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By the time this goes to press (so to say), Travis Kelce may have played the final home game of his storied career, Brock Bowers will be on IR, and George Kittle may be sitting for the week.

I’m sorry for being a drag.

The players that have played through Saturday in Week 17 (the line is targets/receptions/yards/TD/PPR pts):

Jake Ferguson, DAL, 2/1/6/1/7.6

Ben Sinnott, WAS, 4/3/29/0/5.9

Evan Engram, DEN, 4/4/21/0/6.1

Travis Kelce, KC, 6/5/36/0/8.6

Dalton Schultz, HOU, 4/3/19/0/4.9

Oronde Gadsden, LAC, 6/3/32/1/12.2

Mark Andrews, BAL, 4/4/28/0/6.8

Isaiah Likely, BAL, 3/3/27/0/5.7

Luke Musgrave, GB, 0/0/0/0/0.0

 

Happy Holidays!

 

The Week 16 double-digit PPR point scorers at TE:

Rank

Player

Team

TGT

REC

REC YDS

REC TD

RUSH ATT

RUSH YDS

RUSH TD

FL

FPTS

ROST

1

George Kittle

SF

8

7

115

1

0

0

0

0

24.5

99.2%

2

Harold Fannin Jr.

CLE

6

4

34

1

1

1

1

0

19.5

81.4%

3

Kyle Pitts Sr.

ATL

9

7

57

1

0

0

0

0

18.7

91.6%

4

Juwan Johnson

NO

9

8

89

0

0

0

0

0

16.9

46.0%

5

Chig Okonkwo

TEN

8

6

44

1

0

0

0

0

16.4

15.6%

6

Elijah Higgins

ARI

8

7

91

0

0

0

0

0

16.1

0.6%

7

Hunter Henry

NE

7

6

35

1

0

0

0

0

15.5

69.1%

8

Taysom Hill

NO

6

4

36

0

12

42

0

1

15.3

17.4%

9

AJ Barner

SEA

6

4

49

1

1

1

0

0

15.0

27.4%

10

Brenton Strange

JAC

7

5

39

1

0

0

0

0

14.9

44.3%

11

Dalton Schultz

HOU

5

5

35

1

0

0

0

0

14.5

55.1%

12

Brock Bowers

LV

5

5

33

1

0

0

0

0

14.3

85.8%

13

Mike Gesicki

CIN

4

3

35

1

0

0

0

0

12.5

6.6%

14

Terrance Ferguson

LAR

4

3

33

1

0

0

0

0

12.3

1.4%

15

Dallas Goedert

PHI

3

3

32

1

0

0

0

0

12.2

89.7%

 

To answer my question from last week, no, Week 16 could not top Week 15. Not even close. On top of my regrettable opening statement, Trey McBride was held to 6.7 PPR points by the defense that is allowing the 2nd fewest PPR PPG to TEs. And even though Ja’Tavion Sanders finally creased the end zone, he only had 2 receptions for 9 yards.

Here’s the list of TE targets for Week 16 in the red zone, sorted by targets, then fantasy points,  receptions, and receiving yards:

Rank

Player

Team

REC

TGT

REC YDS

REC TD

RUSH ATT

RUSH YDS

RUSH TD

FL

G

FPTS

ROST %

1

Trey McBride

ARI

1

4

2

0

0

0

0

0

1

0.2

99.7%

2

Brenton Strange

JAC

3

3

10

1

0

0

0

0

1

7.0

44.3%

3

Chig Okonkwo

TEN

2

3

10

1

0

0

0

0

1

7.0

15.6%

4

Kyle Pitts Sr.

ATL

2

2

13

1

0

0

0

0

1

7.3

91.6%

5

George Kittle

SF

1

2

11

1

0

0

0

0

1

7.1

99.2%

6

Hunter Henry

NE

1

2

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

6.1

69.1%

7

Colston Loveland

CHI

1

2

6

0

0

0

0

0

1

0.6

49.4%

8

Harold Fannin Jr.

CLE

1

1

13

1

1

1

1

0

1

13.4

81.4%

9

Mike Gesicki

CIN

1

1

17

1

0

0

0

0

1

7.7

6.6%

10

Dallas Goedert

PHI

1

1

15

1

0

0

0

0

1

7.5

89.7%

11

Brock Bowers

LV

1

1

7

1

0

0

0

0

1

6.7

85.8%

12

Ja’Tavion Sanders

CAR

1

1

6

1

0

0

0

0

1

6.6

1.9%

13

Terrance Ferguson

LAR

1

1

3

1

0

0

0

0

1

6.3

1.4%

14

Dalton Schultz

HOU

1

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

6.1

55.1%

15

Anthony Firkser

DET

1

1

14

0

0

0

0

0

1

1.4

0.1%

16

Mo Alie-Cox

IND

1

1

8

0

0

0

0

0

1

0.8

0.6%

17

AJ Barner

SEA

1

1

5

0

0

0

0

0

1

0.5

27.4%

 

Oh, there’s Trey McBride. And while Darnell Washington had an RZ target, which he caught for 5 yards, he lost a fumble at the end of it for -1.5 PPR points.

Now, the same for the season to date:

Rank

Player

Team

REC

TGT

REC YDS

REC TD

RUSH ATT

RUSH YDS

RUSH TD

FL

G

FPTS

FPTS/G

ROST %

1

Trey McBride

ARI

18

31

155

10

0

0

0

0

15

75.5

5.0

99.7%

2

Jake Ferguson

DAL

14

21

91

6

0

0

0

0

15

45.1

2.8

85.5%

3

Colby Parkinson

LAR

13

19

105

5

0

0

0

1

13

38.5

3.0

16.2%

4

Tyler Warren

IND

10

19

56

4

4

5

1

0

15

36.1

2.4

95.0%

5

Hunter Henry

NE

11

19

96

4

0

0

0

0

15

33.6

2.2

69.1%

6

Brock Bowers

LV

10

17

76

6

0

0

0

0

12

43.6

3.6

85.8%

7

Mark Andrews

BAL

5

14

43

4

3

2

0

0

15

28.5

1.9

80.7%

8

Theo Johnson

NYG

6

14

38

4

0

0

0

0

15

27.8

1.9

40.1%

9

George Kittle

SF

12

13

96

6

1

-3

0

0

10

45.3

4.5

99.2%

10

Dallas Goedert

PHI

11

12

73

9

0

0

0

0

14

61.3

4.4

89.7%

11

Tucker Kraft

GB

9

12

104

5

0

0

0

0

8

40.4

5.1

46.7%

12

Oronde Gadsden II

LAC

6

12

44

2

0

0

0

0

13

16.4

1.3

54.3%

13

AJ Barner

SEA

8

11

67

4

3

4

1

0

15

37.1

2.5

27.4%

14

Harold Fannin Jr.

CLE

7

11

48

4

2

2

1

0

15

35.0

2.3

81.4%

15

Travis Kelce

KC

8

11

59

3

1

1

0

0

15

24.0

1.5

93.5%

16

T.J. Hockenson

MIN

8

11

55

3

1

0

0

0

14

23.5

1.6

75.6%

17

Dalton Schultz

HOU

5

11

31

3

0

0

0

0

15

21.1

1.4

55.1%

18

Kyle Pitts Sr.

ATL

7

10

50

5

0

0

0

0

15

35.0

2.3

91.6%

19

Dawson Knox

BUF

5

10

43

3

0

0

0

0

15

22.3

1.5

2.6%

20

Colston Loveland

CHI

6

10

44

3

1

-2

0

0

14

22.2

1.6

49.4%

21

Ja’Tavion Sanders

CAR

8

10

44

1

0

0

0

0

12

10.4

0.9

1.9%

22

David Njoku

CLE

6

9

44

4

0

0

0

0

12

28.4

2.4

58.7%

23

Zach Ertz

WAS

6

8

53

4

0

0

0

0

12

29.3

2.3

39.7%

24

Dalton Kincaid

BUF

6

8

69

3

0

0

0

0

11

24.9

2.3

72.8%

25

Pat Freiermuth

PIT

5

8

38

3

0

0

0

0

15

21.8

1.5

8.4%

26

Juwan Johnson

NO

5

8

40

2

0

0

0

0

15

16.0

1.1

46.0%

27

Evan Engram

DEN

5

8

45

1

0

0

0

0

14

10.5

0.7

56.5%

28

Mason Taylor

NYJ

7

8

35

1

0

0

0

0

13

9.5

0.7

14.3%

29

Gunnar Helm

TEN

5

8

31

1

0

0

0

0

15

9.1

0.6

1.5%

30

Brenton Strange

JAC

5

8

24

1

0

0

0

0

10

8.4

0.8

44.3%

31

Darnell Washington

PIT

6

8

25

1

0

0

0

1

15

6.5

0.4

1.3%

 

All stats are exclusive to usage from inside the 20-yard line. Of the 31 TEs with 8+ targets this season, all have had TDs now that Ja’Tavion Sanders cashed in Week 16.

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!

Tm Code

TE Rank

FP/G

 

Tm Code

TE Rank

FP/G

 

Tm Code

TE Rank

FP/G

CIN

1

21.9

 

DEN

12

14.3

 

HOU

23

12.0

MIA

2

17.5

 

NYJ

13

13.7

 

MIN

24

11.9

PIT

3

17.1

 

CHI

14

13.4

 

BAL

25

11.6

SEA

4

15.9

 

CAR

15

13.2

 

KC

26

11.3

IND

5

15.7

 

TEN

16

13.1

 

NYG

27

11.0

WAS

6

15.7

 

DET

17

13.1

 

LAC

28

11.0

TB

7

15.6

 

DAL

18

12.7

 

LV

29

10.5

ARI

8

15.6

 

LAR

19

12.6

 

ATL

30

8.9

JAC

9

14.9

 

CLE

20

12.4

 

PHI

31

8.1

NE

10

14.7

 

GB

21

12.3

 

BUF

32

7.7

SF

11

14.6

 

NO

22

12.2

       

 

The remaining schedule for TEs:

Rank

Team

Wk 17

Rk

H/R

Wk 18

Rk

H/R

1

ARI

CIN

1

R

LAR

19

R

2

TB

MIA

2

R

CAR

15

H

3

CLE

PIT

3

H

CIN

1

R

4

CAR

SEA

4

H

TB

7

R

5

JAC

IND

5

R

TEN

16

H

6

DAL

WAS

6

R

NYG

27

R

7

MIA

TB

7

H

NE

10

R

8

CIN

ARI

8

H

CLE

20

H

9

IND

JAC

9

H

HOU

23

R

10

NYJ

NE

10

H

BUF

32

R

11

CHI

SF

11

R

DET

17

H

12

KC

DEN

12

H

LV

29

R

13

NE

NYJ

13

R

MIA

2

H

14

SF

CHI

14

H

SEA

4

H

15

SEA

CAR

15

R

SF

11

R

16

NO

TEN

16

R

ATL

30

R

17

MIN

DET

17

H

GB

21

H

18

WAS

DAL

18

H

PHI

31

R

19

ATL

LAR

19

H

NO

22

H

20

PIT

CLE

20

R

BAL

25

H

21

BAL

GB

21

R

PIT

3

R

22

TEN

NO

22

H

JAC

9

R

23

LAC

HOU

23

H

DEN

12

R

24

DET

MIN

24

R

CHI

14

R

25

GB

BAL

25

H

MIN

24

R

26

DEN

KC

26

R

LAC

28

H

27

LV

NYG

27

H

KC

26

H

28

HOU

LAC

28

R

IND

5

H

29

NYG

LV

29

R

DAL

18

H

30

LAR

ATL

30

R

ARI

8

H

31

BUF

PHI

31

H

NYJ

13

H

32

PHI

BUF

32

R

WAS

6

H

 

In the table, the “Team” is static; the rest of the columns are their opponent in a given week for Weeks 16-18, 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 from the one I view as having the most favorable schedule in Weeks 16-17 to the one I view as having the least favorable schedule. I included Week 18 to acknowledge that some fantasy leagues compete in Week 18. If you have, you know that, to an extent, previous rankings have less meaning for individual NFL teams. We’ll discuss that bridge when we come to it.

If that’s confusing, reach out in the comments, and I’ll explain further.

Be sure to check out the latest tools on Razzball.com: Slot vs. Wide PPG Allowed | WR Slot vs. WideDEF 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!

This will be more concise this week. I order the teams in the order their games are played, road team first, then home team. The numbers after the player’s Week 15: targets/receptions/yards/TDs. “SOS” = strength of schedule for Weeks 16 and 17. “Not ranked” means the player was not targeted.

More tight end stuff:

  1. None this week. With the holidays, I did not have the time.

 

These rankings are for Week 17 games ONLY. If you want to speak about them, hit me up in the COMMENTS.

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 %).

 

As there are 11 games left on Sunday and Monday, the table will be shorter this week.

The Top 25 TEs for Week 17

Rank Player Team Opp H/R Day E/L/N Imp Pts Opp Rk PPR YTD PPR Pt/Gm Sc Rk Rost %
1 Trey McBride ARI CIN R SUN E 23.25 1 278.8 18.6 1 99.7%
2 Harold Fannin CLE PIT H SUN E 15.75 3 175.4 11.7 6 81.4%
3 Kyle Pitts ATL LAR H MON N 21.00 19 195.4 13.0 2 91.6%
4 Dallas Goedert PHI BUF R SUN L 21.50 32 175.3 12.5 7 89.7%
5 Darren Waller MIA TB H SUN E 19.50 7 87.7 11.0 31 42.6%
6 Hunter Henry NE NYJ R SUN E 28.00 13 154.3 10.3 11 69.1%
7 Colby Parkinson  LAR ATL R MON N 28.50 30 98.9 7.6 24 16.2%
8 Jake Tonges SF CHI H SUN N 27.75 14 74.3 5.0 36 5.0%
9 Dalton Kincaid BUF PHI H SUN L 23.00 31 118.3 10.8 18 72.8%
10 Colston Loveland CHI SF R SUN N 24.75 11 118.6 8.5 17 49.4%
11 Tyler Warren IND JAC H SUN E 21.50 9 171.6 11.4 8 95.0%
12 Juwan Johnson NO TEN R SUN E 21.00 16 159.3 10.6 10 46.0%
13 AJ Barner SEA CAR R SUN E 24.75 15 130.6 8.7 13 27.4%
14 Michael Mayer LV NYG H SUN L 19.50 27 48.2 4.4 50 6.1%
15 Taysom Hill NO TEN R SUN E 21.00 16 35.6 3.2 61 17.4%
16 Mike Gesicki CIN ARI H SUN E 30.25 8 60.7 5.5 40 6.6%
17 Cole Kmet CHI SF R SUN N 24.75 11 69.5 5.0 38 3.5%
18 Chig Okonkwo TEN NO H SUN E 18.50 22 107.3 7.2 22 15.6%
19 Dawson Knox BUF PHI H SUN L 23.00 31 85.3 5.7 33 2.6%
20 Pat Freiermuth PIT CLE R SUN E 18.75 20 96.2 6.4 25 8.4%
21 Gunnar Helm TEN NO H SUN E 18.50 22 90.6 6.0 29 1.5%
22 Cade Otton TB MIA R SUN E 25.00 2 92.5 6.6 27 25.1%
23 Daniel Bellinger NYG LV R SUN L 22.00 29 44.7 3.2 54 0.6%
24 Darnell Washington PIT CLE R SUN E 18.75 20 69.9 4.7 37 1.3%
25 Jonnu Smith PIT CLE R SUN E 18.75 20 76.1 5.1 34 31.8%

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 weekly Sunday start/sit shows, where we take questions during the Fantasy Football season for two hours starting at 11:00 a.m. EST. 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.

  1. J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets says:
    (link)

    Hi Dave!

    A timely piece. I’ve been picking up various TE’s all week in an effort to find a bowers replacement.

    I have Taysom Hill, Jake Tonges, and AJ Barner to choose from. Unfortunately I have zero FAAB left so I can’t pick up someone tomorrow in case Kittle were to play.

    All this said, my opponent has Purdy and we’re projected to tie as of now.

    Let’s see if I can bring it home! Thanks for all your help this year!

    • Crews

      Crews says:
      (link)

      My apologies. I constantly forget to hit the “Reply” link, so if you don’t see an answer, you might want to check back in the article’s comment section. I’d promise to be better, but that has not completely worked yet. My reply is below. Barner and Tonges are still options, unless you went with Hill.

      Hi J-E-T-S:
      Thanks for reading and for all your questions this year!
      The guys at ESPN and NFL Network say Kittle is trending toward not playing. But that game’s tonight.
      I rank them Tonges, Hill, and Barner. Tonges carries risk, and you’d probably be stuck with Kmet if Kittle plays. Personally, I don’t think the 49ers will win the battle to lose the war by playing Kittle, but that’s based on available information and intuition.
      I hope this helps! Good luck today and go get that championship!

  2. Crews

    Crews says:
    (link)

    Hi J-E-T-S:
    Thanks for reading and for all your questions this year!
    The guys at ESPN and NFL Network say Kittle is trending toward not playing. But that game’s tonight.
    I rank them Tonges, Hill, and Barner. Tonges carries risk, and you’d probably be stuck with Kmet if Kittle plays. Personally, I don’t think the 49ers will win the battle to lose the war by playing Kittle, but that’s based on available information and intuition.
    I hope this helps! Good luck today and go get that championship!

  3. Mike says:
    (link)

    Tetairoa or Tyrone Tracy in the slot. 1/2 PPR. Thanks!

    • Crews

      Crews says:
      (link)

      Hi Mike:
      My apologies. I went to breakfast with the family this morning. I would have gone with Tracy in Las Vegas, which is still an option, but Tet’s game has already started. Either way, I wish you good luck this week and hope you get the championship!

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