High-upside plays for Week 1 at tight end
Dalton Schultz
It is not a secret that the Houston Texans are going to be without its presumed second starting wide receiver, Jayden Higgins, after tearing his ACL during training camp. Shortly after that happened, the Houston front office decided to trade for Kayshon Boutte. Seems like a simple enough fix, right?
Well, not if any of the players who were already on the roster have any say in the matter. Dalton Schultz is not going to change his position and fill in at wide receiver by any means, but that does not mean he is unable to be the second option in the passing attack. After all, he finished as a top-10 tight end option in fantasy football last season; who is to say that is not a possibility this season, especially early on when a new addition like Boutte is still learning the playbook?
Isaiah Likely
At the end of the preseason, an article went out on the team record that each team is most likely to break. For the New York Giants, it was Isaiah Likely, in his first year as a starter, breaking the all-time receptions record at the tight end position, and he can get off to a hot start as soon as Sunday Night Football. The stars are lining up for things to shape up in such a manner, too.
The clear top option in the passing game for the Giants is Malik Nabers, and he might not even play in Week 1; if he does, he could be on a pitch count since it is so early in the season. New York does not have a definitive starting-caliber pass catcher aside from Nabers. That clears things up for Likely to swoop in and potentially do some damage to the Dallas Cowboys.
Cade Otton
Cade Otton of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has a similar route to being a high-upside tight end this week as Schultz. However, Otton is much more likely to be a shorter-term success story than the tight end out in Houston, due to the injuries that the Buccaneers are dealing with in its pass-catching room. If Emeka Egbuka and/or Jalen McMillan were to miss the season opener on Sunday, or if they do play and are on a snap count because of their injuries, Otton would have a path to being the second option for Baker Mayfield.
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