NFL DFS Week 13: Tight Ends Report - Pay Down for Robert Tonyan Value

An in-depth NFL DFS guide to the Week 13 tight ends to target and fade when setting your daily lineups.

Week 13 NFL DFS Reports

• QUARTERBACKS
• RUNNING BACKS
• WIDE RECEIVERS
• TIGHT ENDS

Darren Waller, LV (DK – $6,100/FD – $7,000)

Waller came up small in Week 12 (4/23), which should have been an upside matchup. He continues to gain short yards per catch (8.5), leading to eight contests with 50 yards or fewer. His best four games (12/105/1, 9/88, 6/50/1, and 7/88/1) came at home while averaging only 9.4 fantasy points at DraftKings away from home. The Jets struggled vs. tight ends in four games (SF – 8/55/2, MIA – 4/55/2, KC – 10/119/1, and MIA – 6/61/2), pushing New York to 27th (49/557/9) against the position. Viable, but his road record isn't ideal, and his salary requires 24-plus fantasy points.

T.J. Hockenson, DET (DK – $5,000/FD – $6,100)

The Lions got Hockenson involved early last week, leading to his top output in receiving yards (89). He remains third in tight end scoring (11.28 FPPG). Hockenson hasn't scored over his past three weeks while failing to gain over 60 yards in seven starts. In Week 1, he caught five passes for 56 yards and one touchdown against the Bears. Chicago fell to 31st in tight end defense (62/634/8), with nine opponents scoring over 12.00 fantasy points per game. Three teams (TB – 9/105, LAR – 7/75/1, and GB – 8/88/2) scored over 20.00 fantasy points. Reasonable salary with a winnable matchup.

Evan Engram, NYG (DK – $4,900/FD – $6,000)

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

After struggling through most of the first 10 games of the season, Engram landed on the fantasy map in Week 12 (6/129). He jumped to 10th in tight end scoring (9.52 FPPG) while being within striking distance of third place (25.30 fantasy points behind). His only touchdown came in Week 9 while receiving an uptick in targets over his previous five games (9, 10, 10, 3, and 9). Seattle flopped last week vs. the Eagles' tight ends (10/128/2), knocking them down to 12th in tight end defense (43/596/4). Priced fairly for his opportunity and underlying upside.

Hunter Henry, LAC (DK – $4,800/FD – $6,000)

A chaser game in Buffalo led to Henry setting a season-high in catches (7) and targets (10). Over his last three starts, he averaged 13.8 fantasy points at DraftKings. Even with an improvement in his production, Henry gained fewer than 50 yards in his eight previous games with four catches or fewer in seven of those contests. He doesn't have a week with over 15.00 fantasy points. New England ranks seventh against tight ends (43/520/1) with no touchdowns allowed over the past eight weeks.

Dallas Goedert, PHI (DK – $4,300/FD – $6,200)

Goedert was quiet in his first two games (1/15 and 4/33) back from his foot injury. Over the last two weeks, the Eagles started to get him the ball (5/77/1 and 7/75/1), which falls in line with his talent and expected opportunity. He played at a high-level in Week 1 (8/101/1) as the TE2 for the Eagles. Green Bay sits sixth vs. tight ends (38/456/3). The Bucs (6/81/1) and Colts (5/47/2) had the most success. Goedert has an excellent salary when adding in his recent success. Tough to ignore.

Mike Gesicki, MIA (DK – $4,200/FD – $5,700)

The stumbling ways of Gesicki added another week (2/35/1), despite ending his scoreless streak to seven games. He has five targets or fewer in six straight weeks, with each outing leading to 45 yards or less. His only game of value (8/130/1) came in Week 2 when Miami fell behind early against the Bills. Cincinnati ranks 28th against the tight end position (56/718/4). The Bengals had two disaster showings (IND – 7/87/2 and CLE – 6/76/3) vs. tight ends. Low opportunity player who owns the talent to shine if given enough chances.

Hayden Hurst, ATL (DK – $4,000/FD – $5,600)

After getting shutout in Week 11 by the Saints, Hurst had another quiet showing (4/48 on eight targets) against the Raiders. Atlanta played from the lead in the game, leading to a drop in passing chances. Hurst was only on the field for a season-low 47 percent of their plays while being an ankle issue. He played well from Week 6 to Week 9 (4/57/1, 6/68, 5/54, and 7/62), with his top best game (5/72/1) in Week 2 against Dallas. New Orleans struggled vs. tight ends in Week 2 (LV – 14/137/1) and Week 3 (GB – 9/104/2) while allowing all six touchdowns to the position over the first five games. The Saints improved to 15th defending tight ends (48/477/6) after better results over the past six weeks (1/11, 3/15, 1/2, 6/84, 0/0, and 1/13). Hurst was limited again this week with his ankle issue. With no Julio Jones, he has a chance at more targets if Atlanta falls behind early.

Austin Hooper, CLE (DK – $3,800/FD – $5,300)

The Browns only looked Hooper's way twice in Week 12, but he made the most of his opportunity (2/13/1). Over his past three starts after missing two games, Hooper only has six catches for 57 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. He posted three playable games from Week 4 to Week 6 (5/34/1, 5/57, and 5/52) in the season-long contests. The Titans have plenty of risk defending tight ends (54/583/7). Five different opponents scored over 17.00 fantasy points, which works well for Hooper's salary and the expected game flow against Tennessee.

Jared Cook, NO (DK – $3,700/FD – $5,500)

Cook worked his way to the waiver wire in most leagues after his emptiness over his last three games (0/0, 1/6, and 0/0) with only five combined targets. The Saints have had Cook on the field for only 36, 36, 38, and 30 percent of their plays over the previous four weeks. Since week 2, he only has 17 catches for 205 yards and four touchdowns. The Falcons allow the most fantasy points (15.86) to tight ends each week, but they played much better in this area over their past four matchups (7.40, 11.30, 4.50, and 6.30 fantasy points). I can't see a heartbeat, so Cook only works for me if tied to Taysom Hill.

Robert Tonyan, GB (DK – $3,700/FD – $5,900)

Tonyan climbed to fourth in tight end scoring (11.35 FPPG) after a resurgence over his past two starts (4/44/1 and 5/67/1). Even with success, he's averaged only 4.2 targets over his last 10 weeks, with one impact showing (6/98/3). Tonyan has seven touchdowns despite only having 37 catches. The Eagles held tight ends to fewer than seven fantasy points over the previous three contests and less than 12.00 fantasy points in seven of their last nine matchups. Even so, they rank 22nd versus tight ends (58/547/6) due to two disaster games (LAR – 5/54/3 and SF – 15/183/1). Tonyan looks underrated based on his overall ranking, and Rodgers will give him chances to score. 

MORE FROM SI FANTASY: Week 13 DFS Hub