The Best Waiver Wire Picks To Scoop Up For A Gronk-less Week 14 Of Fantasy Football

Rob Gronkowski is foolish. Thanks to his ridiculous late hit/cheap shot on Tre’Davious White that gave the man a concussion, he’s been suspended for one game and will miss Week 14 — the first week of the fantasy playoffs. For some people, like the author of this column, it’s been a long year losing David Johnson and Aaron Rodgers, and sneaking into the playoffs is something to be proud of. Now Gronk is gone for Week 14 and everyone is scrambling for replacements.

Now, if you own Gronk, you probably already had a tight end on your bench considering his proclivity for getting hurt, but… Maybe you didn’t? Below you’ll find a few decent replacements for Gronk (and possibly Zach Ertz), along with a few players that might sneak into a starting lineup for you in the playoffs.

ARI TE Ricky Seals-Jones: The converted rookie WR has seen his offensive snaps and production ramp-up in recent weeks. He has 9 catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns in Blaine Gabbert’s three starts, and looks like he’s locked-in for 5 or 6 targets a game. Considering Arizona needs any offensive help they can get, Seals-Jones might be a very scary band-aid for Gronk.

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DAL TE Jason Witten: He’s still out there in at least 30 percent of leagues. It’s not a great replacement, but he’s seen consistent volume and could do enough to get you through the week. Especially if you’re in a PPR league. One major positive: the Cowboys take on the Giants this week, who are terrible against opposing TEs.

NYJ TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins: I put him here every week, and almost every week he has a sure catch for a touchdown reversed by the officials who clearly have an evolving take on what is or isn’t a catch in the NFL every week. He plays Denver this week. It’s not a great matchup and he’s trending down. But what can you do if you’re missing Ertz and Gronk? There aren’t many options left.

TB RB Peyton Barber: Shockingly, Barber had the first 100-yard game for the Bucs this season, and with Doug Martin possibly out another week, this could be the Barber show, who has supplanted Jacquizz Rodgers as The Dude, getting 23 rushing attempts in his first week as the lead back. He looked better than Martin has all year. Maybe this job is his now.

SF WR Marquise Goodwin: We’ve written about him here before, now getting him is even more of a priority after the Jimmy Garoppolo era showed him much love. He caught all eight of his targets for 99 yards and sees a good matchup against the Texans in Week 14.

TB TE Cameron Brate: The return of Jameis Winston made Brate relevant again, garnering six targets when he saw only 12 over four weeks with Ryan Fitzpatrick. If he gets another six targets against the Lions this week, he could be a fine replacement for Gronk or Ertz. When he has Winston, he’s a top-six TE.

Ugh.

Gronk really blew this, eh?