With all the breaking news this week, you may have missed the fact that Noah Fant was placed on the COVID-IR list and could miss the Broncos Week 9 game against the Cowboys. Fant needs two negative tests, 24 hours apart, before Sunday to be allowed to play. In other words, it's time to make other plans.

The top three streaming options are all available to varying degrees. Pat Freiermuth is now rostered in 60% of leagues, Tyler Conklin in 39%, and Dan Arnold in 27%. Freiermuth and Arnold have pretty terrible matchups, but in a week without T.J. Hockenson, Rob Gronkowski, and potentially Fant, we can't be too picky.

If you don't like those matchups, or if you're in a deep league where those guys are already rostered, you may want to take a shot on Fant's backup, Albert Okwuegbunam. 

The Broncos' second-year tight end has caught 23 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns in his first nine NFL games. The Broncos' offensive tendencies (26% tight end target share each of the past two seasons) and Okwuegbunam's 82% catch rate should lead to a decent PPR floor. The fact that the Cowboys have given up the sixth-most Fantasy points to opposing tight ends only helps things. 

Here's everything else you need to know about tight end in Week 9:

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Week 9 TE Preview

Who's Out
Numbers to Know
Matchups That Matter
Waiver Wire Targets
DFS Plays
Projections
TE Preview
Who's Out

The following players are not being projected to play Week 9 at this time. Here's what it means:

Robert Tonyan TE
CHI Chicago • #18
Age: 30 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Josiah Deguara or Marcedes Lewis are touchdown-dependent dart throws against the Chiefs this week.
Noah Fant TE
SEA Seattle • #87
Age: 26 • Experience: 5 yrs.
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Numbers to Know
  • 22.5% -- Mark Andrews leads all tight ends with a 22% target share.
  • 25.5% -- Dallas Goedert has seen more than a fourth of the Eagles targets since Zach Ertz was traded.
  • 31% -- Kyle Pitts' 31% air yards share leads all tight ends.
  • 10.6 -- Dan Arnold has averaged 10.6 PPR Fantasy points per game in his three full games with the Jaguars.
  • 14 -- Pat Freiermuth has seen 14 targets in two games without JuJu Smith-Schuster.
  • 11 -- Tyler Higbee leads all tight ends with 11 red-zone targets.
TE Preview
Matchups that matter
Dan Arnold TE
PHI Philadelphia • #46
Age: 29 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs BUF BUF -14.5 O/U 49

OPP VS TE

7th

PROJ PTS

8.2

TE RNK

11th

YTD Stats

REC

25

TAR

36

REYDS

272

TD

0

FPTS/G

7.2
Kyle Pitts TE
ATL Atlanta • #8
Age: 23 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ NO NO -6 O/U 42

OPP VS TE

5th

PROJ PTS

12

TE RNK

4th

YTD Stats

REC

33

TAR

50

REYDS

484

TD

1

FPTS/G

12.5
Tyler Conklin TE
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #83
Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ BAL BAL -5.5 O/U 49.5

OPP VS TE

30th

PROJ PTS

8.5

TE RNK

16th

YTD Stats

REC

27

TAR

37

REYDS

297

TD

1

FPTS/G

9
Mike Gesicki TE
CIN Cincinnati • #88
Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs HOU MIA -6.5 O/U 46

OPP VS TE

31st

PROJ PTS

11.9

TE RNK

6th

YTD Stats

REC

40

TAR

55

REYDS

475

TD

2

FPTS/G

12.7
George Kittle TE
SF San Francisco • #85
Age: 30 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs ARI ARI -2.5 O/U 46.5

OPP VS TE

1st

PROJ PTS

11.5

TE RNK

7th

YTD Stats

REC

19

TAR

28

REYDS

227

TD

0

FPTS/G

10.7
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Waiver Wire Targets
Week 9 Streamers
Pat Freiermuth TE
PIT Pittsburgh • #88
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs CHI PIT -6.5 O/U 40

OPP VS TE

2nd

TE RNK

9th

ROSTERED

60%

YTD Stats

REC

22

TAR

27

REYDS

202

TD

2

FPTS/G

7.7
I actually prefer Dan Arnold rest of season, but Arnold has to face the Bills this week, so Freiermuth's Week 8 edge puts him over the top.
Dan Arnold TE
PHI Philadelphia • #46
Age: 29 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs BUF BUF -14.5 O/U 48.5

OPP VS TE

7th

TE RNK

12th

ROSTERED

27%

YTD Stats

REC

25

TAR

36

REYDS

272

TD

0

FPTS/G

7.2
Dan Arnold is second on the Jaguars in targets since Week 5. He also ranks top 12 among tight ends in target share, receptions share and Fantasy points per game in that stretch.
Tyler Conklin TE
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #83
Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ BAL BAL -6 O/U 49.5

OPP VS TE

30th

TE RNK

13th

ROSTERED

39%
Like Arnold, I like him more rest of season than this week because of his matchup with the Ravens coming off their bye week.
Albert Okwuegbunam TE
PHI Philadelphia • #85
Age: 26 • Experience: 5 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ DAL DAL -10 O/U 49.5

OPP VS TE

18th

TE RNK

15th

ROSTERED

3%

YTD Stats

REC

12

TAR

13

REYDS

91

TD

1

FPTS/G

5
If you're into matchups, this is probably the best one available for a streamer.
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DFS Plays
Top Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
Travis Kelce TE
KC Kansas City • #87
Age: 34 • Experience: 12 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs GB KC -1 O/U 55.5

OPP VS TE

17th

PROJ PTS

16.9

TE RNK

1st

YTD Stats

REC

49

TAR

72

REYDS

560

TD

4

FPTS/G

15.9
Putting my money where my mouth is with Kelce this week. I see no reason he won't be TE1, and you're getting him at a discount due to his recent scoring drought.
Contrarian Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
Dan Arnold TE
PHI Philadelphia • #46
Age: 29 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs BUF BUF -14.5 O/U 49

OPP VS TE

7th

PROJ PTS

8.2

TE RNK

11th

YTD Stats

REC

25

TAR

36

REYDS

272

TD

0

FPTS/G

7.2
It is a bad matchup, but there should be a ton of garbage time for Jacksonville and Arnold is one of their primary targets.
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Heath's Projections