Week 2 TE Waiver Pickups & Adds: Jonnu Smith Ready To Breakout

It was a solid scoring week for the tight end position as over 15 tight ends scored double-digit PPR points. Dallas Goedert and Mark Andrews were the leading scorers, but some younger names broke out like Noah Fant, TJ Hockenson, and Jonnu Smith. Injuries are starting to pop up more and more as David Njoku hit the IR, although he was only 1% rostered before the start. George Kittle is dealing with a knee injury and is listed as questionable for the matchup against the Jets. Blake Jarwin is done for the year with an ACL injury so you might need a few pickups to get you through Week 2.

Week 2 TE Waiver Wire Pickups

Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas Goedert was tied with three others at the position with nine targets this week. Goedert was the most efficient as he caught eight of them going for over 20 fantasy points. This isn’t exactly a fluky game although it was a ceiling game for him. Philadelphia’s offense has been gravitating towards their tight ends a lot over the past few seasons and given the limitations of the receiving core, it is easy to see why. Goedert should continue to be involved in this offense and needs to be picked up moving forward. He is the top priority tight end heading into Week 2.

Jonnu Smith – Tennessee Titans

Jonnu Smith is finally getting his chance to shine and I love him in this Tennessee offense. After watching the Week 1 play-action game for Ryan Tannehill, Smith is going to benefit a ton. They also use him in space and allow up to use his athleticism in the open field. He played 73% of the snaps against Denver and saw seven targets. He had a 4-36-1 line against a tough defense versus tight ends. He gets a plus matchup against the Jaguars in Week 2. If Smith can manage 5-7 targets each week, the efficiency will be there and he has had big-time plays in prior seasons where he has taken one to the house.

Jack Doyle – Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have a lot of options in the passing game but Jack Doyle played 73% of the snaps and posted a 3-49-0 line. He gets a couple of decent matchups over the next few weeks and Doyle fits well into Philip Rivers game. While Doyle needs that touchdown to really hit a solid fantasy score each week, his PPR worth is there if you need a quick fill-in and are looking for that 7-10 PPR range from a cheap option. Because Campbell and Hines have emerged in the offense, Doyle isn’t a slam dunk compared to a few years ago when he was one of the few targets to throw to. I would look to use Doyle over the next few weeks while the tight end room is not as cluttered.

Greg Olsen – Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks came out firing in Week 1 and Russell Wilson was locked in from the start. Greg Olsen joined the Seahawks this offseason and was expected to jump right into a starting role and become the third option for targets behind Metcalf and Lockett. Olsen played 66% of the Seattle snaps on offense last week and had a 4-24-1 line. The passing offense is going to be efficient and be able to produce on a stellar level this season. Getting exposure to it isn’t the worst idea in the world, even with Olsen.

O.J. Howard – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Making sense of this Tampa offense after Week 1 is tough to do. They struggled with their chemistry and Tom Brady looked a bit flat. We didn’t know what to do with this group of tight ends after they brought in Rob Gronkowski. OJ Howard was pushed aside last season as his breakout year was predicted to happen. The hangover fell into the draft season as very few looked his way. In Week 1 he played 53% of the snaps and Rob Gronkowski was at 77%. Howard looked great and saw six targets, catching four of them for 36 yards and a touchdown. He also saw two targets in the red zone.

Jordan Akins – Houston Texans

Jordan Akins popped up on my radar after playing 81% of the Houston snaps in Week 1 against the Chiefs. He saw only two targets but did have a touchdown. Darren Fells was the guy last season in his role and he played just 42% of the snaps in Week 1. Akins is an athletic profile who was second on the depth chart in 2019 with very little use. While the two targets are not eye-popping, the 81% snap count is. At least keep an eye on Akins as he might become a valuable weapon for Deshaun Watson. This passing offense has been very friendly for fantasy in the last few years but a tight end has failed to emerge from it. Akins might be able to do just that in 2020.

Chris Herndon – New York Jets

As mentioned last week the early matchups for Chris Herndon were going to be less than stellar, but I was going to keep an eye out for his snaps and targets. Herndon had 71% of the snaps and saw seven targets. He caught six of them for 37 yards. The Jets passing offense is not a good one but now with the defense in shambles, we might be able to get some garbage time weeks. Herndon is going to see solid volume if he continues with these snaps. He will get Indy and Arizona over the next few weeks to try and capitalize on a better matchup.

Logan Thomas – Washington Football Team

Logan Thomas has been around for a few years switching from quarterback to tight end. He saw eight targets in Week 1, catching four of them for 37 yards and a score. Washington didn’t really have a clear cut answer at tight end this season yet. but Thomas might have leaped in front. He gets Arizona this week and then Cleveland in Week 3. Not a bad two-week stretch if you need a quick fill-in option. However, this is still an unappealing passing offense outside of McLaurin. This is for those in deeper leagues.