The fantasy football season is moving into the playoffs and with a number of players dealing with injuries, fantasy owners need to find some of the best value picks and at the TE position, players like Ladarius Green, Brandon Myers and Jared Cook are solid options to replace Julius Thomas and Jordan Reed in the starting lineup for Week 14.
Thomas and Reed have been two of the most productive tight ends in football this season and with both players out last week, fantasy owners have been looking for replacements and players like Myers, Green and Cook have stepped up the past few weeks. Myers has been coming on after starting off slow, while Green has emerged as a legitimate starter for the Chargers. Jared Cook has been steady all season and if Thomas and Reed are out once again for Week 14, all of these players are solid ones to come in and contribute, especially with the playoffs coming up for some owners.
Green comes into the weekend after making two catches for 45 yards and one touchdown and over the past two games he has 11 targets and two touchdowns and he is turning into a legitimate red zone target. This season he has just 16 catches, but the bulk of that has come in the past five weeks and he now has gone three straight weeks with at least five targets and in two of those games he went for 80 yards or more and with the NY Giants coming to town on Sunday, he could have some nice matchups against a weak linebacker unit and that could mean a productive day. Green made three catches for 80 yards last week and before that he had four catches for 81 yards against the Dolphins.
Jared Cook has not been able to get into the endzone much this season, but that hasn't stopped him from being a middle of the line tight end and for teams looking to get someone for the playoffs, he could be a solid pick. Cook has two touchdowns over his past four games and in the past two weeks he has 11 targets and over 100 yards receiving, including four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown against the Bears two weeks ago. One of the main reasons Cook is a good start on Sunday is the matchup against the Cardinals, as they have given up 14 touchdowns to tight ends this season and even though they have a solid defense, the team has given up six scores to TEs in the past three games according to ESPN.
Thomas and Reed have been excellent this season and it will be imperative for owners to watch the injury report as they come out to see if they will start in Week 14. Thomas has been out since the first Chiefs game for the Broncos a few weeks ago and while he was limited at practice on Wednesday, he still could miss Sunday's game against the Titans. Thomas has four touchdowns in the past five games he has played and he is third in the league with 10 touchdowns and he has also added 45 catches for 590 yards this season. Reed was one of the most productive players for the terrible Redskins this season and he has 45 catches for 499 yards but he hasn't played since the same week as Thomas and he could be out again on Sunday.