Week 8 takes a couple of useful tight ends out of fantasy lineups with Houston and New Orleans on bye.
That means another trip to the waiver wire.
Fortunately, there are still a few interesting options.
Some are earning more targets.
Others landed in favorable matchups.
And one is stepping into an offense that suddenly has a lot more receiving work available.
The process does not change.
Chase routes. Chase targets. Let the touchdowns follow.
Here are the tight ends I would stream in Week 8.
1. Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE, Washington Commanders
Rostered: Around 15–20%
Chigoziem Okonkwo is my favorite widely available streamer this week.
Washington lost Terry McLaurin for the season, leaving a significant amount of receiving opportunity behind.
But this is not simply a projection based on McLaurin being gone.
Okonkwo was already earning more work.
He caught seven passes for 69 yards in Washington’s last game and has led the Commanders in both targets and receptions over their last two.
That is what makes this interesting.
We are not hoping the targets suddenly appear. They already have.
Now there are even fewer established players competing for them.
Philadelphia is a fairly neutral matchup for tight ends.
That does not bother me when the underlying volume is moving this strongly.
Why Stream Him
The role was already growing before Washington lost its top receiver. Now there is an even clearer path to sustained targets.
Verdict
My favorite widely available Week 8 tight end streamer.
2. Mason Taylor, TE, New York Jets
Rostered: Near 0% in many leagues
Mason Taylor exploded in Week 7. He caught five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
Normally, that is exactly where I start warning fantasy managers not to chase last week’s touchdowns.
And I still am.
The encouraging part was everything underneath them. Taylor earned six targets on only 17 routes. He accounted for 20% of the Jets’ targets. And he saw multiple opportunities in the red zone.
Those are much more useful signals than the two touchdowns themselves.
Now he gets Las Vegas. The Raiders have been one of the more favorable defenses for opposing tight ends, giving Taylor a legitimate chance to turn another limited route total into useful fantasy production.
The concern is still playing time. Taylor continues splitting work with Kenyon Sadiq, which gives him a lower floor than some of the other options on this list.
Why Stream Him
The target earning has been excellent when he is actually running routes. Add a strong matchup and red-zone involvement, and the ceiling becomes difficult to ignore.
Verdict
Best upside tight end streamer of Week 8.
3. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered: Around 50%
T.J. Hockenson may be too widely rostered to qualify as a normal streamer.
Check anyway.
He returned from his concussion in Week 7 and immediately caught four passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Now he gets Detroit. That is one of the better matchups available for a fantasy tight end.
Hockenson has already shown a much higher target ceiling than most players available on the waiver wire, and he has finished as a top-10 tight end multiple times despite Minnesota’s passing offense being inconsistent.
If somebody dropped him during the concussion or bye, this is not really a streaming decision anymore.
You add him.
Why Stream Him
The role is already established. The matchup is strong. And unlike most players on this list, Hockenson has legitimate rest-of-season value.
Verdict
If Hockenson is available, move him to No. 1 overall.
4. Michael Mayer, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Rostered: Around 15–20%
Do not let Michael Mayer’s Week 7 box score scare you away.
He followed his 95-yard breakout with only three catches for 32 yards.
The role did not disappear. Mayer still ran more than 30 routes and continues playing a significant role alongside Brock Bowers. That is what matters.
The quiet production also came against one of the tougher tight end defenses in football.
Now the matchup gets easier against the Jets. Sharing the field with Bowers will always create some volatility.
But Las Vegas continues using enough two-tight-end personnel for Mayer to remain fantasy relevant.
Why Stream Him
The routes survived the bad box score.
That is exactly what we want to see.
If the role stays the same and the matchup improves, the fantasy points have a much better chance to follow.
Verdict
Strong bounce-back candidate for Week 8.
5. AJ Barner, TE, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered: Around 10%
AJ Barner continues doing almost everything we want from a streaming tight end except producing big fantasy scores.
He is playing nearly every snap. He is running routes. He caught all four of his Week 7 targets for 42 yards.
The problem is simple. Seattle has not thrown him the ball often enough. That keeps the ceiling limited.
But his playing time gives him something many waiver-wire tight ends do not have: A reliable path onto the field.
Week 8 brings a reasonable matchup against Chicago, giving us another chance for the targets to catch up to the routes.
Why Stream Him
You are betting on opportunity rather than chasing a touchdown. Barner’s playing time gives him one of the more stable underlying roles available in deeper leagues.
Verdict
Safe deeper streamer if you value routes and playing time over touchdown chasing.
Deep League Option: Greg Dulcich
Greg Dulcich finally broke through in Week 7.
He caught all five of his targets for 86 yards and accounted for nearly a quarter of Miami’s targets. That is worth noticing.
The concern is still his role. Dulcich remains a rotational player in a passing offense that has not consistently generated a lot of volume.
New England is also a difficult matchup for tight ends.
Still, Malik Willis has played better recently, and Dulcich clearly has a receiving role when he is on the field.
Verdict
Usable deeper PPR option, but I prefer all five tight ends ranked above him.
Week 8 TE Streaming Rankings
- Chigoziem Okonkwo vs. PHI
- Mason Taylor vs. LV
- T.J. Hockenson at DET
- Michael Mayer at NYJ
- AJ Barner vs. CHI
Deep play: Greg Dulcich vs. NE
If Hockenson is available in your league, I would move him to No. 1 overall.
Who Should You Prioritize?
Best Widely Available Option
Chigoziem Okonkwo: The targets were already increasing before Washington lost Terry McLaurin.
Best Upside Play
Mason Taylor: The route total is still a concern, but the target rate, red-zone involvement, and matchup give him the biggest boom potential.
Best Waiver-Wire Check
T.J. Hockenson: If somebody dropped him during the concussion or bye, make the move.
Best Bounce-Back Play
Michael Mayer: The Week 7 production disappeared. The role did not.
Best Route-Based Floor
AJ Barner: The targets still need to increase, but the playing time keeps giving him opportunities.
Best Deep-League Swing
Greg Dulcich: Week 7 showed the receiving upside. Now we need to see whether the role grows.
Don’t Chase Davis Allen
Davis Allen scored twice in Week 7.
That does not automatically make him a Week 8 streamer.
He only caught four passes for 20 yards and remains part of a crowded Rams tight end rotation with Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson.
That is exactly the type of tight end performance we should be careful chasing.
Two touchdowns made the fantasy score look much better than the underlying role.
If we chase the box score without looking at the routes and targets underneath it, this is how we get burned.
Verdict
Leave him on waivers unless the Rams’ tight end rotation materially changes.
Looking Ahead
If you have room to plan beyond Week 8, there are a few names worth monitoring.
Evan Engram: Carolina is coming up before Denver’s bye, giving Engram another potentially useful streaming spot.
Kenyon Sadiq: Sadiq remains a talented rookie whose role could continue expanding as the season progresses.
Terrance Ferguson: Ferguson could become interesting once he returns to a Rams offense that has lost Davante Adams.
At tight end, getting there one week early matters.
Sometimes the best pickup is the player you add before you actually need him.
Final Verdict
Chigoziem Okonkwo is my favorite widely available option.
He was already earning targets before Terry McLaurin went down.
Now Washington has even more receiving work to redistribute.
Mason Taylor gives us the best combination of recent production, target earning, red-zone usage, and matchup.
T.J. Hockenson is the obvious priority if somebody somehow dropped him.
Michael Mayer remains worth trusting despite the quiet Week 7.
And AJ Barner continues giving us the kind of playing time we want from a streamer.
That is the tight end process.
Touchdowns are great.
But routes and targets are what give us another chance to score one next week.
Related research
Start/sit calls for players in this article
- Should I start Terry McLaurin?This week's start/sit callOpen
- Should I start Mason Taylor?This week's start/sit callOpen
- Should I start Kenyon Sadiq?This week's start/sit callOpen
- Should I start T.J. Hockenson?This week's start/sit callOpen
- Should I start Michael Mayer?This week's start/sit callOpen
- Should I start Brock Bowers?This week's start/sit callOpen
Tools for this week
- Start/sit toolGet a start/sit call for any player this weekOpen
- Rest-of-season rankingsEvery position, updated weeklyOpen
- Trade value chartWhat every player is worth in a redraft tradeOpen
- Strength of scheduleEasiest and hardest remaining schedules by positionOpen
