Unc Rivers to the rescue!?

By: Josh Frey-Sam

The last thing Tyler Warren owners needed was to be scrambling for a tight end off the waiver wire to start the playoffs.

Fortunately, I don’t think we have to.

With the Indianapolis Colts inking Philip Rivers on Tuesday, I believe there’s reason for optimism around Warren in particular.

Frankly, I don’t expect Rivers to come out and start slinging it all over the yard, which puts guys like Alec Pierce and Josh Downs in serious jeopardy.

I think Michael Pittman Jr. could still maintain some value as a mid-range WR2, but the guy I’m probably most bullish on is the rookie Warren.

Besides Jonathan Taylor, Warren is the most versatile piece on the offence, and I think there could be an effort from Shane Steichen to get the ball into the hands of his young playmaker, who has earned a solid reputation as a security blanket.

As a tight end, Warren’s yards per route run already aren’t high — even though Steichen likes to try stretching the field with him a couple times per game — so he should be around the line of scrimmage and available for a high volume.

I’m also much more optimistic that Jonathan Taylor can volume his way to mid-range RB1 territory with a lot of receptions potentially in his future.

In the event you’re a bit more bullish about Rivers’ impact on Tyler Warren, here are a few tight ends who you could grab for the playoffs.

Darren Waller, Dolphins

While Waller hasn’t been fantasy-relevant since he went down with an injury in Week 7, brighter days could be ahead.

The Fins have the most favourable playoff schedule for tight ends, with games against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Tampa Bay.

I’ve already picked him up in one of my leagues where I have a first-round bye, targeting that Week 16 matchup against the Bengals.

There’s some concern around whether his upside is limited due to how much the Fins use De’Von Achane in the red zone, but that could be due to the matchup and Waller continuing to re-acclimate himself after injury.

Mike Gesicki, Bengals

There’s a real possibility that Tee Higgins is done for the remainder of the regular season, which leaves a bunch of targets to go around. I expect Chase Brown to soak up many of those, but we could see Gesicki become more involved down the stretch, as Joe Burrow attempts to continue pushing the ball down the field.

Last week, he had six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. While he has a tougher matchup against the Baltimore Ravens’ defence this week, Geskicki gets a couple of juicy matchups in the semifinal and championship, against Miami and Arizona, respectively.

Mark Andrews/Isaiah Likely

Both of these guys are strictly Week 15 pick-ups.

The Ravens play the Bengals this week, and there is no better guarantee in the NFL this year than Cincy struggling to defend tight ends.

It doesn’t matter what you think of Andrews’ or Likely’s performances this season; they are set up to smash this week.

Juwan Johnson, Saints

The ceiling isn’t very high here, but the floor has become very safe over the last two months.

Johnson has recorded at least four receptions in four straight games and six of his last seven, while being targeted at least four times in each of the previous seven contests.

What I like about him even more is the Saints have an awesome playoff schedule with games against Carolina, the New York Jets and Tennessee on tap.

If you’re looking for a bit more stability at the position rather than that boom potential, perhaps Johnson is the fit for you.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh