Will Dissly suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s action, and the early reports are not encouraging. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Dissly likely tore his ACL and is done for the season. While this obviously has a huge impact on the Seattle Seahawks and Dissly himself, let’s take a step back and look at this from a fantasy football angle. Dissly was one of the best waiver wire claims of the early season, and now fantasy owners are going to have to find a replacement on waivers. It’s hard to find good tight ends in fantasy, but let’s take a look at who might be available in your league.
Note that, in order to make this list, the tight end had to be available in 50% of leagues. Before making a claim based on this article, check your waiver wire to see if someone like Jared Cook is available. If you can find a diamond in the rough, make that player your add. However, if you can’t find an easy replacement, check out these possible fits.
Running Back Week 7 Waiver Wire Claims
Wide Receiver Week 7 Waiver Wire Claims
Quarterback Week 7 Waiver Wire Claims
Defense Week 7 Waiver Wire Claims
Fantasy Football Tight End Replacements for Will Dissly
Hunter Henry (41.6% owned)
This is the ideal replacement. If he can stay healthy, Hunter Henry could be a top-five tight end from here on out. While he’s no Travis Kelce, Henry is one of the most gifted receiving tight ends in the league. The Los Angeles Chargers have been decimated by injury, and Philip Rivers doesn’t have a reliable passing weapon outside of Keenan Allen. In his first game back from injury, Henry recorded eight receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He looked like as healthy as ever and is a weekly start whenever he’s on the field.
The biggest issue with Henry is health. The former second-round pick tore his ACL in 2018 and only played one game before suffering a tibia plateau fracture in Week 1. Every player carries an injury risk, but Henry’s risk is greater than most. That said, he easily has the highest upside of any player on this list and is worth a priority claim on the waiver wire.
T.J. Hockenson (47.2% owned)
Trusting rookie tight ends in fantasy football is always risky, but T.J. Hockenson is no typical rookie tight end. While he is subject to inconsistent play, Hockenson is one of the most physically gifted all-around tight ends in football. He has the size to go over the middle, the speed to separate from linebackers, and the hands to haul in anything thrown his way. Put simply, there’s a reason the Lions used a top-10 pick on this guy.
Hockenson’s ability to block makes him a true three-down player who never needs to leave the field. The Lions have two reliable receivers in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, but Hockenson has already established himself as third on the pecking order. Hockenson should only see more and more work as the season progresses and the coaches find better ways to incorporate him into the gameplan. He’s going to have his fair share of bust performances, but his upside is as high as anyone.
Darren Fells (4.6% owned)
If you are desperate – and I mean truly desperate – you can turn to Houston Texans tight end Darren Fells as a weekly streamer at the tight end position. Fells appears to be growing into a larger role on Houston’s offense, as he recorded six receptions for a team-high 69 yards in Houston’s victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. One week earlier, he caught two touchdown passes.
This is all good and well, but you need to take his success with a grain of salt. Sunday’s six-catch performance came against a bad Kansas City Chiefs defense in a game where Houston had to throw to keep up. Additionally, his three touchdowns came on just three red zone targets, which is simply an unsustainable pace. He’s going to come down to earth, but he’s essentially unowned and could keep up this pace for another week or two. Even if you need to start him in Week 7, you should be on the lookout for an upgrade.
The Will Dissly Replacement – Luke Willson
Will Dissly had a decent target share in Seattle, and somebody is going to have to take those targets. Luke Willson is next on the depth chart, but don’t expect the longtime NFL veteran to do much of anything with the opportunity. During Week 6, Willson recorded just two receptions for 16 yards with Dissly sidelined. This isn’t a one-week fluke, as Willson has never been much of a fantasy football weapon. The former fifth-round pick recorded entered the game with just three receptions for 36 yards and never recorded more than 22 receptions, 362 yards, or four touchdowns in any one season.
Willson spent the vast majority of his NFL career with the Seahawks, so it’s not like he hasn’t had the opportunity to succeed. We know exactly how Seattle views Willson, and they don’t see him as a threat in the passing game. Chances are, the Seahawks will give Dissly’s targets to D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett instead of Willson or any of the other tight ends on the roster.
Running Back Week 7 Waiver Wire Claims
Wide Receiver Week 7 Waiver Wire Claims
Quarterback Week 7 Waiver Wire Claims
Defense Week 7 Waiver Wire Claims
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