Week 4 of the NFL season is the first slate of games to include byes for teams. As owners adjust their lineups to compensate for byes, one position that they often try to fill is that of tight end. A deep position has gotten even deeper, and many bye-week alternatives are available at tight end.

One player that should receive a lot of looks is New England tight end Aaron Hernandez. The rookie out of Florida has become a large part of the Patriot offense in the last two weeks.

In Week 1, Hernandez caught just one pass for 45 yards. In Weeks 2 and 3, he has 12 catches for 166 yards, clearly establishing himself as the third option in a pass-heavy offense.

With all of the injuries to the Patriots running backs, Hernandez's versatility has made him more valuable. He found himself positioned in the backfield on a few snaps in Week 3, and had one carry for 13 yards. He has also lined up at a wide receiver position.

Only 20 years old, Hernandez is still acclimating to the NFL. As the season progresses, he stands to be this year's emergent tight end. He is owned in roughly half of all leagues, so owners needing a boost at the position will want to consider him.

Another rookie tight end is beginning to make a name for himself in Kansas City. Tony Moeaki has two touchdowns in the first three weeks of the season and leads the Chiefs in receptions, targets, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and receiving first downs.

Although Kansas City is one of three teams with a 3-0 record, they have achieved their success behind a strong running game and a stout defense. The Chiefs' aerial attack ranks 29th in the league; therefore, few receivers on the team have become useful fantasy commodities.

Even so, when quarterback Matt Cassel does throw the ball, he looks to Moeaki more than other targets. The Chiefs get their bye out of the way today, so Moeaki could be a good fill-in over the next month as other starting tight ends have their byes.

The Detroit Lions are winless through three games with their 30th-ranked defense as the main cause. The offense has done relatively well, resulting in a number of worthwhile fantasy options. Running back Jahvid Best and wide receiver Calvin Johnson are owned in nearly all fantasy leagues, but tight end Brandon Pettigrew is a free agent in a great number of leagues.

Despite sharing time with Tony Scheffler at tight end, Pettigrew has had two consecutive good games. After a 6-yard showing in Week 1, he has 13 catches for 152 yards in the last two weeks. On the season he ranks seventh among tight ends in receptions and 10th in yardage. Because of Scheffler's presence, Pettigrew does not yet deserve to be consistently starting in fantasy lineups, though he remains a good bye-week fill-in.

A tight end that has quickly lost value is Houston's Owen Daniels. Following a tremendous outset to 2009, Daniels suffered torn knee ligaments and missed the remainder of the campaign. He recovered well enough to start in Week 1 of the current season, but he has not made an impact on the Texan offense so far.

Daniels has six catches for 60 yards through three games and has not reached the end zone. Adding to his lack of productivity is another injury concern. Head coach Gary Kubiak called Daniels a game-time decision today with a bad hamstring.

If Daniels plays, he is no better than the fourth option for quarterback Matt Schaub. Receivers Andre Johnson, Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter all have more targets, receptions and yards than Daniels.

Owners that have room on their benches will want to hang onto Daniels for the latter part of the year once he is further removed from his injuries. Until then he is not worth starting in any format.

Dan Massey's Fantasy Sports appears each Sunday. E-mail him at dmassey@lnpnews.com.