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No one ever said winning a fantasy football championship would be easy. To get this far is an accomplishment in its own right, but we are really being put to the test here in NFL Week 16, as more injuries and late-season personnel changes make setting our lineups significantly more difficult.
We’ve adjusted to the tandem backfields. We can find value wide receivers to help out. But because the tight end position lacks depth, navigating it through the playoffs can be tricky.
With recent changes at the quarterback position, fantasy managers are wondering if they need to make a move. Is Travis Kelce still a viable asset without Patrick Mahomes, and now with Gardner Minshew under center? Can Tyler Warren be trusted with 44-year-old Philip Rivers at the helm? Will we see Darren Waller continue his comeback with Quinn Ewers throwing him the football?
The quick answer for all three is yes, but it’s more about the lack of other options than it is about their talents.
The good news is that all three can and should be used this weekend in your fantasy playoffs. Minshew isn’t some green rookie and knows how to lean on Kelce when he needs to. The matchup against the Titans is incredibly favorable, and the two should connect. If you trust Vegas prop lines, where his line is set — five catches for 50-plus yards — tells you double-digit fantasy points are well within reach.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates a first down at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Denny Medley-Imagn Images
With another full week of practice, Rivers and Warren could surprise everyone Monday night against the 49ers. San Francisco has struggled to cover the tight end since they lost Fred Warner, and with backup Tatum Bethune on IR, the hole is even deeper. Rivers will lean on short, high-percentage passes to help move the chains, and his penchant for throwing to the tight end is well-documented by 89 touchdown passes to Antonio Gates.
Trusting Waller may take a bit more of a leap of faith, as Ewers is very green. But rookies typically lean on the position as their bread and butter, and we are all aware of the Bengals’ historically bad performance in guarding the tight end this season.
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But if you can’t stomach the situation, you may have some hope sitting on your waiver wire. Chicago’s Colston Loveland may have had a quiet regular season, but he’s about to see an uptick in targets this week. With receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III out and tight end Cole Kmet questionable, Bears coach Ben Johnson is about to show you exactly why he made preseason comparisons of Loveland to Sam LaPorta. Green Bay is allowing an average of five catches for 45 yards to the tight end position this season, and Loveland is about to surpass that Saturday.
Changes within the NFL at this time of year are rarely good for fantasy. We’ve come this far, and we can taste the celebratory champagne. You just need to put your trust in your lineup and let these tight ends do their thing.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football news and advice.