In this piece, I highlight tight ends who stand out in our large suite of analytical fantasy tools, most specifically, our FantasyLabs Player Models. While the models are built for DFS contests, this is an all-purpose fantasy article with actionable information for all formats.
As news breaks throughout the week and we adjust our projections (powered by Sean Koerner), player ratings in our Player Models will change. For updates, visit the models directly.
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Top NFL DFS Tight End Picks in the FantasyLabs Models
On DraftKings, there are three tight ends near the top of the individual Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon, Cash Game, and Tournament Player Models.
- Travis Kelce
- Pat Freiermuth
- Evan Engram
We’ll discuss why these three are popping in our models, as well as take a look at some other tight ends.
Top Model NFL DFS Tight End Picks
Travis Kelce ($7,900 DraftKings, $7,300 FanDuel): Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5) at Cincinnati Bengals (53 total)
Travis Kelce has been an absolute touchdown machine this year, with 12 touchdowns on the year. He’s caught a touchdown in three straight games, as he hauled in four of eight targets for 57 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. The Chiefs and Bengals matched up twice last year, with Kelce finding the end zone in both matchups. He caught 10 balls for 95 yards in the playoff matchup.
Kelce is an absolute monster, with 20+ DraftKings points in seven games on the year. He’s so valuable at the tight end position, as very few tight ends can match Kelce if he puts up a good game. He’s seen seven or more targets in every game this season, with double-digit targets in four contests.
There’s not much more to say about Kelce. He is an absolute monster in a great game environment this weekend. It’s no surprise that he leads our Tournament Model.
Pat Freiermuth ($4,300 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel): Pittsburgh Steelers (+0.5) at Atlanta Falcons (43 total)
Pat Freiermuth was the least involved he’s been in months on Monday Night, catching three of four targets for 39 yards. It was his first time with less than seven targets in a game since Week 3. Freiermuth’s usage is usually great, so we don’t want to get too discouraged after one bad game.
He’s been targeted on 23.7% of his routes and is averaging 1.74 yards per route run. He’s only found the end zone once, as his connection to a lackluster offense definitely hurts his output. We don’t look to Freiermuth for some massive ceiling, but he provides a stable floor. He has the third-highest floor projection, despite being the sixth-highest-priced tight end.
Freiermuth is a safe play who should see a solid amount of volume — it makes sense that he is the top player in our Cash Game Model.
Evan Engram ($3,000 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel): Jacksonville Jaguars (+1) at Detroit Lions (51 total)
It’s been a quiet few games for Engram, with seven targets in the last three weeks. He still ran a route on 80.9% of dropbacks last week, showing he’s still involved in the offense. He’s only been targeted on 15.5% of his routes this season, which isn’t one of the better numbers in the league.
The matchup is appealing, as the Lions allow 8.6 yards per target and a 9.7% touchdown rate to opposing tight ends. We’ve seen Engram have some solid games, with 10.7 and 15.5 DraftKings points in Weeks 7 and 8. He’s a nice way to cheaply get exposure to a great game environment, with likely low ownership
He is a nice value on the week, which is why he is the top tight end in both Chris Raybon and Sean Koerner’s Pro Models.
Other Notable NFL DFS Tight End Picks
Hayden Hurst ($3,500 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel): Cincinnati Bengals (+2) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (53 total)
Hayden Hurst had a solid game last week, catching six of nine targets for 57 yards. His efficiency is low, with just 8.4 yards per catch and 6.5 yards per target. Hurst requires a decent amount of volume to be worth it, but can certainly find the end zone to make up for it.
The Chiefs are a solid matchup for tight ends, as they’re allowed a 7.7% touchdown rate to tight ends on the year. Hurst is a nice, cheap way to get exposure to one of the best game environments of the weekend.
Tyler Conklin ($3,100 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel): New York Jets (+3) at Minnesota Vikings (44.5 total)
Conklin had a solid game with Mike White at the helm, catching three balls for 50 yards. He ran a route on 73.3% of team dropbacks, which is solid underlying usage for Conklin. It’s been mostly duds from Conklin this year, with a few outliers. He had a monster 25.9-point performance a few weeks ago against New England, so maybe he can pull out that performance in a revenge match against his old team.
The matchup is appealing, with Minnesota ranking in the bottom ten in the league in catch rate, yards per target, and touchdown rate to opposing tight ends. Conklin is a nice salary relief option this week.
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