Week 10 NFL DFS TE Breakdown: Top Cash Game and Tournament Picks

Tight end is one of the most difficult positions to nail down each week. It’s a position where you can spend all the way up, pay all the way down, or look somewhere in between. Tight ends derive a bunch of their value from scoring touchdowns, which can be difficult to predict on a week-to-week basis.

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 as the projections change. For updates, visit the models directly.

And don’t forget about the tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, like our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.

Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase (Chris Raybon’s come included with a FantasyLabs subscription) within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace. Projections from One Week Season and Establish the Run are available if you’re a subscriber to those specific sites (our optimizer is a separate add-on feature).

You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projections:

Top NFL DFS Cash Game Options

Cade Otton ($5,500 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel)

At this point, I’m not sure if there’s a better fantasy tight end than Otton. He’s been on the field more than just about any tight end in football this season, and his usage has seen a steady uptick of late. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin going down with injuries certainly helped, and Otton has now scored at least 21.0 DraftKings points in three straight games. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in seven straight, so he was providing positive value even before the team’s star WRs went down with injuries.

Otton has gotten significantly more expensive of late, but he’s still not nearly as expensive as he should be. He’s priced at just the fourth-highest salary at the position on DraftKings, and he’s all the way down at No. 6 on FanDuel.

However, no tight end has better median or ceiling projections in our NFL Models. That’s a tough combination to pass up. He also leads the position in projected Plus/Minus, so he’s the no-brainer top choice for cash games.

Will Dissly ($3,100 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel)

If you need to go a bit cheaper at the position, Dissly is an intriguing option at just $3,100 on DraftKings. He doesn’t provide the same safety and upside as Otton, but he’s been a pretty steady producer of late. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in three of his past four games, including 16.1 DraftKings points vs. the Cardinals three weeks ago.

The Chargers are an interesting team this week vs. the Titans. They started the year as one of the most run-heavy offenses in football, but their offense has undergone a bit of a schematic shift in recent weeks. After posting a -5% Dropback Over Expectation in their first four games, they’re at +3% in their last four. Justin Herbert has averaged more than 286 passing yards over his past four games, so they’ve become a much more fantasy-friendly offense.

Dissly has been a bigger part of the Chargers’ passing attack than his current salary suggests. He’s posted a 17% target share for the year, and he’s been targeted on 26% of his routes run. His target share has increased to 22% over the past four games, and only five TEs have better than a 22% target share for the year.

How the Chargers choose to approach this matchup vs. the Titans will be crucial for DFS. They’re listed as 7.5-point favorites, so it’s possible they go back to a more run-heavy approach. However, they’ve been much more successful passing the ball of late, and the Titans’ defense has been a bit more vulnerable through the air than on the ground. If they do stay aggressive, Dissly and the rest of the team’s pass attack stands out as massively underpriced.

Try out our NFL DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

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Top NFL DFS Tournament Options

Travis Kelce ($6,000 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel)

After a slow start to the season, Kelce is back to putting up big numbers for the Chiefs. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in four of his past five games, and he’s scored at least 25.0 DraftKings points in back-to-back weeks. He had a season-high 16 targets last week vs. the Buccaneers, and he corralled 14 of them for 100 yards.

His matchup vs. the Broncos this week is tougher on paper. Denver has been an excellent pass defense this season, ranking third in pass defense EPA. However, they haven’t been quite as good against tight ends as they have been against receivers.

Additionally, $6,000 is just a low price tag for Kelce. He’s had a comparable salary in 32 previous games, and he’s averaged a +2.30 Plus/Minus (per the Trends tool). He’s showing up in the optimal lineup simulations more frequently than any other tight end on DraftKings, including Otton.

Evan Engram ($5,300 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel)

The Jaguars are going to be without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence this week, which means Mac Jones will make his first start with Jacksonville. While a backup QB is typically bad news, it might not be the worst thing for the team’s pass-catchers. Lawrence has struggled to live up to his lofty expectations since being drafted, and he’s averaged just 7.13 adjusted yards per attempt with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in nine games this season.

Jones was awesome for the Jaguars in preseason, and he had some success with the Patriots in the past. He’s been at his best when throwing to tight ends, which could give Engram a boost in value.

Engram has been a target monster when in the lineup so far this season. He’s posted a 26% target share in his five games played, and he’s been at 26% or higher in three of four games since returning to the lineup. That includes last week when he racked up a season-high 34% target share vs. the Eagles.

With Christian Kirk out of the lineup, it really shouldn’t matter who is at quarterback for Jacksonville. Engram is going to get peppered with targets regardless.

Contrarian NFL DFS Tournament Options With Upside

Jake Ferguson ($5,000 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel)

Ferguson is another tight end who is going to have to catch passes from a backup QB this week. Cooper Rush will replace the injured Dak Prescott, which is obviously a big downgrade for his pass catchers.

That said, Ferguson has been a big part of the Cowboys’ offense all season, and he could be even busier than usual with CeeDee Lamb banged up. He also stands out as a clear value at just $5,000 on DraftKings, resulting in an 84% Bargain Rating.

Ferguson is projected for roughly three percent ownership on DraftKings, but he’s showing up in the optimal lineup sims at a greater than seven percent clip. That’s the biggest discrepancy at the position, making him a solid GPP target.

Trey McBride ($5,700 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel)

McBride continues to provide steady production at the tight end position. He’s been a bit overshadowed by Otton and Kelce of late, but he still ranks second at the position with a 26% target share for the year. He’s also had a route participation of 90% or better in four straight weeks, and he’s been at 96% or better in back-to-back games.

McBride will have to square off with a tough Jets’ defense this week, but the Jets haven’t been quite as dominant as they were last year. They’re merely ninth in pass defense EPA after leading the league in that department over the second half of last season. He could be slightly overlooked on this slate, especially with Otton soaking up a lot of ownership at a similar price tag.

Sam LaPorta ($5,800 FanDuel)

The Lions will play on Sunday Night Football this week, so they’re only available on the FanDuel main slate. That said, LaPorta is one of the strongest tournament options on that site.

His production has been up and down this season, but that’s due more to the team than LaPorta. They’ve been so good on the ground and defensively that they simply haven’t had to throw the ball that often.

Perhaps that will change against the Texans. The Lions are favored by just 3.5 points, and the Texans could get back Nico Collins. He’s made a huge difference for the team’s offense this season, so that would be massive for their chances of keeping this game competitive. The total also sits at 48.5 points, and the Lions’ 26-point implied team total is the second-highest mark on the slate.

Only Otton has a better optimal rate than LaPorta on FanDuel, and he’s projected for slightly less ownership.