The start of 2024 Fantasy Football This season has been a headache-inducing nightmare for many who play the game.
The injuries have been devastating, especially among big-name players like Christian McCaffrey, AJ Brown and Cooper Kupp.
But no one is more scratching their heads than those who invested an early pick in one of the top-five tight ends.
There's scratching, hair pulling, and complete panic.
Preaching patience to the masses is not easy, but it seems necessary at this point.
Not only are the people who have Dalton Kinkaid, Sam LaPorta and Mark Andrews on their roster standing outside my office right now with pitchforks and torches in hand, but they are also ready to bench these players as players of the week who have done something good in either of the past two games.
No one likes to say the word “crazy,” but if it applies…
There are some intriguing names among the tight ends who finished in the top five in scoring through two weeks.
George Kittle and Brock Bowers were the only two players considered top-10 tight ends entering this season.
The rest is a mishmash of players who wouldn't even be drafted in most leagues.
Isaiah Likely dominated the targets in Week 1 but disappeared last week.
Hunter Henry was recommended as a potential late draft pick but has missed two of the team's first three games.
Mike Gesicki is a serviceable player, but he's likely to lose some of the targeting to Tee Higgins when he returns from injury. Which of these two is more appealing?
Further down the list there are greats like Tyler Conklin, Foster Morrow and Chigu Okonkwo. Are you ready to bench your top players and use them?
And for what purpose? Where were they produced?
This is as prevalent as the work of Kincaid, Andrews, and LaPorta.
You're just mad because you drafted them with unrealistic expectations of double-digit targets and 100-yard games every week.
How on earth is that realistic?
If your team has one of the preseason's top five tight ends, you'll want to use him every week.
By the end of the season, all five should be head and shoulders above other players at their positions.
If you think that's too rigid an approach, try a streamer.
This week will be a favorable matchup for both Cade Otton and Greg Dulcich, as will Zach Ertz.
And all three have touchdown potential.
Do you bet on the NFL?
I get it, nobody likes to lose.
But if you win every game in the regular season, nobody cares.
The only thing that matters is winning.
To do that, they just need to make the playoffs, not have a perfect record.
And you won't get success if you start chasing last week's points from people who will never replicate your current success.
Patience is of the utmost importance at this point.
Howard Bender is Fantasy AlarmFollow him on .X Translator Featuring the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show,” airing weekdays from 6-8pm on the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Channel. Find all the information at FantasyAlarm.com. Fantasy Football News and Advice.
