2025 NFL Tight End Rankings: Week 9

Last week, I was a little concerned the tight ends had shot their shot a week before National Tight Ends Day.

I need not have worried.

The Week 8 double-digit PPR point scorers at TE:

Not a lot, I know. It’s awfully chalky as well, given the lack of under-owned options. Well, except Mason Taylor. Acquire Gunnar Helm at your own risk: if we don’t like the Jets’ offense, the Titans’ makes the Jets’ look like the 2007 Patriots’. The Ravens’ Charlie Kolar, the Patriots’ Hunter Henry, and the 49ers’ Jake Tonges all caught TDs, but those were their only Week 8 targets.

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.

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” 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 9 byes: Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Don’t forget to set your clocks back this weekend as Daylight Savings Time ends on November 2nd at 2:00 a.m. local time. If your region observes, of course.

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More tight end stuff:

1. Sadly, I’m behind this week, so you’ll see my first two points after the game on Thursday. The Ravens welcome back QB Lamar Jackson, so hopefully, the offense will have more teeth. Against the Bears, most of the damage was inflicted by RB Derrick Henry and K Tyler Loop. TE Mark Andrews caught all 3 of his targets for 34 yards, and Isaiah Likely caught both his for 8 yards. Yuck. Of course, Charlie Kolar had the receiving TD because the Bears paid as much attention to him as fantasy players do. Quite right. The snaps between Andrews and Likely were even (37 and 36 out of 62), but they both blocked more than ran routes. Look to see if that changes with Jackson back. This week’s opponent, the Dolphins, allows the 11th most PPR points per game (PPG) to TEs at 14.7.
2. With Darren Waller on IR and Julian Hill (ankle) declared out, the Dolphins were so threadbare at TE for Week 8 they signed Greg Dulcich to the active roster and elevated Hayden Rucci from the practice squad to join Tanner Conner for the game against the Falcons. Only Conner played half the snaps, and I did not see any two-TE formations. After jumping out to a 17-3 lead at halftime, the Dolphins did not need to throw that much. QB Tua Tagovailoa had a highly efficient game with a 20-for-26 line for 206 yards and 4 TDs. Conner had a 2/2/6/0 line. Hill is out for Week 9 as well, but there’s nothing to see here against the Ravens, who allow the 14th most PPR PPG to TEs at 14.0.
3. The Bears were without TE Cole Kmet (back) for their Week 8 game with the Ravens. Kmet is back at practice, but limited (LP). Without Kmet, Colston Loveland played a season-high 51 snaps and participated in 32 pass plays, translating to a 5/3/38/0 line. Loveland is still learning the pro game, and he’ll get there. The Bears face the Bengals in Week 9, and Cincinnati allows the most PPR PPG to TEs at 21.7.
4. Of the 14 QB Joe Flacco targets that did not go to WR Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals TE Noah Fant had 3, which tied for most among the six other pass-catchers targeted, translating to a 3/3/41/0 line. The only thing that may elevate Fant out of low-end TE2 territory would be a TD. The Bears allow the 9th most PPR PPG to TEs at 15.0.
5. I’m sure many of us said nasty things about Vikings QB Carson Wentz while he played for the injured J.J. McCarthy, but don’t say them to me. Their O-line endured injuries during that time, as did RB Aaron Jones. I remarked that Wentz was wearing a harness on his non-throwing shoulder for the second half of the Week 5 Browns game in London, and that turned out to be a torn labrum that he’s now had surgery on and is done for the season. McCarthy will be back for the Week 9 game. As to the Week 8 game, the Vikings ran 47 offensive plays and threw 31 passes. The receivers not named Justin Jefferson had 19 targets to split among 8 players. TE J. Hockenson had a 3/2/26/0 line. Ben Yurosek had the 2 other TE targets, his first of the year, after Josh Oliver left with a foot injury. The potential is there for Hock, but the situation may not be for him to be more than a mid-TE2. The Vikes’ Week 9 game is in Detroit against the Lions, who allow the 15th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 13.2.
6. I wonder what the Lions come out of the bye showing us. QB Jared Goff has not attempted 30 passes in a game since Week 1. That’s good for the Lions, not so good for Lions’ receivers in fantasy outside of Amon-Ra St. Brown. TE Sam LaPorta is currently TE 13 in PPR PPG, and had season lows in targets, receptions, and yardage in Week 7. It was also his 4th game with 7.3 points or fewer. It’s hard to justify the draft-day investment. If we can wait it out, there may be opportunities later in the season, but in the meantime, he’s a backup to me. The Vikings allow the 15th most PPR PPG to TEs at 13.6.
7. The Panthers appear to be getting QB Bryce Young back for Week 9, although I have trouble believing his ankle is healed. None of the TEs are on the practice participation report for Week 9 so far. It’s hard to take much away from the Bills game in Week 8, as the Bills allow the 2nd fewest PPR PPG to TEs, but Ja’Tavion Sanders’ snaps increased to 54% from 37% in his first game back from injury, and he had a 3/3/19/0 line. Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans did more blocking, and Tremble caught his only target for 4 yards; Evans wasn’t targeted. The Panthers head to a more TE-friendly matchup in Green Bay: the 17.9 PPR PPG the Packers allow to TEs are 3rd most.
8. Before we forget National Tight Ends Day happened, let’s get to a guy who enjoyed the spotlight, and in a nationally televised game to boot: Packers TE Tucker Kraft had a night TE1s are made of with a 9/7/143/2 line. The two TDs were beauties. On the first, with 5:12 left in the 1st quarter and 1st and 10 from the Steelers’ 16, QB Jordan Love threw a sidearm pass around Steelers LB T.J. Watt, which Kraft caught behind the line of scrimmage at the 19, then wove through four tackle attempts to the end zone, giving the Packers a 6-3 lead. The second came with 11:04 left in the game: on 3rd and 4 from the Steelers’ 24, Love threw to Kraft at the 19, and from there Kraft ran away from S Chuck Clark and increased the Packers’ lead to 28-19. His 33.3 PPR points are a single-game high for all TEs in the 2025 season, boosting him to overall TE1 in PPR PPG for the season. Kraft has not had a single-digit-point game in PPR since Week 3. If he keeps raising his ceiling and his floor, he’ll be a very low-round pick in 2026 drafts. The Panthers are allowing 15.1 PPR PPG to TEs, 9th most.
9. Chargers TE Oronde Gadsden continued his domination of defenses in the first half of the Week 8 game against the Vikings as LA ran out to a 21-3 lead. After halftime, the Chargers leaned mainly on the running game with a handful of passes to the WRs. Gadsden seems to have a hold of the pass-catching role for Chargers’ TEs: Will Dissly was a healthy scratch, Tyler Conklin played 7 snaps, and Tucker Fisk would appear to be the blocking TE. Gadsden’s 5/5/77/1 line included an 8-yard TD for LA’s first points and a 40-yard reception from the Chargers’ 25 with 8:50 left in the 2nd quarter when he got behind the defense, RB Kimani Vidal made a great pickup of a blitzing LB Dallas Turner, and QB Justin Herbert hit Gadsden at midfield where he took the ball to the Vikings’ 35. That proved to be his last catch of the game. The Chargers head to Tennessee to play the Titans, who allow 11.7 PPR PPG to TEs, the 9th fewest.
10. Titans TEs Chig Okonkwo (5/4/53/0) and Gunnar Helm (3/2/23/1) played significant roles in the Titans’ offense in Indianapolis, which is not necessarily a good thing when the team loses 38-14. Tennessee’s offense generates both the fewest yards and the fewest points per game in 2025. Week 8 may be the ceiling for the TEs. Unless we’re desperate, this is a situation to avoid. The Chargers allow 10.5 PPR PPG to TEs, the 6th fewest.
11. If I hadn’t seen it and you told me the score of their Week 8 game was 34-10, I would have said, “The Falcons blew the Dolphins out.” Well, I did see the game and that did not happen. I think WR Drake London is going to be happy the Falcons didn’t extend him before the 2025 season. To be fair, QB Michael Penix was out as well, but without London, only TE Kyle Pitts (9/9/59/0) was able to make much of a dent in the receiving game, and no one was able to stretch the field. Pitts is now TE9 in PPR. Atlanta heads to Foxboro for its Week 9 game with the Patriots, who allow the 5th most PPR PPG to TEs at 16.2. London (hip) and Penix (knee) are listed as LP both on Wednesday and Thursday.
12. I said a few times last week that the only QB who has had real success against the Browns in the 2025 season was Lamar Jackson. You can add Patriots QB Drake Maye to that list: Maye was 18 for 24 for 282 yards and 3 TDs passing and threw in a 7/50/0 rushing line in. Maye is thriving in OC Josh McDaniels’ offense. Like earlier iterations of McDaniels’ offenses, the QB is the hero, and other players have inconsistent numbers. This time, the WRs had 17 of Maye’s 23 targets, while TEs Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper combined for a 3/3/45/1 line; the TD was Henry’s on his only target. Unpredictable offenses are successful IRL, but they’re a huge pain in fantasy. The Falcons allow the fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 4.1.
13. The “inventor” of National Tight Ends Day, 49ers TE George Kittle had to make an appearance and did so with a 5/4/43/1 line. Kittle’s TD came with 0:17 left in the 1st half on 3rd and 10 from the Texans’ 17-yard line: Kittle ran down the seam and QB Mac Jones fit the ball between tight coverage by S Calen Bullock and LB Azeez Al-Shaair. In keeping with the theme, Jake Tonges caught his only target for Jones’ second TD pass from 2 yards out with 0:28 left in the 3rd quarter. The 49ers head to MetLife to play the New York Football Giants, who allow the 16th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 13.3.
14. The Giants’ rematch with the Eagles did not go as well as the first game did two weeks earlier. Key was losing RB Cam Skattebo for the season with a dislocated ankle and broken fibula in the second quarter. The Giants also lost TE Daniel Bellinger to a back injury, and he has not practiced this week. Bellinger left with a 1/1/21/0 line after 21 snaps. Theo Johnson had a 4/3/20/0 line. The 4 targets tied for second on the team and the 3 receptions tied for most. It was that type of game. The 49ers allow the 10th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 12.0. If Bellinger can’t go, Chris Manhertz and Thomas Fidone will share snaps with Johnson.
15. On a day the Colts scored 38 points, TE Tyler Warren had a relatively modest 5/4/53/0 line. A little closer look shows the 5 targets tied for second on the team, the 4 receptions were second, and the 53 receiving yards were third. Warren, like the rest of the starters, sat for most of the 4th quarter after Tennessee’s 15-play drive fizzled out after 7:28 elapsed and 6:54 was left in the game with the score 38-7. Warren played 39 of 53 snaps, Mo Alie-Cox played 16, and Drew Oglethorpe played 11. The Colts are in Pittsburgh on Sunday, and the Steelers allow the 2nd most PPR PPG to TEs at 19.5.
16. The Steelers jumped out to a 16-7 halftime lead against the Packers, then the 2nd half was played, and that did not go as well. Jonnu Smith led the TE snaps with 38, Darnell Washington had 29, and Pat Freiermuth had 27. Unlike Week 7, neither of QB Aaron Rodgers’ TDs went to a TE, and until the final Steelers drive of the game, Smith had 1 target in the second half and Freiermuth had 2. Freiermuth finished with a 4/3/13/0 line, Smith had 3/2/17/0, and Washington was not targeted. The Colts allow the 4th most PPR PPG to TEs at 16.5, so maybe this will be a better week. But I’d rather look elsewhere in fantasy.
17. The Broncos did not wait to perform 4th quarter heroics against the Cowboys. They struck early and often, jumping out to a 27-10 halftime lead. QB Bo Nix spread out 27 targets among 8 receivers, and if you deduct WR Troy Franklin’s 9, 27-9 equals not a lot. TE Evan Engram had a 4/4/36/0 line; understandable as TE is the one position Dallas defends well. Engram missed out on more points on the drive the Broncos made it 20-10: on 1st and 10 from the Cowboys’ 13, Nix threw a screen to Engram and he was tackled at the 2 by LBs Kenneth Murray and Marist Liufau. After RB RJ Harvey punched it in, Cowboys LB Sam Williams put his right hand in Broncos LT Garrett Bolles’ facemask, moving the point after try to the Cowboys’ 1. On the 2-point try, Nix targeted Engram, but the throw was wide and the Broncos drew a penalty as well. Engram was still behind Adam Trautman in snaps, 27 to 40, but Trautman was not targeted Sunday. The opportunities are there for Engram. Nate Adkins injured his knee on Sunday and has not practiced for Week 9. With Lucas Krull on IR, Denver signed Marcedes Lewis to the practice squad for depth, where he’ll join rookie Caleb Lohner and third-year player Patrick Murtagh. Denver next faces the Texans, who allow the 5th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 10.4.
18. Speaking of the Texans and injured TEs, Dalton Schultz (knee/shoulder) DNP on Wednesday and Thursday, but the team expects him back on Friday. Schultz had a quiet game against the 49ers with a 3/2/24/0 line, all season lows. Harrison Bryant spelled Schultz on Sunday and did not corral his only target. With Cade Stover on IR and Schultz ailing, Houston signed Dalton Keene to the practice squad and elevated him to the 53-man roster. Rookie Luke Lachey is also on the PS. The Broncos allow the 8th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 11.0.
19. Jacksonville returns to action in Week 9. My enthusiasm for TEs Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long in fantasy remains as it was in Week 8 when the Jaguars were on their bye. Quentin Morris (groin) was LP on Wednesday and Thursday as he tries to return. The Jags are in Las Vegas, where the Raiders allow the 7th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 10.9.
20. It looks like we’ll see Raiders TE Brock Bowers (knee) back for the Week 9 game, as he’s practiced in full both on Wednesday and Thursday. Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas will return to complementary roles. The Jags allow the 12th most PPR PPG to TEs at 14.1.
21. Down 17-3 and after a drive that featured 3 holding penalties and a delay of game, Saints HC Kellen Moore decided to hand the team from QB Spencer Rattler to rookie Tyler Shough. It did not really change the trajectory of the Week 8 game against the Buccaneers, but Shough did manage to drop back 32 times in just over 19 game minutes. 4 of Shough’s targets went to TE Juwan Johnson, who finished the game with an 8/5/53/0 line. I’m not sure the Saints will score many points with Shough as the QB, but Johnson is the only TE worth considering. Taysom Hill may eventually have a game script that makes us a little sad we don’t roster him, but good luck figuring out when that may be. The Saints ran 72 snaps against the Bucs – Johnson is the only TE that had more than 13 snaps. The Saints are in Los Angeles on Sunday to play the Rams, who allow the 11th fewest points to TEs at 12.1.
22. The Rams’ leading receiver at TE, Tyler Higbee, has a 21/13/121/1 line for the season. The other three (Davis Allen, Colby Parkinson, and Terrence Ferguson) have a combined 22/17/169/3 line. Altogether, that would be one good TE. Nothing to see here. Move along.
23. Chiefs TE Travis Kelce gave us a little throwback performance with an 8/6/99/1 line against the Commanders. I think the only disappointed party was ESPN color commentator Troy Aikman, who seemed put out that Kelce remained tied with WR Marquise Brown for the most receiving yards in a game for the Chiefs this season, just 1 yard away from 100. 42 of Kelce’s yards came on back-to-back plays, starting with 9:03 left until halftime when Washington left Kelce alone 5 yards off the LOS for an 11-yard gain, then when Kelce got behind LB Jordan Magee in the zone for 31 yards. On the Chiefs’ first drive of the second half, on 1st and 10 from the Commanders’ 48 with 12:48 left in the 3rd quarter, Kelce chipped S Quan Martin then leaked out alone to the right; QB Patrick Mahomes hit Kelce right behind the LOS with nothing but green grass in front of him, and Kelce went untouched until CB Mike Sainristil brought him down at the Washington 9. Kelce’s TD came on the next Chiefs drive from 10 yards out with 3:20 left in the 3rd quarter, and it tied Priest Holmes with 83 TDs for the team all-time record. Noah Gray had a 4/2/23/0 line; he’s playing but only has a 20/11/98/0 line so far this season. The Chiefs head to Orchard Park for the Week 9 game with the Bills, who allow the 2nd fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 5.7.
24. A shadow of TE Dalton Kincaid returned to the Bills’ lineup against the Panthers in Week 8, as Kincaid only played 14 snaps and turned in a 3/1/23 line. Kincaid doesn’t show up on the practice participation reports for Week 9 so far, so hopefully he’s ready for an expanded role. Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes are mainly blockers. The Chiefs allow the 4th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 8.3. TE enthusiasts should probably tune into another game.
25. Seattle comes out of the bye with two good tight ends that are 3rd (AJ Barner, 22/18/212/4) and 4th (Elijah Arroyo, 17/11/140/0) on the team in targets. But with only 183 targets in 7 games, just over 26 per game, targets are to WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, then everyone else. Coming into the season, I was concerned about volume for Seattle receivers. I like Barner and Arroyo, but in fantasy, I’m looking elsewhere, except in the deepest leagues. The Seahawks are in D.C. Sunday night to play the Commanders, who allow the 10th most PPR PPG to TEs at 14.9.
26. Without QB Jayden Daniels and WR Terry McLaurin, the Commanders are not aggressive on offense, and their snap counts are mostly in the 50s per game. That’s limiting. And conservative. The Commanders have only attempted more than 30 passes twice in a game since Daniels was hurt in Week 2. I like TE Zach Ertz, and he has been involved in the passing game, but the 6/4/16/0 line he had against the Chiefs isn’t rare in the 2025 season. John Bates and Ben Sinnott rotate in mostly to block. Ertz is still a top 20 TE, but Daniels, McLaurin, Noah Brown, and Deebo Samuel have all battled injuries, so starting Ertz most weeks is hard to advise. The Seahawks allow the 7th most PPR PPG to TEs at 15.6.
27. The Cardinals come out of the bye with the number 2 TE in PPR PPG by a small fraction. The thing is, if QB Kyler Murray returns, that caps Trey McBride’s upside for fantasy in my opinion. With Jacoby Brissett under center, McBride had a cumulative 24/18/146/3 line in two weeks. With Murray, McBride was averaging 8.4 targets, 5.8 receptions, and 55 receiving yards per game with 1 total TD. Having lost five in a row, the Cardinals shouldn’t care about that if Murray gives them the best chance to win. The Cards head to Arlington on Monday night to face the Cowboys, who allow the 12th fewest PPR PPG to TEs at 12.4.
28. The Cowboys went to Denver hoping to steal a win against a team that barely escaped defeat a week before. But like good teams, that narrow win brought out a mean streak, and the Broncos demolished the Cowboys. 24 points and 339 yards of offense aren’t bad, but in relation to their previous per-game averages of about 32 and 391, they’re bad news for a team that does not have a strong defense. One thing the Broncos did not have to deal with was TE Jake Ferguson, who received only one target and recorded a 0 for fantasy. That’s jarring for a player who had been leading his position in PPR PPG. The Broncos did a great job of pressuring QB Dak Prescott, and his eyes rarely went to the middle of the field. Going forward, we may have to be wary of the games the Cowboys face a negative game script, as WRs CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens received 19 of 35 targets; the TEs had 5 and the RBs 2. The Cardinals allow the 6th most PPR PPG to TEs at 16.2.
29. Entering the bye, the Browns’ offense is awful: 31st in yards per game and 30th in points per game. That’s even started affecting RB Quinshon Judkins. But the TEs are worth looking at in fantasy: Harold Fannin is 12th in PPR PPG and David Njoku is 17th. Njoku has seen a dip in snaps since hurting his knee vs. Pittsburgh in Week 6, but perhaps the week off will remedy that. QB Dillon Gabriel caps the upside, but he does tend to focus on the TEs.
30. Jets TE Mason Taylor caught his 1st career TD to give New York their first win of the 2025 season. The odd thing is that it was delivered by RB Breece Hall. Taylor enters the break second on the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. Since Week 2, he’s averaging 6.5 targets and 4.7 receptions per game despite a one-target game in Week 6. He’s a backup TE that deserves consideration in good matchups. Look for those: of the 9 games remaining, those account for nearly half.
31. I’m starting Eagles TE Dallas Goedert where I roster him. He enters the bye 4th in PPR PPG thanks to his usage around the end zone: he leads TEs with 7 TDs in 7 games. He can be prone to low volume so he’s not bust-proof, but I can live with that if I don’t have Trey McBride, Brock Bowers, Tucker Kraft, or Tyler Warren.
32. In his last four games, Buccaneers TE Cade Otton has had double-digit PPR points three times. As long as WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are sidelined, Otton makes a great bye-week or injury replacement.

These rankings are for Week 9 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 9

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