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The tight end spot can be a fickle beast. One week your guy is scoring three times, the next week he catches one ball for four yards on five targets. So is the case of Jordan Cameron. He was just a nobody, most savvy owners were able to pick him up after Round 10 and he has a new quarterback, so it’s not totally illogical to think Cameron won’t be a top-10 tight end the rest of the way.
However, it’s a little myopic to think Cameron’s dud is going to drag out. The Cleveland Browns don’t have a running game and only have one reliable receiving option with Josh Gordon, so he should be fine.
Obviously, he’s not the only one who cooled off on Sunday. Jordan Reed has really become the Jordan 2.0 both by name and by numbers. He busted loose in Weeks 7 and 8 with 134- and 90-yard games, respectively. He only had 37 yards in a favorable matchup against the San Diego Chargers. Still, he got plenty of snaps and the Chargers looked to have keyed on Reed in their game plan.
The bottom line is fantasy owners need to relax. Guys have bad games and it comes with the territory with tight ends unless you spent a high pick on Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski, both of whom have had subpar games this season.
Coby Fleener (owned in 49 percent of leagues)
It didn’t take long for Fleener to yield some positive results with a 44-yard reception on the first drive of the season. Andrew Luck also likes him in the red zone now that the Reggie Wayne is out for the year. He finished with three receptions on five targets for 64 yards. While that's not so great, he’s been targeted at least five times in each of his last three games and his yards have increased in each of those games. This week, he goes up against a team with outside linebackers who can’t cover too well, the St. Louis Rams. He’s a low-upside guy for the rest of the season who should have some consistency.
Jared Cook (owned in 65 percent of leagues)
Finally. Cook scored twice in Week 1, but then went into a drought that lasted until his score on Sunday. Consequently, his numbers haven’t been there, failing to total more than 45 yards in any game. It’s not for lack of targets since Cook has received six looks or more in five of his last seven games. Kellen Clemens can’t get the ball down the field, so he’s likely going to be looking at Cook a lot. The Rams were able to move the ball effectively with Zac Stacy, so hopefully their offense won’t be as abysmal as it was on Monday Night Football in Week 8. The Rams will need to use a tight end as a hot-route guy with a lot of blitz-happy teams on the docket.
Timothy Wright (owned in 11 percent of leagues)
What in the Wide World of Sports happened in the first half? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were up big in Seattle thanks to the Mike Glennon-to-Wright connection. Wright caught all four of his targets for 58 yards and a score, including a 27-yard romp down the seam. This was his second game in a row with a score and the third time in his last four in which he has scored nine or more fantasy points in standard leagues or 15 points in a PPR format.
The Buccaneers losing Mike Williams has given Wright a lot of room to operate. He’s run deep and short routes and has been the first read in Glennon’s progression on numerous snaps. The Bucs get the Dolphins, Falcons and Lions in the next three weeks. Wright has a chance to be a top-eight guy in that span.
Heath Miller (owned in 57 percent of leagues)
He finally registered a blip on the radar with 43 yards and four catches on Sunday. That’s not much, but it’s more than the two previous weeks when he combined for five catches for 36 yards.
He still hasn’t made any sort of profound impact in the stat sheet, with no more than eight fantasy points in standard leagues and only two games in double digits for PPR leagues. He gets a great matchup this week against the Buffalo Bills, then Detroit in Week 11, both of which are at home.
Zach Sudfeld (owned in 11 percent of leagues)
The New York Jets need some help in a bad way. They’re likely going to be without Santonio Holmes (hamstring) for a while, and Week 9 had them lose their main slot guy in Jeremy Kerley. Kerley had a very ugly arm injury and there are murmurs of him missing the season. So who’s left? David Nelson seems to be the best bet for consistent production, but after him it’s wide open. Stephen Hill can’t catch or run short routes and the team has been using Greg Salas more.
Sudfeld actually led the team in targets with four and he’s probably going to improve as the season progresses. Geno Smith needs a short-yard guy with the way teams blitz him all the time. After a bye, they get the Bills, Ravens, Dolphins and Raiders.