Fantasy Football Week 9 waiver wire pick ups: Top 5 Tight Ends

Oct 20, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Coby Fleener (80) scores a touchdown past Denver Broncos free safety Rahim Moore (26) during the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Tight end is a tricky position this week with many of the emerging options like Jordan Reed, Charles Clay, and Julius Thomas being picked up already in most leagues. With six teams on a bye, the waiver pool is pretty shallow, but there are a few options that I like that are available in more than half of ESPN leagues. Here are the top 5 to pick up heading into week 9:

1. Coby Fleener-Indianapolis Colts (26.7%)

When Dwayne Allen went down for the season, Fleener stepped in as starting TE and has carved out a niche for himself in the Colts passing offense. He scored his third touchdown of the year against Denver two week ago before the by whiel catching all five passes thrown his way for 38 yards. He does have a tendency to go up-and-down from week to week, but he may find more consistency with the Colts missing Reggie Wayne.

2. Heath Miller-Pittsburgh Steelers (21.8%)

Miller almost saved his fantasy day with his second straight week with a TD reception but it was overturned upon review leaving him with just three catches for 19 yards. He was targeted six times, though, and remains a part of the Pittsburgh passing attack. Big Ben needs him as a red zone target and he makes a decent flier play this week against New England in an AFC rivalry.

3. Scott Chandler-Buffalo Bills (7.6%)

Oct 27, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Scott Chandler (84) carries the ball in front of New Orleans Saints middle linebacker Curtis Lofton (50) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. New Orleans defeated Buffalo 35-17. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports /

Chandler was targeted 11 times last week against the Saints and finished with seven catches for 72 yards. Bills QB Thad Lewis relies heavily on his big tight end, but Chandler also is asked to block more some weeks which can lead to rough fantasy lines. The Bills will be facing the unbeaten Chiefs this week who have done well against opposing tight ends, but he’s still playable if you’re in a bind this week at the position.

4. Timothy Wright-Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0.4%)

Wright is actually becoming a pretty big part of the Bucs new-look, Mike Glennon-led passing attack. Last week he scored his first NFL TD as part of his five-catch, 48-yard performance against the Panthers. He had 91 yards just three weeks ago against the Eagles, but he struggled a bit in the game in between. With a rookie QB and an undrafted rookie TE, there’s some major risk here and his numbers will most likely continue to vary, but he’s working his way into fantasy relevance so keep an eye on him.

5. Dallas Clark-Baltimore Ravens (5.3%)

Clark and the Ravens come of their bye to face their AFC North rivals in Cleveland. He has found the end zone in each of the last two weeks, but his usage rate is a bit down. The Browns have done well against opposing TE, but Clark is worth considering as a low-end starter if bye-weeks are killing you.

This list of TE’s is part of my weekly waiver wire focus. If you need further help constructing your team, check out my top ten waiver wire picks of the week as well as my top waiver targets at each of the following positions: QB, RB, WR, D/ST

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