Week 3 TE Waiver Pickups & Adds: Logan Thomas Continues To See Big Targets

The tight end position is starting to dry up on the waiver wire and it will be crucial to land one of these few names if you are in need of one. There are a couple of short term fill-ins like Jordan Reed and Mo Allie-Cox who will return to little value once Jack Doyle and George Kittle return. There are a few deeper league targets emerging but if you are in a smaller league then Jonnu Smith is still your main option. You certainly might need some fill-in options this week with Doyle and Kittle banged up. Or you might be looking to replace Eric Ebron or Rob Gronkowski who have had very little production.

Week 3 TE Waiver Wire Pickups

Jonnu Smith – Tennessee Titans

This is your last week to get Jonnu Smith and if you had an early wavier wire then that chance might be gone. He will no longer be on the waiver wire list as the tight end options are beginning to thin out. Smith is going to have that recency bias of course but he flat out is just a talented tight end in a great spot. He has been in the waiting for a few years now with Delanie Walker in the way previously. Smith’s breakout is well underway with an 8-120-3 line to start the season so far. The next few weeks are not as bad as it looks with Pittsburgh being the only tougher matchup, yet Noah Fant was able to produce last week. Minnesota and Buffalo are not great against tight ends, and we saw a lot get funneled down to tight ends in the prior two Bills games. Smith has three red-zone targets already on the year has caught all three for touchdowns. The Tennessee offense continues to move the ball and this is not a threatening division as he will have six favorable matchups from that alone moving forward. I don’t mind spending a little bit more FAAB money than usual on Smith because I belive in his ability to finish as a top-ten tight end.

Mike Gesicki – Miami Dolphins

Mike Geiscki is coming off a monster game where he will see a tick up in ownership for that reason. However, Gesicki was a name to keep an eye on early in the year anyway. He wasn’t being drafted in most leagues yet stood the chance to get the third-most targets on a team that was going to have a ton of passing volume. Gesicki has seen 16 targets through the first two games and has 11 catches for 160 yards and a score. He has been used in the red zone with four targets in the first two games as well. That is 57% of the red zone targets for Miami. Gesicki doesn’t have a ton of terrible matchups over the next few weeks either. Volume might even carry him in some of those tougher ones as well. Gesicki is one of the better options to be a long term fill in but is at least deserving of a bench spot.

Jordan Akins – Houston Texans

Jordan Akins was one of those wait and see type of players after a solid Week 1 performance. He backed it up with a 7-55-0 line against a very tough Baltimore defense. With Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller dealing with nagging injuries, it could be a ticking time bomb where they start to miss games in general. The seven targets were a major plus and his snaps essentially doubled from Week 1 to Week 2. Houston also doesn’t have a ton of red zone size, which is where Darren Fells excelled last season. Akins might be in this new type of role and Watson needs all the help he can get at this point. Akins is currently seeing 14% of the Texans targets, which is just behind Fuller and Cooks. Akins has a tough Week 3 matchup but things open up against Minnesota, Jacksonville, and Tennessee. Akins is a low FAAB oferring as I prefer the two names above him a bit more given the long term stability they will have.

Dalton Schultz – Dallas Cowboys

The Blake Jarwin injury was a big blow to his potential breakout season. It was early in Week 1, and Dalton Schultz came in and played 50 snaps and then 57 snaps in Week 2. He saw four targets against the Rams and then ten targets in the come from behind win against Atlanta. Those numbers might be a bit inflated given the game script but he had a 9-88-1 line. He gets Seattle, Cleveland, and the New York Giants over the next three weeks which are solid matchups. This week against Seattle is definitely a shootout style game where he can produce again. This offense is firing away and the defense is going to help keep these types of games up. Schultz played his college ball at Stanford and was drafted in the fourth round back in 2018. He didn’t produce a ton in college, which tight ends rarely do. Schultz might be a quick pick up for those who react on recent results but we certainly don’t mind holding him on the bench to see if these targets continue.

Logan Thomas – Washington Football Team

There has been a clear number two receiving option in this Washington offense. Terry McLaurin is of course the first option, but Logan Thomas has seen one less target compared to him over the first two games (17). The big difference is that he has caught only 47% of his targets. The volume is what I am after though, especially at a position that doesn’t have a ton of target-hogs. He is tied for third at the position in targets this season and there are certainly better days ahead if this type of volume continues. After Cleveland, there is a tough two-game stretch but then things open up for Thomas with easier matchups after that. The tight end spot is not a place to spend a ton of FAAB money so once again this is a minimal bid.