Best, Worst value TEs in Week 12 daily fantasy football

If you’re a DFS player, you know that a successful lineup has to have a solid combination of big-name star power players that are known commodities with a few high-upside players that provide a little more bang for your buck.

If you pay up for a big name in your daily fantasy lineup, you definitely cannot afford for that player to put up a dud of a game in your lineup.

So here are the tight ends that will likely provide some of the best and worst value for Week 12 (Values from DraftKings).

BEST: Ryan Griffin (NYJ) - $4,200

It’s always a bit of a gamble starting a player in daily fantasy when they are coming off a career game, and that’s just just the case with Griffin who totaled 109 receiving yards and a touchdown last week against Washington. Griffin’s DFS salary stays relatively modest despite his Week 11 performance because the week before that Griffin totaled a whopping negative two yards against the New York Giants. Looking deeper at the performance that week against the Giants, it was a game plan that called for a lot of Chris Herndon before re-injured himself during the game. Now, it’s back to Griffin’s team at tight end, so he should be in for a big another big game.

WORST: Jared Cook (NO) - $4,500

Cook might have had a good game last week - one of his best since joining the New Orleans Saints - but it’s unlikely he’s able to duplicate that success this week. Last week the Saints faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the NFL’s 2nd-worst defense against opposing tight ends. This week, the Saints now face the Carolina Panthers, who boast the NFL’s 4th-best defense against opposing tight ends. The New Orleans passing attack still flows through MVP-candidate Michael Thomas, so Cook will likely go back to playing a complimentary piece this week.

BEST: Greg Olsen (CAR) - $4,100

In that same game, Greg Olsen might find better opportunities for success. The New Orleans Saints could be without Marshon Lattimore for the second week in a row, pushing nickel cornerback PJ Williams to the outside. That forces rookie CJ Gardner-Johnson into duty in the slot, and rookies are prone to rookie mistakes. Who better to take advantage of a rookie’s mental lapses than the savvy veteran Greg Olsen?

WORST: Darren Waller (OAK) - $5,700

The Oakland Raiders are looking good on offense, leaving many football talking heads imagining what the offense could have looked like if Antonio Brown had stuck around with the team. Part of the reason for the team’s offensive success is the emergence of Darren Waller in the passing game. Unfortunately for waller, the Raiders are set to face off this week against the New York Jets, who have been above-average against opposing tight ends. This will probably be a game where Waller is utilized more as a blocker than out running routes.

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is cdunnz) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.