While playing in meaningful games in Week 14 may be the goal of every fantasy football owner, this also happens to be one of the most frustrating and anxiety-ridden times of the year. As if we weren’t all bogged down with enough holiday stress, we also have to be wary that, in the blink of an eye, our fantasy seasons can come to a crashing halt. Just ask the former owners of Kareem Hunt.
The fantasy gods are not making things easy on us, by any stretch of the imagination. We’ve got running-back woes, aging quarterbacks not pulling their weight, wide receivers dropping easy touchdowns and now, as if you didn’t think the tight-end position couldn’t get any trashier this season, it does. And not just any old trash. Like hot steaming piles of garbage sitting out in the streets of New York in the summertime during a sanitation worker strike. Yeah, it’s that kind of trash.
Greg Olsen owners actually got off easy this week. When the veteran tight end ruptured the “plantar” in his foot Sunday, we knew he was done for the year. There is no “what if …” or hope of a late-season return. He’s finished for the season and you can cut him. It’s as easy as that.
But what about the rest of the position? Will Evan Engram ever be a viable option? Has Nick Mullens completely ruined George Kittle? How many more donuts will Trey Burton feed us? Kyle Rudolph is coming up short, Cameron Brate was overhyped, Rob Gronkowski lives in mediocrity now and if anyone has seen David Njoku, please let the authorities know. This position is riddled with inconsistency and if you can find even just an inkling of production, you better hold it tight and never let go.
So where is this production? Does it even exist? Your waiver wire probably looks like the Thanksgiving turkey at the Klump house and you probably don’t even recognize half the names sitting out there. But given the fact the position is so bad, even just the slightest potential for help is a welcomed sight. You don’t need a world-beater. You just need a warm body that sees a few targets.
With Olsen out of the picture, you can try out Panthers rookie Ian Thomas and given the rash of injuries on the Colts, Eric Swoope is back to being relevant. Jonnu Smith of the Titans had a nice run recently and Nick Vannett even gets looks in Seattle. Even Adam Shaheen is re-emerging on the Bears.
None of these guys will save your fantasy season or vault you to a championship. Be very clear about that. But here in the fantasy playoffs, every point counts. Even the two or three you’re going to get from this heap of garbage known at the tight-end position.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice and NFL player rankings.
