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. For updates, visit the models directly.
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Top NFL DFS Tight End Picks in the FantasyLabs Models
On DraftKings, there are two tight ends near the top of the individual Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon, Cash Game, and Tournament Player Models.
- Dalton Schultz
- Greg Dulcich
We’ll discuss why these two are popping in our models, as well as take a look at some other tight ends.
Top Model NFL DFS Tight End Picks
Dalton Schultz ($4,400 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel): Dallas Cowboys (-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (48 total)
Dallas was forced to throw the ball a lot more than expected last week, and Dalton Schultz benefitted. He saw 10 targets, catching six balls for 87 yards and dropping a touchdown. It was Schultz’s first game with double-digit targets this year, as he’s comfortably been in the six-to-eight range with Prescott under center.
Since Prescott came back from injury, Schultz is third among all tight ends with a 25.9% target rate per route run, fifth in target share at 20.2%, and third in yards per route run at 2.01. His role with Prescott under center has been elite, and his price doesn’t reflect that,
The matchup this week is exploitable, as the Jaguars are allowing the most yards per target to opposing tight ends at 9.4. They’ve also surrendered a 5.9% touchdown rate, and with a fairly high team total, Schultz is a solid bet to find the end zone.
He’s the top tight end in our Tournament and Cash Game Model, as well as Sean Koerner’s Pro Model.
Greg Dulcich ($3,800 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel): Denver Broncos (-1.5) vs. Arizona Cardinals (36.5 total)
Greg Dulcich now has eight targets in back-to-back games but wasn’t able to do much with them last week. He caught only three balls for 42 yards, leaving a lot of meat on the bone.
Dulcich’s usage has been nice, it’s just hard for him to get much going in this broken Denver offense. He started the season with three straight double-digit DraftKings point games but has only reached double-digits once in his past five contests.
Brett Rypien being under center also dings Dulcich’s outlook, but we get the top matchup for tight ends for Dulcich this week. Arizona has allowed the most receptions per game (6.6), second-highest yards per target (9.1), highest catch rate (81.9%), and sixth-highest touchdown rate (7.1%) to tight ends.
Dulcich is cheap, and he should be able to get some production against this horrid defense despite Rypien being under center.
He’s the top tight end in Chris Raybon’s Pro Model.
Other Notable NFL DFS Tight End Picks
Travis Kelce ($7,800 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel): Kansas City Chiefs (-14.5) at Houston Texans (49.5 total)
Travis Kelce has had a couple of subpar games for his standards, with 15.7, 8.6, and 11.1 DraftKings points in his last three performances. He’s still an absolute monster with seven games of 20+ DraftKings points on the year. The last thing you want to do is doubt Kelce, as he’ll likely score a couple of touchdowns to prove you wrong.
We’re never really concerned with the matchup when it comes to someone of Kelce’s caliber, but the matchup sets up nicely this weekend. The Texans have allowed 7.6 yards per target and a 6% touchdown rate to opposing tight ends. The Chiefs hate to run the ball, so despite having a good chance of getting a big lead on Houston, they’ll likely still chuck it.
Tyler Conklin ($3,100 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel): New York Jets (-1) vs. Detroit Lions (43.5 total)
Tyler Conklin has now been looked to consistently in back-to-back weeks, seeing seven targets two weeks ago and eight last week. He hasn’t done much with the targets, catching two balls for nine yards and five balls for 28 yards. The good news is that at such a cheap price tag, we don’t really need him to do too much.
We’ll see how the change back to Zach Wilson affects Conklin, but the matchup still stays the same. Detroit has allowed 8.2 yards per target and an 8.9% touchdown rate to opposing tight ends, both ranking in the bottom seven in the league.
Chig Okonkwo ($3,100 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel): Tennessee Titans (+3) at Los Angeles Chargers (46.5 total)
Chig Oknonkwo has started to come on for this Tennessee defense, seeing five, five, and six targets in the past three games. He’s really started to produce on the targets in the past two weeks, catching four balls for 68 yards and six balls for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Of all tight ends with over 100 pass routes, Okonkwo is first in yards per route run (2.6) while ranking third in target rate per route run at 25.2%. The bad news is that he’s still just rotating in, but he is very cheap, and his usage is elite when he is in there. Solid production could lead to an increased role for Okonkwo also, which would be awesome at such a cheap price tag.
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