2025 NFL Tight End Rankings: Week 8

Warning: I’m not going to speak so much this week. I know, I know…

I heard National Tight End Day was on October 26.

Someone forgot to inform the tight ends.

The Week 7 double-digit PPR point scorers at TE:

The number of double-digit PPR scorers isn’t unusual. The top end is. Three TE’s caught 2 TDs, including (gasp) Cardinals TE Trey McBride, the first 2-TD game of his four-year career. Coming into the season, McBride had 7 TDs in his career; he’s had 3 in the last two weeks. All hail Jacoby Brissett! 4 TEs had 20+ PPR points. Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson is still pacing TEs in PPR scoring, but with WRs George Pickens emerging and CeeDee Lamb returning, McBride is closing in. 14 TE’s caught TD passes in Week 7.

Here’s the updated list of TE targets, this time from the 10-yard line in, sorted by targets:

All stats are exclusive to usage from inside the 10-yard line. Some numbers behind the numbers: while both of Ferguson’s TDs in Week 7 came inside the 10, neither of McBride’s nor Freiermuth’s did. McBride’s were inside the red zone, and one of Freiermuth’s was…barely.

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.

One more table, then I stop. This one shows how many PPR points defenses give up to TEs, sorted by “FP/G.” The “TE” 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!

London game: Just kidding, we get a two-week break before the NFL surfaces in Babylonia or Mesopotamia or wherever.

Instead…

Week 8 byes: Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks.

Yep, six-team bye.

I still like that more than international games.

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 |

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More tight end stuff:

1. The first team I’ll talk about is playing this coming Thursday. The Vikings played a fairly dreadful game, considering they out-touched (67 plays to 49), had more first downs (21-13), outgained the Eagles (387 yards to 361), and won time of possession (34:02 to 25:58). Part of the problem was QB Carson Wentz’s only TD pass went to Jalyx Hunt. I’ll save you the trouble of scanning the Vikings roster for Hunt: he’s a linebacker for the Eagles. TE T. J. Hockenson caught a TD with 3:05 left in the game…until he didn’t. On 3rd and 2 from the Eagles’ 15, QB Carson Wentz rolled to his right and threw a pass between S Andrew Makuba and CB Quinyon Mitchell that Hock dove for and caught to close Philly’s lead to 28-25. Unfortunately, it was overturned on review. Hock had a nice 9/6/43 line anyway. The Vikes are in Inglewood to face the Chargers Thursday, who allow 11.2 PPR points per game to TEs, 7th fewest.
2. Chargers TE Oronde Gadsden II had a coming-out party in the loss to the Colts: a 9/7/164/1 line that included 4 receptions of 20+ yards. Gadsden’s 164 yards are the single-game high for a TE for the 2025 season by over 50 yards. Gadsden’s biggest play came shortly after halftime on 2nd and 5 from the Chargers 35: Colts S Nick Cross bit on an out-and-up by Gadsden, and Chargers QB Justin Herbert hit Gadsden in stride at the Colts’ 47; he crossed the field until the Colts caught him at their 12. It was more impressive considering Cross drew a flag for defensive holding. In a game that was not really competitive after the first quarter, Herbert threw 55 passes for 420 air yards. Those days don’t come along often, but Gadsden has had 7 targets or more in three of the five games he’s appeared in. He played in a season-high 60 snaps in Week 7. He should be rostered in all leagues. TE Will Dissly only played 3 snaps, and Tyler Conklin played 0. I’m interested to see how a more positive game script shakes out. The Vikings allow 12.7 PPR PPG to tight ends, 11th fewest.
3. I’ve often said Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers is not a volume supporter of tight ends, but he will find them in the end zone. I’m not sure that was ever truer than last Thursday night against the Bengals when Rodgers hit not one, not two, but three Pittsburgh TEs for TDs. In fact, all 4 of Rodgers’ TD passes went to TE’s. The TE’s were all heavily involved in the game plan: of the 57 offensive snaps, Jonnu Smith (6/3/28/1) played 40, Darnell Washington (5/3/2/1) played 36, and Pat Freiermuth (6/5/111/2) played 37. Even Connor Heyward got a RZ target on his only pass play. Freiermuth’s performance is eye-opening considering he had an 11/8/76/0 line for the first five games. Freiermuth’s first TD came on 3rd and 18 from the Bengals’ 19 with just 3:55 left in the 3rd quarter when Rodgers found him down the seam; that stopped 20 unanswered points and cut the Bengals’ lead to 20-17. The second came after a holding call backed the Steelers to their own 32. Freiermuth ran straight down the seam and when Bengals S Geno Stone averted his gaze to WR DK Metcalf, Rodgers hit Freiermuth for a 68-yard TD that gave the Steelers a 31-30 lead with 2:21 left in the game. I’m personally still not in on any Steelers TE for fantasy, but for a TD-dependent position in a grave injury or bye situation, I suppose Smith or Freiermuth could be worth a dart. Next up for the Steelers is a Sunday night game at Acrisure Stadium against Rodgers’ first team. Should be boring. The Packers allow 19.6 PPR PPG to tight ends, 2nd most. The questions are: will there be volume, and who will get it?
4. With both Mike Gesicki and Tanner Hudson sidelined for the game, Bengals TE Noah Fant was the pass-catching TE. QB Joe Flacco threw 47 times, but his eyes were fixed on WRs Ja’Marr Chase (23/16/161/1) and Tee Higgins (10/6/96/1). Fant caught all 4 of his targets for 44 yards, and his 5-yard TD gave Cincy a 27-17 lead on the first play of the 4th quarter. Up next for the Bengals is the Jets at Paycor Stadium on Sunday. The Jets allow 14.7 PPR PPG to TEs, 9th most.
5. Meanwhile, over in England…
6. For the second week in a row, Rams TE Tyler Higbee showed signs of life in a game the Rams won comfortably with a 6/3/19/0 line. Colby Parkinson (3/3/47/0) led the Rams in receiving yards as QB Matthew Stafford only threw for 182 air yards. Terrance Ferguson hauled in 1 of his 3 targets for a 31-yard touchdown down the seam on 4th and 1 from the Jaguars’ 31-yard line with 11:11 left that made the score 28-0. The Rams come back to the U.S. for their Week 8 bye.
7. Jaguars TEs Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt combined for a 7/3/25/0 line on a day QB Trevor Lawrence completed just 23 of 47 attempted passes. Nothing to see here. The Jags also come back to the U.S. for their Week 8 bye.
8. And back in the U.S…
9. Just when I thought I was out, Saints TE Juwan Johnson pulls me back in! Granted it was a negative game script after the Saints first five drives netted 31 yards and they fell behind 20-0, but Johnson (7/5/79/0) combined with WR Chris Olave to reel in 177 of QB Spencer Rattler’s 233 air yards. Foster Moreau (13 snaps, 0 targets) and Taysom Hill (9 snaps, 4 touches, 8 yards) are either getting back into game shape or don’t fit HC Kellen Moore’s plan. The team heads home for a showdown with the Buccaneers on Sunday. Tampa is allowing 13.5 PPR PPG to TEs, 15th most. 
10. Bears QB Caleb Caleb Williams had a 15/26/172/0 line, so none of the receivers got much, but TE Colston Loveland tied for the team lied in receptions with 3, and was third in yards with 24 and targets with 4. Not enough to hang your hat on, but context. He also out-snapped Cole Kmet 46-28. Next up for the Bears is a date in Baltimore with the Ravens, who are coming off their bye week. The Ravens allow 15.2 PPR PPG, 8th most.
11. Week 7 was ugly for the Dolphins, and adding injury to insult, TE Darren Waller left the game in the 2nd quarter with a pectoral injury. He had an MRI and the pec is strained but not torn, so Waller should be able to return this season, but he’s heading to IR. He had no targets in the Week 7 game. Tanner Conner and Julian Hill combined for a 5/2/29/0 line. The Dolphins are in Atlanta on Sunday. The Falcons are allowing 4.3 PPR PPG to TE’s, the fewest in the league. We don’t need an excuse to avoid the Dolphins TEs without Waller in fantasy.
12. The Browns’ offense wasn’t prettier than Miami’s, but they avoided the mistakes. TE David Njoku (knee) missed the game, and Harold Fannin led the team in the receiving stats with a 5/4/36/0 line on a day QB Dillon Gabriel was 13/18 for 116 yards. The Browns head to Foxboro for the Week 8 game with the Patriots, who allow 13.9 PPR PPG to TE’s, 13th most.
13. Patriots TE Hunter Henry had 5/4/33/0 line, only impressive in context as he was 2nd in targets and receptions for the team in Week 8 as the Pats only attempted 24 passes. QB Drake Maye’s first 9 throws went to 8 different receivers. Austin Hopper caught both his targets for 11 yards, and one was a 3-yard TD that tied the game at 10. The Pats host the Browns in Week 8. Cleveland allows 12.8 PPR PPG to TEs, 15th most.
14. Titans TE Chig Okonkwo caught neither of his targets against the Patriots. Gunnar Helm had a 5/4/36/0 line. Helm has been getting snaps and targets the last three weeks, but neither has the floor or ceiling to support use except in dire situations. The Titans go to Indianapolis in Week 8. The Colts give up 16.0 PPR PPG to TEs, 5th most. I won’t find out if that’s a good matchup unless an opponent tests it.
15. There were a few games that showed how bad off some teams are. The Raiders played one. The verdict: Las Vegas ran 30 offensive plays. They had 95 total yards of offense. They had 3 first downs. Their time of possession was fewer than 18 minutes. None of their players were fantasy worthy yesterday, but for the record, TE Michael Mayer had a 2/1/10/0 line. The Raiders will give us a week off in Week 8.
16. Chiefs TE Travis Kelce caught QB Patrick Mahomes’ first two passes, including one on 1st and 20 from the Chiefs 16 where the Raiders made the choice to leave the zone to the right of Mahomes uncovered; Kelce settled in right in front of the marker at the Chiefs’ 35, and he went untouched from there to the Raiders 40. Kelce had one more catch on the day for 3 yards, finishing with a 3/3/54/0 line. If this is a preview of what things will look like with WRs Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Marquise Brown on the field with Kelce, I’m bullish. I suppose we could find against the Commanders, who allow 13.2 PPR PPG, 16th most.
17. I feel bad for recommending Eagles TE Dallas Goedert on the day Philadelphia put on the Smith & Brown show. Given the two WRs combined for a 17/13/304/3 line on a day QB Jalen Hurts was 19 of 23 for 326 yards and 3 TDs, Goedert’s 3/3/18/0 line is not only understandable, but a little commendable. The Eagles get a rematch with the Giants at the Linc on Sunday. New York gives up 12.7 PPR PPG to TEs, 12th fewest.
18. The Panthers’ offense compiled over 300 yards, but only 1 TD. WRs Xavier Legette and Tet McMillan received 16 of the 31 targets, and the other 15 were dispersed among 7 receivers. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (ankle) returned, played 26 snaps, and did not catch either of his 2 targets. Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans combined for a 4/3/24/0 lines. Of the bunch, I still like Sanders the best, but the Bills come to Charlotte for the Week 8 game, and they allow 5.6 PPR PPG to TEs, 2nd fewest.
19. Jets TE Mason Taylor was the second-most targeted receiver, was second in receiving yards, and tied for the team lead in receptions. That was good for a 5/3/31/0 line. I love Taylor, but this is the Jets, and without WR Garrett Wilson. The Jets go to Cincinnati for the Week 8 game. The Bengals allow the most points to TEs, 22.3 PPR PPG. If they can’t get their offense going this week, abandon hope. It looks like QB Tyrod Taylor will take over for at least the time being.
20. The Giants TEs had good games Sunday: Theo Johnson had a 7/3/66/1 line, and Daniel Bellinger had the game I wish he had those times I picked him up in a pinch with a 4/3/88/1 line. Bellinger had the Giants’ first TD with 6:54 left in the 1st quarter when QB Jaxson Dart got lost in the pocket only to emerge and find Bellinger behind the defense for a 44-yard play. Johnson’s TD was more fortuitous: on 3rd and 10 with 10:22 left in the game from the Broncos’ 41, Dart threw a slant to WR Wan’Dale Robinson at the 35 that bounced off Robinson’s hands; Johnson caught the ricochet in stride at the 29 and headed down the left sideline and knocked his only resistance, Broncos CB Jahdae Barron out of the way at the 5 to give the Giants a 26-8 lead. The Giants have a rematch with the Eagles in Philadelphia this Sunday. The Eagles allow 8.0 PPR PPG, 4th fewest. Johnson had a 4/2/27/0 line in Week 6, and Bellinger wasn’t targeted.
21. Broncos TE Evan Engram had an 8/5/42/0 line and Nate Adkins had a 3/2/23/0 line. QB Bo Nix doled out 49 targets, but most went to the WRs. The Cowboys come to Empower Field for the Week 8 tilt. The Cowboys allow 13.1 PPR PPG, 15th fewest.
22. I’d like to take a moment to thank the Colts for being responsible, in part, for Chargers TE Oronde Gadsden’s big game. I didn’t see the Colts dominating in Week 7. The Chargers did stick around long enough to allow Colts TE Tyler Warren to catch a 5-yard TD just over 6 minutes into the 2nd quarter to increase the Colts’ lead to 20-3. With his 5/4/69/1 line, Warren has a 45/33/439/3 line for his rookie season with a rushing TD thrown in. He’s currently TE 3 in PPR. The Colts welcome the Titans for Week 8. The Titans allow 12.1 PPR PPG to TEs, 9th fewest.
23. I’ll take a quick moment to hope we won’t be without Commanders QB Jayden Daniels for too long. TE Zach Ertz caught 3 of 7 targets for 37 yards, and his 5-yard TD gave the Commanders their first and only lead at 8-7. Washington plays Monday night in Kansas City. The Chiefs allow 7.8 PPR PPG to TEs, 3rd fewest.
24. I don’t know if there’s a player in the NFL happier to have their starting QB back and healthy than Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson. The return of WR CeeDee Lamb may curtail Ferguson’s yardage somewhat, but a 7/7/29/2 line shows the opportunities could still be there. This was Ferguson’s second 2-TD game in three weeks. The Cowboys travel to Denver for Week 8. The Broncos allow 11.7 PPR PPG to TEs, 8th fewest.
25. Packers TE Tucker Kraft led the team in targets in Arizona with 10, catching 5 for 58 yards and a 7-yard TD that capped a 9-play drive on the first play of the 4th quarter, tying the score at 20. The Packers travel to Pittsburgh in Week 8 for a Sunday night meeting with an old friend. The Steelers allow 16.8 PPR PPG to TEs, 3rd most.
26. As I pointed out in the beginning, Cardinals TE Trey McBride had a big game against Green Bay with a 13/10/74/2 line. The first TD was a beautiful play design: on 3rd and 4 from the Packers 15 with 0:12 left in the 1st half, WR Zay Jones curled toward the middle of the end zone, taking CB Xavier McKinney with him; LB Edgerrin Cooper let McBride go to the boundary expecting help behind him; QB Jacoby Brissett hit McBride at the goal line and McBride tucked into the right edge of the end zone with 0:07 left, making the score 13-3 Cards. His second TD went to the left, and again, Cooper let McBride go and no one was there; Brissett hit McBride at the 7, and he only had to evade CB Nate Hobbs on his way to the end zone, making the score 20-13 Cards with 4:17 left in the 3rd quarter. The Cards will be on bye for Week 8.
27. Falcons TE Kyle Pitts had a high-volume game with a 10/7/62/0 line. The Falcons only made two trips to the 49ers’ red zone, one of which was set up by a 17-yard grab by Pitts that took the ball to the 49ers’ 18, but two RB Bijan Robinson touches led to a TD from there. Pitts only has 3 red zone targets on the season, and that caps his upside. The Falcons head back to Atlanta to face the Dolphins, who allow 14.6 PPR PPG to TEs, 10th most.
28. 49ers TE George Kittle returned against Atlanta, but if all you saw was the box score, you’d be disappointed, as Kittle had 0 receptions on 2 targets. It’s not that Kittle didn’t play: he had 54 snaps, but he blocked on 30 of them, and he does that well. Luke Farrell had the only TE reception for SF for 11 yards. Sadly, Jake Tonges becomes the third TE with Kittle’s return. He played 7 snaps. On a night QB Mac Jones attempted only 24 passes, the targets were dominated by RB Christian McCaffrey (8) and WR Jauan Jennings (7). The 49ers head to Houston for Week 8. The Texans allow 8.6 PPR PPG, 5th fewest.
29. Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield was uncharacteristically high with a number of his throws against the Lions, and that leads me to believe his knee injury is more serious than we’re told. He did not try running on Monday night either. On top of that, I think the clavicle injury suffered by Mike Evans during the game was a big negative for team morale. That said, I’m taking nothing away from the Lions’ performance on defense. I digress. TE Cade Otton led the team in receptions and receiving yards, part of a 9/7/65/0 line. Otton has proven his value as a pass catcher in the past when the Bucs’ big guns at WR have been injured: Mike Evans is going to be out several weeks and Chris Godwin has already been ruled out for Week 8. Otton is a must-add. The Bucs are in New Orleans for a divisional showdown with the Saints, who allow 13.6 PPR PPG, 14th most.
30. For the sixth time in seven games, Lions QB Jared Goff did not reach 30 pass attempts. TE Sam LaPorta caught all 3 of his targets for 15 yards. Insult to injury, Brock Wright also had a 3/3/23/0 line. None of this is going to feed fantasy teams. We’re in a place where LaPorta is getting as hard to trust as he is to bench. Detroit has a Week 8 bye, then comes back with games vs. Minnesota, then at Washington and Philadelphia. If those games don’t make OC John Morton dial up more passes, LaPorta’s outlook won’t change.
31. Texans QB C.J. Stroud was pressured repeatedly as Houston’s O-line did not afford much protection for him: he was sacked 3 times, hit another 4, and hurried 24 times on 52 dropbacks. This benefited TE Dalton Schultz, who had a 10/9/98/0 line. Schultz doesn’t hit his ceiling often – this was his highest-scoring game since Week 9 of 2023 – but he’s scored at least 8 PPR points in four straight games. Low RZ use caps his ceiling. The Texans host the 49ers in Week 8; San Francisco allows 13.0 PPR PPG to TEs, 14th fewest.
32. Seahawks TE AJ Barner seems to be a 3-target-a-game guy as he’s had that in four of his 2025 games and only exceeded that once. That defines “TD-or-bust.” His 3/1/7/0 line left fantasy teams flat on Monday. Elijah Arroyo had career highs with 5 targets and 4 receptions, and the 42 yards are just off his high. For now, I don’t want either guy as a starter or as bench depth in redraft, except in leagues larger than 12 teams. Seattle has a bye for Week 8.
33. Baltimore and Buffalo return to action: the Ravens host the Bears, who allow 14.6 PPR PPG to TEs, 11th most. QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring) had a limited practice on Wednesday. My two cents: after the bye, that he’s not taking first-team reps makes me nervous for Week 8. I’m not bullish on either TE, Mark Andrews or Isaiah Likely, without Jackson.
34. Bills TE Dalton Kincaid (oblique) was also limited on Wednesday. What I said about Jackson? Ditto Kincaid. I’d love to have him back because if you’re as into this fake sport as I am, we remember people saying before the 2024 season that Kincaid would be the de facto number one receiver for the Bills. That’s kind of happening in 2025. The Bills are in Charlotte for a Week 8 game against the Panthers, who allow 15.9 PPR PPG to TEs, 6th most.

Other stuff:

1. None. This column was getting out of hand, and as much as I loved parking my notes here, I get the feeling I was talking to myself. I’ve heard that can make a person go blind. If you want to talk, hit the comments. I always try to answer.

These rankings are for Week 8 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 8

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