oakland, which means fewer pass attempts. LaCosse has been too inconsistent for him to be a part of your starting lineup.