Cole Kmet, Tucker Kraft and Top Waiver-Wire TEs After Eagles' Dallas Goedert's Injury

The always-thin tight end market in fantasy football took a hit on Sunday when Philadelphia Eagles star Dallas Goedert suffered a hamstring injury in the first half against the Cleveland Browns.

After initially being deemed questionable to return, the Eagles eventually ruled Goedert out for the remainder of the game. Given the fickle nature of hamstring injuries, it wouldn't be a surprise if this turns out to be an issue that affects him for at least a couple of weeks.

Even though Goedert wasn't off to his best start through four games this season, tight end has become such a fantasy wasteland that he entered the week ranked as the No. 4 player at his position in PPR leagues.

Below we will dig into the best waiver-wire options for you to pick up in the wake of Goedert's injury.

• Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
• Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
• Tyler Conklin, New York Jets

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Harry Murphy/Getty Images

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 13: Cole Kmet of Chicago Bears celebrates a touchdown during the NFL match between Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 13, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Harry Murphy/Getty Images)

You're going to have to act quickly if you want to get Kmet on your roster when waivers open this week.

The Bears tight end had his second-best fantasy day of the season on Sunday. He caught all five of his targets from Caleb Williams for 70 yards and two touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

This is Kmet's second game of the season with more than 20 PPR points. He had a season-high 25.7 fantasy points in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Kmet entered the week as the No. 6 fantasy tight end with an average of 9.8 points per game. He has been targeted at least five times in three games and has caught 89.7 percent of his targets (26 of 29).

Williams is doing a good job of spreading the ball around, so there is no one go-to guy for him at this point. There are five Bears players with at least 20 targets after Sunday, with Kmet just two behind Rome Odunze (31) for second-most on the team.

Kmet is rostered in 67 percent of leagues for Yahoo and 55 percent for ESPN, so there is a chance he could be available for you on waivers if you move fast.

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

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INGLEWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 6: Tight end Tucker Kraft #85 of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, at SoFi Stadium on October 6, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

After finishing last season as the top tight end on Green Bay's depth chart, Tucker Kraft has continued to look very good in head coach Matt LaFleur's system.

The second-year tight end entered Week 6 as the No. 3 player at the position with a total of 55.8 points. More encouraging than that ranking, though, is the trajectory that Kraft has been on this season.

Since Jordan Love returned from a knee injury in Week 4, Kraft has been the top-scoring tight end in fantasy in each of the past two games. He had six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown in a 31-29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

He followed that up with 88 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions against the Los Angeles Rams.

Kraft's 42.1 fantasy points across Weeks 4 and 5 are more than players like Kyle Pitts, Dalton Kincaid and Sam LaPorta had all season coming into this week.

The problem if you need a tight end right now is fantasy managers are well aware of what Kraft has been doing. He's currently rostered in 81 percent of ESPN leagues and 76 percent of Yahoo leagues, so it might be difficult to get him without executing a trade.

Tyler Conklin, New York Jets

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 29: Tyler Conklin #83 of the New York Jets runs with the football during the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on September 29, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

It should be stated up front that until we see what the Jets offense looks like with Todd Downing calling plays, be wary of making any roster additions from this team right now.

Another concern is that Tyler Conklin is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Buffalo Bills with a hip injury.

Even with those caveats, there are reasons to be intrigued by Tyler Conklin as a player who might be able to give you solid production if Goedert ends up missing one or more games.

Garrett Wilson is, by far, the preferred target for Aaron Rodgers in this offense. He has 57 targets through five games, 24 more than anyone else on the roster. But the next three players are bunched together between 27 and 33 targets.

Conklin is the one with 27 targets, which have been turned into 17 receptions for 181 yards and zero touchdowns. That doesn't sound particularly exciting, but Rodgers is making a point of integrating his tight end into the offense more frequently.

After being targeted a total of four times in the first two games, Conklin has at least six targets in each of the past three weeks. His best game was in Week 3 against the New England Patriots with 93 yards on five catches.

Conklin has scored double-digit points in fantasy twice in the past three games. He has only been targeted twice in the red zone this season, but it seems like Rodgers is starting to trust him more in ways that should allow him to be a bigger part of the short-area game plan going forward.

The 29-year-old is available in 67 percent of Yahoo leagues and 59 percent of ESPN leagues. If you feel comfortable that Goedert's injury will only be a short-term problem, Conklin might be worth a flier at a position where there aren't a lot of great options.