Fantasy Football: 3 Tight End Streamer Options for Week 8

Tight end, as the kids say, is a wasteland.

Of all the positions in fantasy football, tight end has consistently been the most volatile. It's gotten to the point where we're lucky to have even a handful of tight ends we can rely on week to week.

This year is no different. Unless you were one of the lucky few to nab a top option at the position, you'll likely be scouring the waiver wire in search of a diamond in the rough.

However, just because you punted on the tight end position doesn't mean you've punted on your team as a whole.

Streaming tight end is a real, and effective, strategy -- you just have to know where to look.

That's where I come in, giving you three tight end streamers to target each and every week of the 2023 NFL season. All of these guys should be available in the majority of 12-team leagues and at the very least possess value for the upcoming week.

Projections and rankings via numberFire. All statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise stated.

Week 8 Tight End Streamers

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

It took almost half the fantasy season, but Dalton Kincaid has arrived.

The Buffalo Bills' first-round pick hadn't finished inside the top 15 at the position in any week this season, but he exploded for 11.5 points (TE6) against the New England Patriots.

Kincaid finished with his highest snap share (59.1%) since Week 2. He ran a route on 57.1% of Buffalo's dropbacks (his second-lowest rate of the season), but Kincaid's eight targets and 20% target share were both season-best clips.

He secured all eight of those targets, racking up 75 yards in the process.

Considering Kincaid's average draft position (TE11), it's not hard to get excited about him going forward. Josh Allen has long searched for a consistent No. 2 option after Stefon Diggs, so Kincaid's reliable hands (12.0% catch rate over expectation) and large frame (6'4", 240 lbs) felt like a natural fit coming into the season.

Coming off the best game of his career and with a neutral matchup on deck, Kincaid is not only one of the top tight-end streamers for Week 8 but one of the top waiver wire targets, regardless of position.

Week 8 presents a meh matchup for Kincaid as his Bills play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Per FantasyPros, the Bucs have only allowed 7.6 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.

However, Kincaid is hardly just a tight end. According to PFF, Kincaid has split time in the slot (45.9%), out wide (21.1%), and inline (31.8%). Next Gen Stats has Tampa allowing the 12th-highest EPA per dropback (-0.03), so this certainly isn't a matchup to fade the talented rookie.

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

Taysom Hill, former fantasy cheat code, is back -- but his fantasy relevance isn't quite as quirky as it used to be.

Hill has turned in arguably the best two-game receiving stretch of his career over the last two weeks.

He caught seven of eight targets (17.4% share) for 49 yards in Week 6. Then, in Week 7, he caught four of five targets (9.4% share) for 50 yards. On top of that, he rushed five times for 18 yards and a touchdown -- his first score of the season.

Hill finished as the TE9 (8.8 points) and the TE5 (14.8) in the last two weeks, but the most fantasy-relevant numbers pertain to his usage.

After playing 57.5% of snaps this past week, Hill has now eclipsed a 50% snap share in three of New Orleans' last four games.

Over that span, he's commanded a 9.3% target share and run a route on 57% of Derek Carr's dropbacks -- both fifth on the team.

Those aren't eye-popping numbers, but they're enough to make Hill a viable fantasy streamer given his unique role. Over the last four games, Hill has seen a 17.1% red zone opportunity share (when accounting for both carries and targets). Extrapolated over the full season, that would rank third among all tight ends and ahead of red zone stalwarts Travis Kelce (14.1%) and Mark Andrews (14.3%).

That makes Hill a capable streamer for Week 8, especially with the Saints taking on the Indianapolis Colts. Indy has given up the highest target rate (23.2%), the fourth-most yards per route run (1.51), and the 12th-most fantasy points per game (9.9) to the tight end position. David Njoku just cooked them for five receptions (on nine targets), 54 yards, and 7.9 fantasy points (TE9 on the week).

With an emerging role in the passing game and a unique short-yardage role in the running game, Hill makes for a quality streamer headed into Week 8.

Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders

I touted Michael Mayer as a top TE streamer last week, but Brian Hoyer under center for 47 of the Las Vegas Raiders' 60 offensive snaps put a real damper on the rookie pass catcher's fantasy prospects. Mayer finished with just two receptions for 13 yards -- good for a whopping 2.3 fantasy points.

Still, it's important to look beyond the final fantasy output.

Mayer's usage dipped a bit compared to his breakout Week 6, but he still saw the second-highest snap share (71.7%) and route rate (47.8%) of his career. On top of that, Mayer was on the field for more than twice as many snaps (43 snaps) as backup Austin Hooper (19).

Things should get better going forward, especially with Jimmy Garoppolo expected to return from injury in Week 8. Jimmy G fueled Mayer's 5-reception, 75-yard breakout in Week 6 and should elevate him into a low-end TE1 given the matchup.

Mayer and the Raiders will take on the Detroit Lions this week. Detroit has a stout defense, sure, but they've given up the second-most fantasy points per game (12.7) to tight ends and were just torched by Mark Andrews for 20.3 half-PPR points.

Like Kincaid, Mayer is someone who has value both as a weekly streamer and also for the rest of the season. He's a sound addition to any tight end-needy roster and can easily be plugged into starting lineups as long as Garoppolo is back.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.