2025 NFL Tight End Rankings: Week 10

Brock Bowers came back in a BIG way. Will it be enough to save our seasons? And has Colston Loveland arrived?

The Week 9 double-digit PPR point scorers at TE:

All but 3 of the list had at least 1 TD. Poor T.J. Hockenson had a TD, but with few receptions or yards. A few more TDs and I’m going to have to consider Pat Freiermuth a bye week fill-in. And you all ought to get on Dalton Schultz, especially if C.J. Stroud’s concussion keeps him out against Jacksonville on Sunday. And why wasn’t I higher on Mark Andrews last week? C’mon, 12 of his points came on TDs. You’re welcome to him. Don’t forget to buy Scratchers with that.

Here’s the list of TE targets for Week 8 in the red zone, sorted by targets:

All stats are exclusive to usage from inside the 20-yard line. The sharp-eyed among you might notice that, despite failing to catch his only RZ target, AJ Barner still had 6.1 points in the RZ. That IS strange, but there is an explanation: he scored the only Seahawks’ TD that did not involve a Sam Darnold pass on a direct-snap run of 1 yard for a TD. Do I want any of the guys rostered in under 10% of leagues? Other than perhaps Ja’Tavion Sanders, no, but if I’m looking for a dart in a GPP or for an Anytime TD pick, I could do worse.

This is not the be-all and end-all, but a piece of the puzzle. There are no guarantees. And if you see this and say, “Why don’t they do this more?” remember there are other players on the field on both sides of the football. And tight ends do a lot of blocking.

This table shows how many PPR points defenses give up to TEs, sorted by “FP/G.” The “TE Rk” column is the ranking high-to-low, and the “FP/G” is point per reception points per game (hereafter abbreviated to “PPR PPG”). I’ll use those below, and if you’re someone who enjoys pointing out mistakes, congratulations! You’re my new editor!

Week 10 byes: Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans.

Be sure to check out the latest tools on Razzball.com: Slot vs. Wide PPG Allowed | WR Slot vs. Wide| DEF Targets Allowed | Home vs. Away | Wins vs. Losses | TD Tool | RB Zone vs. Gap Rushing | DEF Zone vs. Gap Rushing |

Want more data-driven stats and tools to help you win your fantasy league? Check out the Razzball Fantasy Football premium subscriptions for $0.00 upfront with our 3-day free trial!

More tight end stuff:

1. The Jags were allowing the 12th most PPR points to TEs coming into Week 9, but that ranking took a beating in TE Brock Bowers’ first game action since Week 4 on September 28. It’s the first time he looked himself since hurting his knee in the Raiders’ Week 1 game. Of QB Geno Smith’s 38 targets, 13 went to Bowers, and for good measure, another 7 went to Michael Mayer. Using my arithmetic skills, that adds up to a lot. Bowers’ 12 receptions on Sunday are a career high for a game, and considering he had 4 career TDs coming into the game, 3 TDs are also a career high for a game. Bowers accounted for the Raiders’ only first-half points when he scored on a 7-yard grab to complete a 13-play, 95-yard drive with 0:35 left in the 1st quarter. Bowers also drew a 12-yard DPI and had a 21-yard catch on the drive, and the officials didn’t believe his ridiculous one-handed grab in the end zone with CB Greg Newsome draped all over him, ruling he came down out of bounds. Replay rectified the error. Sadly, K Daniel Carlson missed the PAT and that would prove consequential later in the game. Bowers’ second TD came right after the 2:00 warning in regulation from the Jags’ 27 when Smith found him inside the 20 on a slant and he went untouched until he was close enough to the end zone for it not to make a difference, giving the Raiders their last lead at 23-20. His final catch and score came with 0:16 left in OT from 2 yards out as he crossed the back of the end zone, escaping S Andrew Wingard, providing the Raiders’ final points. There will be no further questions accepted on whether we should start Bowers in fantasy. The Raiders are off to Denver for their Week 10 Thursday night game. The Broncos allow the 8th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 11.5.
2. The Broncos went into Houston for a meeting of two of the top defenses in football. After trailing for a good portion of the game, kept the Texans off the board for the last 24:18 and won on a walkoff field goal. TE Evan Engram played 32 of 63 snaps, but caught none of his 3 targets. Adam Trautman played 42 snaps and caught both of his targets for 25 yards. Marcedes Lewis saw his first action as a Bronco, playing 6 snaps, but was not targeted. Denver hosts the Raiders, who allow the 5th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 9.8.
3. The Falcons fell behind 21-7 and 24-14 in Foxboro, then rallied until their comeback fell short on a missed extra point. With the return of WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts fell to third in targets with 7, behind London (14) and RB Bijan Robinson (10), and the trio accounted for 31 of QB Michael Penix’s 34 targets. Pitts was good for 4 receptions and 37 yards. The Falcons head to Europe to meet the Colts at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. The Colts allow the 4th most PPR PPG to TEs at 17.5.
4. Indianapolis got blindsided by a resurgent Steelers defense that presumably took inventory after giving up 68 points in their previous two games. QB Daniel Jones threw 3 interceptions, lost 2 fumbles, and was sacked 5 times. TE Tyler Warren had 5 receptions on 7 targets but was held to 26 yards. The Colts fell behind by 17 twice in the 4th quarter, so Warren was secondary to the WRs for targets. Mo Alie-Cox played 30 snaps and drew Oglethorpe played 15, but Alie-Cox had the only target that did not go to Warren amongst the tight ends. The Colts will be the designated home team in Berlin. The Falcons allow the fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 5.1.
5. The Giants have a “good enough” offense, but are missing key pieces in the secondary and could not stop the 49ers’ offense. That doesn’t allow for the offensive lapses frequent to the Giants. I know they’re missing Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, but they weren’t significantly different with those players. After taking the first possession 64 yards for a TD in 4:10, the Giants got one first down total in their next five possessions, including one where they recovered a fumble by 49ers QB Mac Jones at his own 27. They got zero yards in three plays on that “drive,” then Graham Gano missed a 45-yard FG. In that period, the 49ers scored 17 unanswered points, and the Giants never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way. That first TD was scored by TE Theo Johnson on a pass from QB Jaxson Dart from 15 yards out: on 1st and 10, Dart hit Johnson in the flat at the LOS and Johnson turned upfield, shrugging off a weak attempt at a tackle by CB Deommodore Lenoir at the 10 and continuing to the end zone. Johnson finished with a 6/3/27/1 line that boils down what I said about the Giants’ lapses into four numbers. Chris Mannhertz and Thomas Fidone played 13 snaps combined, and neither had receiving stats. The Giants go to Chicago for Week 10. The Bears allow the 11th most PPR PPG to TEs at 15.2.
6. Bears TE Colston Loveland took advantage of a great matchup to set career highs in targets, receptions, yards, and TDs with a 7/6/118/2 line. LMFAO at reporters that call what Bengals S Jordan Battle did that caromed Loveland into the open field on Loveland’s way to a game-winning 58-yard TD a “tackle;” I was taught that a tackle involved using the arms. Cole Kmet left with a concussion after playing only 21 snaps. Loveland also had a 5-yard TD on the Bears’ first drive of the 2nd half. The Giants allow the 13th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 12.8.
7. Buffalo played one of their most complete games of the season and beat the Chiefs for the fifth year in a row in the regular season. TE Dalton Kincaid made the most of his 23 snaps by posting a 6/6/101/1 line. It was his second 100-yard game in his last three games played. On 3rd and 8 from the Chiefs’ 23 with 8:05 left in the first quarter, Kincaid put a double move on LB Drue Tranquill, and Tranquill tripped at the 12 trying to keep up; QB Josh Allen hit Kincaid wide-open at the 2 and Kincaid walked in for the first points of the game. Later, after a holding call on Dawson Knox moved the ball back to the Bills’ 45 for 2nd and 13 with 7:34 left until halftime and the Bills down 7-10, Allen found Kincaid open at the Chiefs’42 running away from Tranquill, and Kincaid headed down the sideline for a 48-yard gain to the Chiefs’ 8 yard line, setting up the go-ahead TD and the Bills never trailed again. Knox caught his only target for 30 yards, and Jackson Hawes caught 1 of 2 targets for 18 yards. The Bills head to Miami for a rematch with the Dolphins, who allow the 5th most PPR PPG to TEs at 17.0. Buffalo won the Week 3 game in Orchard Park, 31-21.
8. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the Ravens team they faced in Miami on Thursday night was not the depleted squad that started 1-5. Not that Miami couldn’t move the ball, but 332 yards only yielded two first-half field goals, and 3 turnovers helped do them in. TE Greg Dulcich played 23 snaps and caught all 5 of his targets for 49 yards. Tanner Conner played 29 snaps but did not catch his only target. I suppose Dulcich is worth a watch, but I think any of their tight ends will take a back seat to WR Jaylen Waddle and RB De’Von Achane for targets, and the Bills allow the 2nd fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 6.1.
9. The Ravens TEs are of the quality-over-quantity group. The TEs did receive 9 of Lamar Jackson’s 23 targets and 3 of Jackson’s 4 TDs. Mark Andrews (3/2/22/2) hit paydirt twice, the first time on 4th and goal from Miami’s 2 for the Ravens’ first points and then from 20 to make the score 14-3 0:50 into the 2nd quarter when safeties Dante Trader and Elijah Campbell collided on a mesh route, leaving Andrews wide open. Charlie Kolar caught both his targets for 23 yards, with a TD for the second game in a row. Isaiah Likely had his best offensive game of the season with a 4/3/60/0 line, including a 35-yard catch-and-run on the last play of the 1st quarter, setting up Andrews’ 2nd TD. On 3rd and 4 from the Ravens’ 42, Jackson scrambled out of trouble and found Likely alone 12 yards beyond the LOS, and Likely took it from there to Miami’s 23. The Ravens head to Minneapolis to face the Vikings, who allow the 12th most PPR PPG at 14.9.
10. The Vikings snapped a five-game losing streak to the Lions and won for the first time in Detroit since the 2020 season. 17 of QB J.J. McCarthy’s 23 targets went to WRs, and of the rest, TE J. Hockenson got 3: he converted those into 2 receptions for 11 yards and a 7-yard 1st quarter TD when J.J. McCarthy found him alone in the end zone. I don’t know that the Vikings will lean on McCarthy too heavily if they don’t have to for the time being. It’s hard to start Hockenson except as an injury or bye-week fill-in right now. The Ravens allow the 16th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 13.5, but only 8.4 PPG since their bye.
11. The Browns come out of their bye at 2-6. TE Harold Fannin is second on the team in targets at 51, leads in receptions (38) and receiving yards (352), and is tied for the team lead in receiving TDs with 2. David Njoku is third in targets (41), second in receptions (27) and receiving yards (260), and is also tied for the team lead in receiving TDs with 2 despite missing a game. They’re both mid-to-low TE2s, but can be started if the matchup is right, and Week 10 could be one. The Browns head to MetLife Stadium to meet the Jets, who give up the 15th most PPR PPG to TEs at 14.0.
12. The Jets came out of the bye and parceled out their defense a bit in a trade deadline sell-off. But hey, they added WR Adonai Mitchell. Coming off the heels of their first win, the Jets aren’t helpless on offense, averaging just over 300 yards per game, but they’re dead last in passing yards at 156.5/game. They’ve had trouble moving the ball against credible defenses, and few are more credible than Cleveland’s. TE Mason Taylor has had a 39/27/217 over his last 6 games and had his first TD in Week 8, but that includes a 1/1/2/0 in London against Denver. I’m looking elsewhere this week. The Browns allow the 14th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 12.9.
13. The Patriots ran out to a 21-7 lead with 5:21 left in the 1st half, but only scored 3 more points and barely held on for a 24-23 win because the Falcons missed the game-tying PAT. I must sound like a parrot, but trusting the Patriots’ passing offense in fantasy poses problems, namely, 1) there is no real hero besides QB Drake Maye, and 2) Maye has not attempted more than 30 passes since Week 3 and is averaging ~28 attempts a game. TE Hunter Henry becomes a fair, but TD-dependent, option: he had 6 targets with 4 receptions for 51 yards in Week 9, but that was good for TE 19 on the week, and those were his best numbers since Week 3. Austin Hooper chipped in a 1/1/20/0 line. The Patriots go to Tampa to meet the Buccaneers, who allow the 15th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 13.4.
14. I’d like to think the game could be an offensive shootout, but early reports indicate neither RB Bucky Irving nor WR Chris Godwin is practicing for the Bucs. That’s troubling news coming out of their bye week. I suppose it’s good for TE Cade Otton in fantasy, who has drawn more targets when the top WRs are out, but he has not reached the end zone in the 2025 season and has only ascended to high-end TE2 level. The Patriots allow the 9th most PPR PPG at 15.3, so a top-12 finish is not out of the question for Otton, but Tampa has only targeted Otton once in the RZ in the 2025 season.
15. In one of the more predictable games in the 2025 season, the Saints lost to the Rams in Inglewood. New Orleans is now 1-8 and has only reached as many as 20 points in one game. After throwing 30 passes in 19 minutes in his first game action, QB Tyler Shough only attempted 24 against the Rams. To be fair, the Saints only ran 40 plays on offense, gaining 224 yards and 10 first downs in a little over 16:00 of possession. TE Juwan Johnson did catch the one TD the Saints had, from 11 yards out with 0:07 left in the 1st half, as part of a 4/3/31/1 line. Taysom Hill was the leading rusher with 30 yards on 4 attempts and threw an incomplete pass. The leading receiver on Sunday, WR Rashid Shaheed, was dealt to the Seahawks on Tuesday. I’d like to say there will be better days for the Saints, but those probably won’t be until after Thanksgiving, as they go to Charlotte to play the Panthers, have their bye the following week, then host the Falcons in Week 12. The Panthers are a good matchup for TEs, allowing the 13th most PPR PPG to TEs at 14.6.
16. As I pointed out earlier, the Panthers pounded the rock in their upset win at Lambeau Field. QB Bryce Young only attempted 20 passes, and TEs Ja’Tavion Sanders and Tommy Tremble each had 1 target. RB Rico Dowdle scored both of the TDs. The Saints allow the 14th most PPR PPG to TEs, but if Carolina doesn’t throw the ball, it won’t matter.
17. With QB Trevor Lawrence under the weather, the Jaguars leaned on the running game to help beat the Raiders. Lawrence was 22 of 34 for 220 air yards but the Jags TDs all came via the run. TE Hunter Long played 53 snaps but only earned 3 targets, catching 1 of them for 6 yards. Johnny Mundt was not targeted in 27 snaps. The Jaguars go to Houston to face the Texans, who are allowing the 4th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 9.7. I doubt the Jags test that.
18. Texans QB C.J. Stroud was knocked out of the game against Denver with a concussion a little over a minute into the 2nd quarter, and he has already been ruled out for Week 10. Davis Mills is an experienced QB, but after leading the team to four FGs on his first 5 drives, the Texans only managed one total first down on their final six drives. TE Dalton Schultz had a 8/6/77/0 line including a 14-yard pass for the Texans final 1st down and a 47-yarder: from the Houston 41 with 4:22 left in the 1st quarter, Stroud caught LB Justin Strnad cheating over toward WR Nico Collins and hit Schultz in stride at the Broncos 45, and he continued on until LB Alex Singleton and S Brandon Jones brought Schultz down at the Denver 12. Harrison Bryant had 2 targets in 20 snaps, catching 1 for 2 yards. The Jaguars allow the 2nd most PPR PPG to TEs at 18.7 after having the great misfortune of having to deal with a healthy Brock Bowers in Week 9.
19. For the near future, Jacoby Brisett will continue to start at QB for the Cardinals as Kyler Murray (foot) will be placed on IR. Brissett helped the Cards end their 5-game losing streak on Monday against the Cowboys. TE Trey McBride caught 5 of 9 targets for 55 yards, and had a TD reception for the 3rd straight game, all with Brissett under center, after having 8 total TDs in his first 54 games. The TD capped off the opening drive of the 2nd half and came with 2:12 gone in the 3rd quarter on 1st and goal from the Dallas 12, as Brissett found McBride running to the right corner away from S Markquese Bell. Elijah Higgins chipped in 3 receptions for 30 yards on 3 targets. The Cardinals play in Seattle on Sunday, and the Seahawks have given up the 10th most PPR PPG to TEs at 15.3.
20. Both Seahawks TEs found the end zone on Sunday night against the Commanders. QB Sam Darnold found Elijah Arroyo running down the seam and laid the ball right over S Tyler Owens for a 26-yard touchdown on the first play after Commanders WR Jaylin Lane fumbled the kickoff after the Seahawks made it 14-0. Arroyo’s TD made it 21-0 with 8:41 left until halftime. AJ Barner scored the final Seattle TD of the night on a 1-yard direct snap run with 1:53 left in the 3rd quarter. Arroyo caught both his targets for 29 yards, and Barner caught 3 of his 4 targets for 24 yards. Darnold did a lot of damage on only 24 pass attempts. I would not bank on that occurring often based on that volume. The Cardinals allow the 8th most PPR PPG to TEs at 15.4.
21. The Rams apparently took my “Nothing to see here. Move along.” comment in estimation of their tight ends personally, as not one, not two, not three, but FOUR tight ends caught at least 2 passes in the win over the Saints. Terrence Ferguson (3/2/54/0), Davis Allen (4/3/37/0), Tyler Higbee (4/3/13/1), and Colby Parkinson (2/2/10/0) joined in the fun that was the Rams piling on the Saints. The problem? Simple arithmetic shows that 1 good TE + 1 good TE + 1 good TE + 1 good TE = 0 good TEs for fantasy. At least Higbee has a TD in 2 out of 3 games, but without a TD, 3 for 13 does the lineup no good. The Rams head to Levi’s Stadium for a rematch with the 49ers, who allow the 9th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 11.9.
22. The 49ers fed RB Christian McCaffrey early and often at MetLife Stadium as he handled the ball on 33 of 58 touches. Adding together and carrying the 1, I come up with not many touches for other players. TE George Kittle caught all 4 of his targets for 32 yards, but 7.2 PPR points is not what I paid for. Luke Ferrell caught his only target in 21 snaps, and Jake Tonges is still on the team. Unlike the Giants, the Rams have a lifelike defense and are miserable to run against. They allow the 11th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 12.5, so they’re going to need Kittle to come out and play this week.
23. The Lions did not have a good time coming out of the bye as they lost at home to Minnesota for the first time since the 2020 season. But that did not stop TE Sam LaPorta from partying like it was 2023. LaPorta dominated the opening series with 3 catches for 66 yards, including a 40-yard TD on 4th and 4, 2:23 into the game. LaPorta beat S Joshua Mettelus down the seam, Goff hit him in stride at the 18, and LaPorta shrugged off tacklers for the last 10 yards. LaPorta finished with an 8/6/97/1 line, his best game of the season, as QB Jared Goff exceeded 30 pass attempts for only the second time this season. There is some speculation that OC John Morton’s offense is becoming formulaic and predictable. We’ll see. The Lions go to Landover to take on the Commanders, who give up the 7th most PPR PPG to TEs at 15.7.
24. Speaking of teams that did not have a good time in Week 9, I give you the Washington Commanders. By the time their first four possessions went punt, interception, fumbled kickoff, punt, they had 41 yards of offense and were down 28-0 with about 4:30 minutes left in the first half. Worse, they lost QB Jayden Daniels to a dislocated elbow on his non-throwing arm in the 4th quarter.Initial reports indicate he may avoid surgery, but he won’t return until late in the season at least. TE Zach Ertz had a 4/4/46/0 line, and John Bates added 4/2/20/0, but neither of those is exciting. Ertz is still playing ~2/3 of the snaps, but the volume is not there, and he’s more TD-dependent. The Lions allow the 12th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 12.7.
25. The Steelers put on their throwback defense against the Colts. After going 3 and out and allowing a TD on the Colts’ first drive, the Steelers brought the heat on Colts QB Daniel Jones and forced him into 5 of the Colts’ 6 turnovers, and added 5 sacks as they scored 24 unanswered points. The final score was misleading. The Steelers’ three-headed monster at tight end combined for 15 targets, 10 receptions, 95 yards, and 1 TD. The TD was Pat Freiermuth’s with 4:22 left until halftime from 12 yards out, two plays after a Jones interception. Darnell Washington’s line was 6/4/43/0, Jonnu Smith’s was 5/3/25/0, and Freiermuth’s was 4/3/27/1. I’ll say what I’ve said before: Smith and Freiermuth are usually in my top 30, but not my top 20. If people want either in redraft, I won’t stand in their way. The Steelers head to Inglewood, CA, to take on the Chargers, who allow the 6th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 10.0.
26. Chargers TE Oronde Gadsden II is making big plays a habit. This time, it was a 34-yarder in the 1^st quarter, four plays after Justin Herbert threw a pick-six. On 2nd and 8 from the Titans’ 41, CB Jalyn Armour-Davis let Gadsden go down the right sideline and no one picked him up; Herbert hit him at the 18 and he was finally tackled at the 7 by S Amani Hooker, setting up the tying TD to make it 7-7. I know this: I want Gadsden’s invisibility cloak. Gadsden also had two key catches on the 15-play, 99-yard drive that put the Chargers up 27-17 with 12:58 left in the game. He finished with a 5/5/68/0 line and needs to be in lineups. The Steelers allow the 3rd most PPR PPG to TEs at 18.0.
27. The Eagles come out of the bye with TE Dallas Goedert 4th in PPR PPG at 14.4. It’s a little dangerous that 6 of the 14.4 come via TDs, but Goedert is one of their top weapons in close. The Eagles head to Lambeau to take on the Packers, who allow the 6th most PPR PPG at 15.9.
28. Packers TE Tucker Kraft’s breakout season was cut short when he tore his ACL in the loss to Carolina. Luke Musgrave becomes the TE1 in Kraft’s absence, with John FitzPatrick and Josh Whyle mixing in. Musgrave was a credible pass catcher as a rookie in 2023 with a 46/34/352/1 line in 11 games, but it’s difficult to see him duplicating Kraft’s production. The Eagles allow the 3rd fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 8.0.
29. Cincinnati enters the bye with top pass-catching TE Noah Fant averaging 7.9 PPR PPG. He’s best left to matchups. There have been no updates yet on Mike Gesicki, on IR since mid-October with a pectoral injury.
30. Dallas TE Jake Ferguson shook off a goose egg in Week 8 with a 7/5/50/0 line in Week 9, including 3 RZ targets. He’s currently 5^th in PPR PPG on the season.
31. Chiefs TE Travis Kelce had a 5/4/66/0 line in Buffalo in Week 9, which was good considering the Bills were allowing 5.7 PPR PPG, 2^nd fewest, entering the game. Kelce is 8th in PPR PPG at 12.8.
32. Titans TE Chig Okonkwo had a 2/2/10/0 line against the Chargers, and Gunnar Helm had a 1/1/15/0 line. Okonkwo is averaging 6.3, and Helm is averaging 5.0 PPR PPG. Neither belongs on 12-team rosters in redraft.

These rankings are for Week 10 games ONLY. If you want to speak about them, hit me up in the COMMENTS, which is also where I will post updates after Friday practice participation reports are finalized.

These rankings are for base PPR leagues: 1 point per reception, 1 point for 10 yards rushing/receiving, 6 points per touchdown, and -2 points per fumble lost. No premiums or bonuses.

I’ll give player, player’s team, opponent this week, home or road game (H/R), day of game, time of game (early (E), late (L), or night (N)), opponent’s 2025 rank vs. tight ends, current projected team total per ESPNBET, PPR points per game (PPG), PPR PPG scoring rank for the season (Sc Rk), and percent rostered per FantasyPros (Rost %).

The Top 30 TEs for Week 10

While you’re here, check out more fantasy goodness at Razzball. Follow me on Twitter/X and BlueSky @crewser128.

Like and subscribe for more fantasy football content on YouTube @RazzballFantasy. Join us for our weekday shows and our weekly Sunday start/sit shows, where we take questions during the Fantasy Football season for two hours starting at 11:00 a.m. EDT. The “we” is (name/Twitter handle) Sky Guasco/@SkyGuasco, Derek Favret/@Derek_Favret, Matt Stiles/@stiles08, Jeff Kezar/Jefferson__21, and me.

Don’t forget to drop a comment or question down below. We always try to answer.