Week 9 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

Brock Bowers ($6,000 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel)

The tight end position hasn’t exactly gone how we all expected this season. Guys who were expected to contend for the top spot have faltered, while other unsurprising sources have emerged.

Bowers stands out as one of the top contenders. He was a very highly-regarded prospect, but it was unclear how much of an impact he’d make in his rookie season. Tight end is a notoriously difficult position for rookies to transition to, and the Raiders had a bunch of other options that seemed ahead of him in the pecking order.

That said, Bowers has taken to the NFL like a duck to water. He started his career with a bang, and things have only gotten better for him of late. The Raiders traded away Davante Adams, opening up a more consistent stream of targets. He’s posted an elite 32% target share over the past four weeks, which makes him a clear outlier at a weak position. Only Trey McBride has a greater than 25% target share for the year, and Bowers appears poised to eclipse that mark over the final stretch of the season.

The Raiders are also likely going to have to throw the ball a bunch this week. They’re pretty significant underdogs vs. the Bengals, who should put up plenty of points in this matchup. Cincinnati hit a bit of a speed bump last week, but they still boast one of the best offenses in football.

Despite being one of the most expensive options at the position, Bowers still leads all tight ends in projected Plus/Minus. He’s a great option if you can afford him.

Mike Gesicki ($3,100 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel)

If you can’t afford Bowers, saving some salary with Gesicki seems like the best way to go. That’s particularly true on DraftKings, where his $3,100 salary comes with a 98% Bargain Rating.

The Bengals are going to be without Tee Higgins for the second straight week, which should give Gesicki a boost in opportunities. He had a 23% target share last week sans Higgins, and he was targeted on 33% of his routes run. Gesicki also had a 21% target share across the first two weeks of the season when Higgins was sidelined with an injury.

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

David Njoku ($5,500 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel)

The Browns’ offense has shown signs of life ever since moving to Jameis Winston at quarterback. They had their best performance of the season last week vs. the Ravens, racking up 29 points and 401 yards of total offense. Both of those are their best marks of the season.

Njoku has turned in two top-seven performances at TE in back-to-back weeks. Ultimately, Njoku has posted a 25% target share over his past three games, and he’s been at 28% or higher in two of them. The lone outlier was his only full game with Winston, but there’s no reason to expect that to continue.

Njoku’s matchup this week vs. the Chargers is significantly tougher, but he provides an elite combination of talent and opportunity. He’s showing up in the optimal lineup simulations at the highest rate on DraftKings and the second-highest on FanDuel.

Trey McBride ($5,800 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel)

McBride is the only TE with a higher optimal rate than Njoku on FanDuel. He’s been one of the most consistent producers at the position all season, posting a positive Plus/Minus in five of his past six games. He’s had at least seven targets in four straight contests, including a season-high 11 in his last outing.

The only thing that has kept McBride from being the best TE in fantasy has been a lack of touchdowns. He’s yet to catch a touchdown pass this season, and his only score came on a fumble that he recovered in the end zone. He’s clearly been a bit unlucky in that department, so he’s due for some positive regression moving forward.

McBride stands out as underpriced on FanDuel, where he’s cheaper than Njoku and significantly cheaper than Bowers. His 82% Bargain Rating is the top mark among the stud TEs on this slate.

Contrarian NFL DFS Tournament Options With Upside

Will Dissly ($3,100 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel)

The Chargers passing attack has opened things up a bit recently, with Justin Herbert averaging more than 288 passing yards over his past three games. Dissly has been a surprisingly big part of that production. He has a 25% target share over that time frame, including a 30% mark in Week 7.

If Dissly is going to continue to be a focal point in the Chargers’ passing attack, he’s clearly underpriced across the industry. He’s projected for less than five percent ownership on DraftKings, making him a nice pivot off some of the chalkier tight ends in this price range.

Taysom Hill ($3,800 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel)

Hill isn’t really a tight end. He’s more of a hybrid player, lining up all across the formation for the Saints. However, he’s classified as a tight end for fantasy purposes, and he’s always an intriguing option.

Hill’s diverse skill set gives him one of the higher ceilings at the position. He did a little bit of everything in his return to the lineup last week. He had four carries and four targets, and he finished with two catches and 41 total yards.

With the Saints desperate for offense at the moment, don’t be surprised if Hill is busier than usual vs. Panthers. It’s an excellent matchup as well, with the Panthers ranking 31st in defensive EPA.

Sam LaPorta ($4,800 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel)

The Lions are so good that it’s impacting LaPorta. They managed 52 points last week despite Jared Goff only amassing 85 passing yards. They can simply run the ball and rely on their defense to beat most opponents, so LaPorta hasn’t had nearly as many opportunities as he did as a rookie.

The good news is that LaPorta was a frequent target when Goff did throw the ball last week. He had a 35% target share, which was easily his best mark of the season. That may be just a one-week outlier, but it’s possible that his role in the passing attack is growing.

The Lions likely will need a bit more out of their passing game to beat the Packers. They’re a really good team, and Jordan Love is expected to play through a groin injury that he picked up in Week 8. LaPorta’s price has plummeted across the industry, so he’s an intriguing buy-low target.