2025 NFL Tight End Rankings: Week 14

Brock Bowers vs. Trey McBride in Week 13. Zach Ertz emerges: what happens now that Jayden Daniels is back?

The Week 13 double-digit PPR point scorers at TE:

New columns added this week! You know, since TEs occasionally get rushing usage.

15 TEs this week, and this was not a high-scoring week IRL, but there were more TE TDs, with eight players getting at least one, including the Bengals’ Tanner Hudson, but it was his only catch, so he did not make this grade. Fannin’s fumble happened on the Browns’ version of the Tush Push, and if you don’t think this is funny, you haven’t seen enough footage of the teams not named “Eagles” trying the play. The play isn’t working as well for the team named Eagles this year, either.

Here’s the list of TE targets for Week 13 in the red zone, sorted by targets, then fantasy points,  receptions, and receiving yards:

Hunter Henry and Brock Bowers illustrate efficiency and inefficiency. No, I will not tell you which is which.

Now, the same for the season to date:

All stats are exclusive to usage from inside the 20-yard line. I cut the table off at 5 targets or fewer, which is how many RZ targets Trey McBride had after Week 5. “What happened then, Mr. Crews?” Why, I’m glad you asked. Since Jacoby Brissett took over the Cardinals’ offense in Week 6, McBride has had 17 RZ targets. Before Brissett, McBride had 3 RZ receptions for 9 yards and 1 TD; since Week 5, this is McBride’s RZ line: 17/11/113/7. The only other TE with close to that efficiency is Tucker Kraft, making me sadder that he’s done for the season.

Some notable names not on the list: Cade Otton (3/2/10/0), Brenton Strange (1/1/10/0), and Chig Okonkwo (1/1/3/0). I know Strange has only played 7 games, but I just told you what McBride did in 7 games. Pay attention!

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 per game defenses give up to TEs season to date, sorted by “FP/G.” The “TE Rank” column is the ranking from high to low, and the “FP/G” is PPR points per game (hereafter abbreviated to “PPR PPG”). I’ll use those below. If you’re someone who enjoys pointing out mistakes, congratulations! You’re my new editor!

Week 14 byes: Oh, you thought we were done with these? Nope. Four teams to go: Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers being off will make the first week of many leagues’ playoffs interesting.

Last week I promised to look at rest of season schedules. So I have:

In the table, the “Team” is static; the rest of the columns are their opponent in a given week for Weeks 14-18, and the “Rk” is the opponent’s current ranking in PPR PPG allowed to TEs, which I explained in the table before this one. The teams are sorted by which team I view as having the most favorable schedule from Weeks 14-17 to the least favorable schedule. I included Week 18 to acknowledge that some fantasy leagues compete in Week 18. If you have, you know to an extent, previous rankings have less meaning depending on the individual NFL team. We’ll discuss that bridge when we come to it.

As an example, Indianapolis has four opponents ranked at 12 or below. That’s the most favorable to me, plus they have a top fantasy TE, Tyler Warren. The Jets have a very good schedule, but their offense is inconsistent. For strength of schedule, the Jets are above Baltimore, but I’d prefer using Mark Andrews over Mason Taylor. If that’s confusing, reach out in the comments, and I’ll explain further.

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More tight end stuff:

1. For the second Thursday in a row, we’ll get the Dallas Cowboys, fresh off of knocking off the Super Bowl LIX teams in back-to-back weeks. The deadline trades, along with returning players from injury, have made the defense legit, and combined with their above-average offense, make them an interesting team down the stretch. Starting in Week 14, the Lions, Vikings, and Chargers aren’t pushovers, but have been reduced from the first half of the season. Once they get to Week 17, they have a juicy matchup with the Washington Commanders. With the return of WR CeeDee Lamb from injury, TE Jake Ferguson is getting around 6 targets a game, which puts him closer to low-end TE1 territory as opposed to the TE 1 he was before Week 8. That said, his 6/5/36/0 line versus the Chiefs broke a three-game streak with 10+ PPR points. The Cowboys play two bottom-9 PPR PPG defenses vs. TEs in the next 4 weeks and two top-13. Ferguson’s volume has fluctuated with the return of Lamb, but the alternative to Ferguson would have to be strong for me to bench Ferguson.
2. The Lions will also be back this Thursday. Detroit has been alternating losses and wins for the last seven games, so if the NFL were simply patterns, they’ll win in Week 14. Their schedule down the stretch is daunting: after hosting Dallas, they go to Inglewood for a game with the Rams, return home for Week 16 vs. the Steelers, and have a road game in Minnesota for Week 17. As the tight end position goes, Brock Wright (neck) joined Sam LaPorta on the sidelines vs. the Packers, and we’ll find out how he’s progressing early in the week. In Wright’s absence, Ross Dwelley played a majority, 47 of 63, of snaps, but blocked on 28 of those. Dwelley was targeted 3 times, catching 1 for 3 yards. Anthony Firkser had a 1/1/4/0 line in 15 snaps. With WR Amon-Ra St. Brown leaving after 4 snaps, Detroit may have been reluctant to throw. I’m not crazy about Wright for fantasy; his understudies interest me less, and Wright has been ruled out for Week 14.
3. The Seahawks saw the Rams lose earlier in the day and jumped on the opportunity to join the Rams at 9-3. The Vikings, down to their third QB, Max Brosmer, offered little resistance. With the defense generating 4 sacks, 5 turnovers, and a TD, the offense did not have to do much, and didn’t, with only 219 yards and 19 points. QB Sam Darnold only threw 26 times for 128 air yards. TE AJ Barner led the team with a 5/4/35/0 line, but that does little for fantasy teams. Elijah Arroyo seems to have faded into the background, catching neither of his targets. The Seahawks have the 12th friendliest strength of schedule, but their passing volume is unpredictable. If I need Barner, my favorite spots are against the Colts and Rams.
4. The Falcons played hard on Sunday and out-gained the Jets 389 yards to 269. Unfortunately, their special teams gave up two big plays: on the third play of the 2nd quarter, WR/PR Jamal Agnew muffed a punt that Jets CB Qwan’tez Stiggers recovered at the Atlanta 2; RB Breece Hall cashed in on the next play, giving the Jets a 6-0 lead; then, after taking a 17-14 lead on a Zane Gonzalez 52-yard field goal, gave up an 83-yard return on the ensuing kickoff to RB/KR Isaiah Williams, setting up the tying field goal. QB Kirk Cousins did not have eye-popping stats (21-for-33, 234 air yards, 1 TD), but without WR Drake London, he targeted RB Bijan Robinson 7 times, and TE Kyle Pitts led the team in targets (8), receptions (7), and receiving yards (82). It was Pitts’ best game since Week 7, and his first game with more than 6 PPR points since Week 8. Pitts has 1 TD for the season and 11 for his career. Consistent volume is an issue, and I doubt that will change if London is able to return. The ROS schedule is not unfavorable to TEs in PPR: their toughest opponent is Tampa Bay in Week 15 (11th fewest PPR PPG allowed to TEs), but I’m unconvinced the Falcons will take advantage of that. Pitts is a better option in fantasy with WR Drake London out, and that may end in Week 14. I still like Pitts in Weeks 14 and 16, but he has a low ceiling.
5. At this time, I’ll need to get to the point more quickly. For the Bengals, both Noah Fant and Mike Gesicki have shone in fantasy at points this season. The main issues I have are: a. they have hyper-talented WRs, and b. Fant and Gesicki not only share the field with each other, they also share with Tanner Hudson and Drew Sample. We’re playing the equivalent of Scratchers here. I’m not going near them in Weeks 14 and 15, and proceeding with caution in Week 16 and 17, even with matchups against two of the top-9 friendliest defenses for TEs in PPR.
6. This is a week I’d love to have Bills TE Dalton Kincaid available, as the matchup against the Bengals is the best in fantasy for TEs, but he’s missed the last three games, has not practiced in full since injuring his hamstring in Week 10, and now has a knee injury listed along with the hamstring. If you’re interested in Dawson Knox or Jackson Hawes, salut. If Kincaid can’t make it back for Week 15, the schedule gets much more difficult.
7. If TEs Chig Okonkwo and Gunnar Helm were combined into one player, they’d be interesting, even playing in the Titans’ offense. They’re not, and Tennessee’s schedule is brutal for TEs. I don’t recommend going there.
8. I like Cleveland’s schedule better, and I believe they have both a better offense and better TEs than the Titans’. I realize the bar is low, but the Browns have the Bears in Week 15 and the Steelers in Week 17, both of which are among the top-ten friendliest defenses. If I had to pick one Browns TE, it’d be Harold Fannin. It doesn’t get mentioned often, but David Njoku’s knee injury from Week 6 is likely still an issue for him. Fannin’s not likely to get us as many points as we like, while being more likely to score more points than someone we can claim from free agency.
9. Commanders TE Zach Ertz held a “Turn Back the Clock” game on Sunday night. QB Marcus Mariota targeted Ertz 13 times against the Broncos, second on the team to WR Terry McLaurin’s 14. Ertz caught 10 of the targets for 106 yards, all season highs. Ertz hasn’t had a TD since Week 7, so his ceiling is capped in lieu of being heavily targeted. He’s had 8 games in the 2025 season with 8+ points and 5 with 10+. He’s no longer a top-10 TE in fantasy, but that has as much to do with the disappointing Commanders offense as any erosion of skills displayed by Ertz. Washington’s schedule for TE’s is unfavorable, and the best matchup is this week against Minnesota. If Jayden Daniels is able to make it back, the outlook may change.
10. Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson tied his season high in receptions with 6 and had a season high with 59 receiving yards. None of those numbers is exciting. And they came on the arm of the third QB, Max Brosmer, who won’t play in Week 14. J.J. McCarthy has yet to do anything but drag Hock’s numbers into the mud, and I’m not holding my breath for that to change this season. I don’t want to start WR Justin Jefferson at this point, much less Hock. Washington is a good matchup, but the TE schedule for the Vikings gets ugly after that.
11. Dolphins TE Darren Waller returned for Week 13, led the Dolphins in receiving yards, had only one target that he did not catch, and that was in the RZ. That’s the good news. The bad? The game got out of hand early, so QB Tua Tagovailoa only completed 12 passes for 157 air yards, and Waller’s line was 3/2/47/0 on 27 snaps. The Dolphins are 27th in passing yards and have only 17 passing TDs. This week’s matchup against the Jets and Week 17 against the Buccaneers are slightly unfavorable, but Week 15 against the Steelers and Week 16 against the Bengals are juicy. If I held onto or acquired Waller, he’s not a bad option, especially in Week 16 at home.
12. The Jets won against the Falcons, but much of the damage was inflicted by the special teams. TE Mason Taylor had a 4/2/21/0 line, and has been no higher than TE 17 since the Week 9 bye. The Jets play the 3rd (Dolphins) and 2nd (Jaguars) friendliest PPR defenses to TEs the next two weeks. If you care, I get it, but I’m not investing in a bottom-three pass offense.
13. Unfortunately for the Saints, they weren’t able to break through against the Dolphins’ defense until they were behind 0-16, on the first drive of the second half. TE Juwan Johnson had a team-high 9 targets, but only 5 receptions and 39 yards. It was his first game below 10 PPR points since Week 6. For the draft-day price, there have been few more profitable players than Johnson, now 11th in PPR PPG among TEs, and 7th in actual points as Tucker Kraft, George Kittle, Dalton Kincaid, and Sam LaPorta have all missed significant time. The Saints don’t have a friendly schedule for TEs down the stretch, but Johnson’s a TE1, like it or not.
14. Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield’s been beat up this season, first sustaining a biceps injury in Week 3, a knee injury in Week 4, and an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in Week 12. They snapped a three-game losing streak in Week 13, but Mayfield has not looked like himself for weeks. They’re starting to get the WRs healthy, and that’s likely bad news for TE Cade Otton. Otton had a brief spurt from Weeks 5-10, but the highest he finished in PPR since then is TE22. Once Tampa gets to Week 16, their schedule for TEs is favorable, but by then the Bucs may have WR Mike Evans back, along with a healthier Chris Godwin. Add OROY candidate Emeka Egbuka and RB Bucky Irving, and there likely will not be enough targets for Otton to be viable in fantasy.
15. Speaking of beat-up QBs, Colts QB Daniel Jones’ disclosure that he’s been playing with a fractured fibula is incredible, considering one of his biggest assets is mobility. There’s no timetable for Anthony Richardson to return from IR, so Riley Leonard is Jones’ backup currently. TE Tyler Warren is not likely to win OROY, but he’s a favorite in fantasy. He’s currently 4th in PPR points among TEs and 6th in PPR PPG (not counting the injured Kraft). The Colts have sputtered lately, losing three of four, but they have the friendliest schedule for TEs in PPR: the toughest test will be against the 49ers in Week 16, and they’re allowing the 12th most PPR PPG to TEs. I didn’t need a reason to keep Warren in my lineups, but that’s a great one.
16. The Week 14 game is arguably the biggest game of the season for both the Colts and Jaguars. Both teams are 8-4 and meet twice over the next four weeks. The Jaguars are one regrettable quarter in Houston away from a five-game winning streak. Getting TE Brenton Strange back from IR was certainly a boost, and Strange has been PPR TE4 and TE7 in his two games back. The volume hasn’t been great as Strange has had 9 targets in the two games combined, but he has 138 yards and a TD to offset that. The Jags have the fourth-best schedule IMO from Weeks 14-17, and the toughest matchup is the Jets in Week 15. I’d feel fine using Strange in that stretch and other than McBride, Bowers, Kittle, Warren, and Kelce, I’d toss a coin for Strange vs. anyone else at the position right now.
17. The Steelers have too many viable TEs, and QB Aaron Rodgers is not a QB I trust to employ them. Add to that the schedule is hostile outside the Week 15 game against Miami in Pittsburgh, and I’m moving on. I suggest you do the same.
18. Just when we think the end is near for TE Mark Andrews, the Ravens extend him. Among the TD-dependent TEs, Andrews and Waller are my favorites. He’s not close to being a TE1 this season in part because the Ravens offense is nowhere near peak, but my thought is they have the third-best schedule in PPR for TEs the next four weeks, and arguably the best until Week 17. That starts this week against Pittsburgh. I know Isaiah Likely is talented, but he needs to string together more than one game as a TE1 for me to trust him as other than a somewhat desperate flex in deep leagues in redraft. He’s kind of perfect for best ball, though.
19. Every now and then, I see a game like Week 13’s against the Commanders where I hope HC Sean Payton will realize that TE Evan Engram is arguably the best possession receiver the Broncos have. Engram received his second-most snaps (38) in a game this season and a season-high 9 targets, turning them into 6 receptions and 79 receiving yards. TE6 is the highest he’s been in a week this season, and it’s not close. Unfortunately, other than Week 16 against the Jaguars, the schedule is very unfavorable, starting this week against the Raiders. Engram only had a 5/2/12/0 line in Denver for Week 10 against them. He’s a mid-TE2 for me. I’d look elsewhere.
20. I do not need to sell anyone on Raiders TE Brock Bowers, but I do need to warn that the Raiders’ schedule against is the fourth-worst in my estimation for TEs in PPR. The best matchup is this week against the Broncos, and they allow the 15th most PPR points to TEs. He was TE31 the week the teams played in Denver. Let’s hope the indoor field leads to more offense. We shouldn’t sit Bowers, but I might try to balance my roster with more upside.
21. I think the future is bright for Bears TE Colston Loveland, but the now is still murky. He’s had a TE2 and TE3 finish in the last five games, but also has a TE18 finish in a plus matchup and a TE28 finish in a tough matchup. The Bears’ schedule down the stretch is not awful, but it is the 11th-worst in my eyes. If this is my guy in PPR, I’m nervous. Cole Kmet? No.
22. I have nothing against the Packers TEs, but they don’t do anything in fantasy. Luke Musgrave was a trendy pickup when Tucker Kraft was injured, but Musgrave’s best game since then was the same one Kraft went down, and that was for 6.4 PPR points. The Packers’ entire passing offense is by committee, with Kraft being an exception. I will say they have a nice schedule for the position until Week 17, but that does not move the needle for me.
23. The Rams have one TE I’m remotely interested in for PPR, and that’s Colby Parkinson. He recently had a three-game streak with a TD, and he was a TE1 each week. Last week? No TD, TE25. The schedule through Week 16 is favorable, and if I need someone, there are worse and more expensive darts than Parkinson, at least until Tyler Higbee returns.
24. The Cardinals have TE Trey McBride and QB Jacoby Brissett. Together. Life is great. The lowest McBride has finished in PPR with Brissett as his QB was TE6 in Week 9. The other weeks? TE1 or TE2. I’m a little nervous for Weeks 15 (at Houston) and 16 (vs. Atlanta), but not enough to do something foolish. And the Bengals await in Week 17.
25. I said before the season that Texans TE Dalton Schultz usually has enough volume to finish in TE1 territory. He’s currently TE10 in PPR points and a little farther down the list in PPR PPG. I may also turn out to be right that TDs could hold him back. He only has 1 TD on the season and only 8 RZ targets. Schultz had 5 TDs in QB C.J. Stroud’s rookie season in 2023. He’s had 3 since. He’s arguably been the best TE floor play in PPR. It’s a good sign that Stroud targeted Schultz 8 times in Stroud’s return to the field in Week 13. It’s not a good sign that the Texans enter the toughest part of the schedule against hostile defenses now: Kansas City (Week 14), Las Vegas (Week 16), and Los Angeles Chargers are all bottom-seven in allowing PPR points to TEs. The only comps were Baltimore in Week 5 (Schultz was TE16) and Buffalo in Week 12 (TE44). I’m staying the course for the next two weeks and reevaluating after that.
26. Kansas City TE Travis Kelce is a distant second to McBride in points and third below McBride and Bowers in PPG, taking Kraft out of the picture. The important part of those statements is not “distant;” it’s Kelce’s position in the rankings. I was glad to draft Kelce this year at what I believed was a too-large discount. The Chiefs have struggled more this season, and they have not been able to summon the offense on demand as they have in recent years, but they entered the week second in passing yards per game and tied for sixth in passing TDs. Kelce’s ceiling is lower, and the schedule from here on out will be challenging, but Kelce stays in lineups.
27. I’m sure as soon as the Eagles figure out who they are, they’ll let us know. This team could win the Super Bowl, while also looking capable of losing three games down the stretch. The team has scored 52 points in four games since their bye, and QB Jalen Hurts looks miserable. That’s not a statement about his performance; it’s about his demeanor. I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, but it’s wearing them down. After having 7 TDs in seven games before the bye, TE Dallas Goedert has finished in low-end TE3 territory the last three games. The receptions and yards started trending downward before the bye, but 2 TDs in Week 8 covered the lack of production. I don’t want Goedert anywhere near my lineup right now, and other than a Week 16 game at the Commanders, the schedule is brutal. I might hold Goedert, but I’d feel better about starting a guy like Parkinson over him right now.
28. The Chargers won their Week 13 game against the Raiders, but their decimated offensive line is a glaring weakness, and QB Justin Herbert suffered a fracture in his non-throwing hand and underwent a surgical procedure this week. Herbert will move the earth to play on Monday, but the weakness in the Eagles’ offense does not extend to their defense. The Chargers have spent the last few weeks pushing around weaker teams, but the Jaguars buried them in Week 11, and the teams the Chargers face going forward: the Eagles, the Chiefs, the Cowboys, and the Texans. They may not all generate sacks, but they do bring pressure. And only the Cowboys are a favorable matchup against TEs in PPR. TE Oronde Gadsden is brilliant downfield, but as we’ve been seeing the last few games, without time, Herbert can’t find Gadsden. I’m not optimistic. I’d like to hold Gadsden, but he may be a roster killer. I’d try to start someone else against the Eagles.
29. Panthers QB Bryce Young has shown he can be very efficient, as he has four games this season with 3 TD passes. The issue for me is that he has only three games with 200+ passing yards and three games with more than 30 passing attempts. There is no volume, and the Panthers use multiple tight ends. They have a reasonable schedule, but I have no interest in rostering any of their TEs.
30. Patriots TE Hunter Henry took exception to my assessment going into the Giants game. He didn’t kill it, but his 6/4/73/0 was good enough to get him to TE1 territory for the week. I stand firm in my belief that the Patriots have no consistent fantasy stars on their offense outside of QB Drake Maye, and Henry can be inconsistent, but his floor is solid, and his ceiling is high if rare. He’s a low TE1 in PPR PPG, and that’s something. What’s bad is that New England has a bye this week, then the worst schedule for tight ends in PPR through Week 17. He was TE27 against Buffalo, their Week 15 opponent, in Week 5 and TE13 against the Jets , their Week 17 opponent, in Week 11, so there is some recent history.
31. Giants TE Theo Johnson is 12th in PPR points for the season. That‘s more a testament to his durability than to the Giants’ offense, as he scores 9.0 PPR PPG. He has been used more since Russell Wilson was relieved of QB duties after Week 3, and if I’m looking for someone in Weeks 15 and 16, the Giants have Miami (3rd most PPR PPG allowed to TEs) and Minnesota (7th most), and Johnson has done well in favorable matchups except in Foxboro.
32. 49ers TE George Kittle is my favorite current football player. I know his floor can be low at times, but in eight games, including the Week 1 game that he left early, he’s been TE2 twice, and TE11 or better five times. He stays in my lineup. Week 15 against the Titans in Santa Clara could be unfavorable, but he was TE8 in Houston in Week 8.

These rankings are for Week 14 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 scoring rank for the season (Sc Rk), and percent rostered per FantasyPros (Rost %).

The Top 30 TEs for Week 14

Jake Ferguson has already played.

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