Chig Okonkwo Features 3 High-Upside Tight End Streamers in Week 8 Fantasy Football
Today's task is to find the absolute best tight end streamers for Week 8 fantasy football. I measure several data points, including volume, red-zone usage, and other advanced metrics. The following three tight ends are worth considering this week.
Availability Percentages are from Sleeper.
Chig Okonkwo — 77% Available
Okonkwo played in Week 1, then got injured. He returned in Week 4 and was strong in Weeks 5 and 6 before the team's bye week. In his last two games, Okonkwo has 12 targets, 11 receptions, and 129 yards.
Over Okonkwo's last three games, he has a 90% route rate, including 40 routes run in Week 6. The Commanders signed Okonkwo to be heavily involved in this passing attack. In fact, he has a pass-block rate of just 8.5%. So know that when he is on the field, he has a strong chance of seeing meaningful targets.
Tyler Higbee — 56% Available
Higbee should see slightly more volume in Week 8. Despite being the third-most-targeted tight end in the Rams' offense in Week 7, he led them all in routes run. Higbee has the fourth-most targets of any Ram with 31 over 7 games. Over his last five games, Higbee has 29 targets and an 83% catch rate.
The cherry on top is that the Rams get the Chargers this weekend. Their defense ranks T-2nd-worst in Yards per Target Allowed to tight ends. I think Higbee could get plenty of volume to be a top-12 tight end, regardless of whether he scores a touchdown.
Michael Mayer — 69% Available
Over the Jets' past two games, opposing tight ends have caught 10 of 13 targets for 145 yards and 1 touchdown. They started the season as one of the stronger tight end defenses, but a larger sample size has exposed them. At best, they are a middling unit, and that is not enough to stop the Bowers-Mayer combo.
Mayer has at least 3 receptions in all but one game this season. Over seven games, he has caught 31 of 36 targets for 298 yards and 1 touchdown. More importantly, he's genuinely a great tight end.
Mayer is 8th in PFF Tight End Receiving Grade. He has zero drops, and despite being his team's No. 2 tight end, Mayer is 7th in Routes Run and 9th in Yards among all tight ends. That includes his season-high yardage game with Bowers active.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.