Week 9 Gold: Fantasy or Fools? (TE Edition)

Week 9 Gold: Fantasy or Fools? (TE Edition)
By Lamar

A player on your radar had a big game. Do you pick him up? This is where we decide whether their forecast is Fantasy or Fools Gold.

For a little help in the fantasy wasteland that has been TE this season.

Evan Engram TE North Florida/London Jaguars

6 targets, 4 receptions, 55 rec yards, 1 rec TD

Engram has been steadily carving out a role in the Jaguars offense this year. In the last four weeks he has been targeted at least 6 times by QB Trevor Lawrence. This week in London he was second on the team in targets and led the team in receptions and yards. Engram will never be an elite tight end in the mold of Mark Andrews or Travis Kelce, but he may be able to provide some stability for your team if you have been streaming TEs through the first 8 weeks of the year. Engram is barely within the top 10 in targets and yards for the year and sits just outside of the top 10 for receptions. He is still best used as a streaming option against good matchups, but he is probably one of the better streaming options available. If you are ok with a low floor and low ceiling at your TE then Engram is your man as I fully expect him to finish within the 10 in points at the end of the season sans an injury. That however keeps him squarely in the Fools Gold discussion.

Greg Dulcich TE Colorado Broncos

5 targets, 4 receptions, 87 rec yards

The rookie out of UCLA has come on strong the last 3 weeks after starting the year sidelined with an injury. He has seen 17 targets in those 3 weeks from Broncos QB Russell Wilson, who seems to favor Dulcich over WR Courtland Sutton. The expectation at the start of the season was that the Bronco offense would utilize the TE quite a bit this year and TE Albert Okwuegbunam was a popular sleeper pick. Big O however never seemed to find a groove with Wilson and the offense, opening the door for Dulcich once he was healthy. Based on the small sample size, Dulcich looks to offer a decent floor at the TE position for the rest of the year. He has a chance to be a top 10 TE the rest of the way making him a favorable streamer in a good match-up. There is a chance that he continues to develop a rapport with Wilson and becomes a favorite redzone target. Until then consider Dulcich a favorable streaming option but still Fools Gold as a steady contributor to your team.

Tyler Conklin TE New Jersey Jets

10 targets, 6 receptions, 79 rec yards, 2 rec TDs

Conklin just led the Jets in targets this week against the Patriots and caught the only 2 touchdowns thrown by QB Zach Wilson. What is so intriguing about this team is that with the season ending injury to RB Breece Hall, the Jets may have just shifted from a run first team to a pass first team. If that is the case then Conklin will be one of the main beneficiaries of the Hall injury. Conklin was a popular streaming TE for the Vikings at times in previous years in the right matchups. If the Jets cannot successfully run the ball without Hall then Wilson may be checking down all game to Conklin. For now he is a steady streamer who is capable of finishing as a top 10 fantasy TE at the end of the year. If your strategy is to stream TE all year then Conklin, Engram and Dulcich are all names to keep in mind. They all remain Fools Gold as full time starters.

Isaiah Likely TE Biltmore Ravens

7 targets, 6 receptions, 77 rec yards

Likely is the most intriguing TE on this list and that is only because of an injury to Mark Andrews. Should Andrews be able to play this week then you can leave Likely on the wire. But if he is injured…grab him now. The Ravens use their TE more than most NFL teams in large part because they have a good one in Mark Andrews. Likely sure did look the part of a fantasy stud against the Buccaneers once Andrews left due to injury. Should Andrews miss any time then Likely is the TE you want. If it is only for one game then Likely has the highest ceiling of anyone else on this list. He has a tough matchup against the Saints this week, but at the TE position I always prefer a high ceiling versus a high floor. If Mark Andrews is injured long term then Isaiah Likely has the potential to be Fantasy Gold. Should Andrews return then you can return Likely to your waiver wire.