BJ VanderWoude: In terms of Point Per Dolllar (PP$) value this season, the tight end position has the potential to either be a gold mine or a land mine. Many GPP's have been decided by the owners who are able to uncover the best value at tight end, and that trend looks to continue in week 10. Who are your top PP$ plays at the tight end position this week? Do you see any potential land mines that owners should avoid in GPP's?
James Brimacombe: You have to like Rob Gronkowski this week against the Broncos defense who allows the second most fantasy points to the position with 6/78/0.6 on average. Gronkowski is coming off a bye week and should be fresh and healthy and ready to roll after his 5/57/1 performance against the Chargers in Week 8. The problem with Gronkowski is that the price is always so high so you have to sacrifice elsewhere to make him fit into your lineup. The name that I like on a cost-effective price this week is Kyle Rudolph against Washington. Washington is the fourth worst team against the tight end giving up 6/80/0.5 line and Rudolph has 9,9,7, and 7 targets the past four weeks. It looks like another great spot for him to see 8 targets with 6 receptions and plenty of touchdown upside.
Justin Bonnema: There are a bunch of great options at tight end this week, but Gronkowski is the answer. I think you pay up for him in all formats and look for bargains at other positions. Evan Engram is the other one that jumps to the top of the list. He’s the only consistent option for the Giants, and even though the 49ers have been decent against tight ends, that’s more of a reflection of how bad they are against every other position. Engram should have no trouble finding the end zone, so long as Eli Manning shows up.
The Bengals aren't typically thought of as a favorable tight end matchup, but should they be? Last season, they allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the position and Cincinnati's performance against tight ends for most of 2017 has been suspect at best. In Week 3, they allowed a combined 5-64-1 receiving line to Lance Kendricks and Martellus Bennett. Since then, they've allowed a combined 7-85-0 to Nick O'Leary and Charles Clay, 3-49-0 to Vance McDonald and Xavier Grimble, a 12-121-1 explosion to Jack Doyle, and 3-49-0 against the previously invisible Mercedes Lewis.
The Titans are 4.5-point home favorites, which are favorable conditions for tight end touchdown equity. And while the matchup doesn't jump off the page, it's probably due more to strength of opponent more than anything else. Walker will probably go overlooked as the TE4 (DraftKings), making him a top GPP option.
Rudolph should provide a reasonable floor for cash games but for GPP tournaments I prefer to pay all the way down at the position to help open up salary at running back and wide receiver. With a low priced tight end all you really need is a touchdown and they are close to returning value. Trey Burton was a perfect example this past weekend. For GPP tournaments, some low priced tight ends that have my eye are Eric Ebron and Austin Hooper. Cleveland has allowed the second most passing touchdowns (6) to tight ends. Hooper should benefit from the highest projected game total (50.5) on the slate.
