Rest Of Season Top 25 Tight End Rankings: Week 11

I always have to choose what information that makes the article because only so many columns will fit on the page. Well, it’s an important time of year, so, if you want to see the full sheet, including more last 3 and 5 week stats and more schedule information, click here. New column this week, DEF vs TE/game ROS, basically, what is the average standing of the defenses vs TE on a fantasy points allowed basis. Not a perfect stat by any means, but it’s a start. 

THE MAN.

• • Travis Kelce is a man among boys at TE. He can build a house, fix your car, hunt down dinner, and throw that ball over them mountains. Among non-QBs, he has the 9th most points per game (1 of those 9 is CMC who only has 3 games). KC has bottom 5 match ups left and they finish with strong TE games against the Saints (26th worst vs TE) and Falcons (worst vs TE).

Real Men

They may not be able to build you a full wing addition to your house, but these guys can fix some things around the house, change your oil, and not afraid to take care of any insects or reptiles.

• Darren Waller has been sitting behind Kelce in a tier of his own, but the return of Ruggs and now Edwards seems to have reduced Waller’s consistency just slightly. Indy in week 14 is the only awful game left, but they do also have the Chiefs and Dolphins who are both top 10 vs the TE. 
• Hockenson had a down week against the WFT, which is brutal, but his 4 targets were the low point for him since week 4. GB in week 14 is a tough one, but it’s clear sailing other than that one.
• Hurst has become the TE we thought he could be at the start of the season after they moved on from Dan Quinn. Averaging over 13 points per game over his last 5 weeks and 22 targets over the last 3 weeks. It has also coincided with Calvin Ridley’s injury, so, there is some risk of Hurst losing some targets when Ridley returns. KC (7th) in week 16 and LV (10) in week 12 are the tough games left.

Good Guys

TB12’s inconsistency has cost Gronk a spot in the tiering, but I have him back in the top 5 after his fall last week. Tied for 5th among TEs in red zone targets doesn’t hurt to keep him up here as a solid starting option. You know, they’re good guys. I wouldn’t call ’em a best friend, but he’s a good guy. 

• Evan Engram had a down week 10 with only 3 targets, but I’m willing to give him a 1 week pass since he had 29 targets in the 3 weeks prior. 
• Noah Fant stays in the same area he’s been all year for me. He is dealing with an injury, which gave me some pause about having him above some others, but it feels like the right tier regardless. 
• Mark Andrews 9 targets in week 10 tied his high for the year, now, we just need that trend to continue. Tied with Gronk for 5th in red zone looks, when the Ravens get in to the red zone, it’s Mandrews time. 
• Jared Cook was a system TE who was slightly TD dependent, and now there’s a QB change forthcoming. Cook stays inside the top 10 for now, but I hold the right to drop him next week if Jameis looks elsewhere.
• One thing we know about Alex Smith, he loves to check down. Whether it’s to the RB or TE, that is the one thing that we can trust Alex Smith to do. He’s had between 4 and 6 targets in each of the last 6 games for the WFT regardless of who has been throwing the rock. 
• Ebron is among the most consistent TEs this year, but with minimal upside for yardage. He does have 8 red zone targets on the year, so, despite all the weapons the Steelers have, Ebron seems to have found a niche. 

He’s Alright

If you need a 4th for golf or you’re meeting in a big group, yeah, these guys are alright. Best in small doses, and you don’t know what you’d do if you had to spend more than a weekend with him. 

• Jonnu snuck into the end zone on a rush to save his day. Despite the 6 targets, which were encouraging, he only had 2 receptions for 14 yards. Jonnu’s schedule is the worst of the top 12 TEs, also earning him a spot in this tier rather than one above.
• Robert Tonyan has a big game once every 3 games, just kidding, but also, it’s kind of the pattern since his 3 TD game. The way Rodgers is tossing the ball, there are worse things that having a receiving option in that offense. 
• Hunter Henry finally found the end zone for only the 2nd time this season, and continued his 4 for 30ish yard ways. 4 receptions for 30 yards is still a consistent 7 points, which lacks upside, but that kind of consistency also isn’t something that can be found up and down this list. 
• We keep waiting for Dallas Goedert and he keeps falling down my list. With Reagor healthy now and Ertz possibly back some time in the next 1-3 weeks, there’s only so much upside Goedert can represent without some kind of production. 6 targets was a nice boost in week 10, but Rich Rod also had 5 targets and there were 6 Eagles total with between 5 and 7 targets.
• Jimmy Graham was completely banked (which was NO help for my RazzBowl team) in week 10. He had been averaging 6.5 targets per game over the previous 7 games. There’s only so much upside one can expect from the Bears offense, so, he’s just a’ight. 
• Austin Hooper gets a small pass (and a small drop in the rankings) with the gross weather that the Browns played in for week 10. Let’s see if he can get back on track in week 11 against the Eagles who have allowed the 5th most receptions to TEs and tied for 4th in TDs allowed to the position. 
•  Zach Ertz has been activated from the IR, which means he should be back in the next 3 weeks. He’s already back at practice. While it looks as though he could be returning sooner rather than later, it’s not as though he was a must start even before this injury. I’d monitor how he looks and his target share, but I imagine it just makes the whole Philly pass catching picture even fuzzier. 

Puberty

Maybe they can grow into strapping young gentlemen in time, but for now, they have some developing to do. 

• Gerald Everett was out targeted by Higbee for the first time in 4 weeks. It’s possible Higbee’s hand injury has improved and he’s taking back some of his target share, but I’m going to stick with the numbers and say Everett is the TE to start for the Rams if you want to run one out. 
• It’s hard to say what Dalton Schultz target share will be given that this could be the Cowboys 3rd starting QB in as many weeks. However, it seems as though the TE has a place in the offense averaging 7.5 targets per game, regardless of who is at the helm, so, he earns a spot right at the edge of the top 20. 
• Week 9 left me hesitant to say Dwelley or Reed given that they split snaps and targets pretty evenly. In week 10 though, Reed got 6 targets to Dwelley’s 2. The TE in a Shanahan offense tends to play a role, and you could do worse than old man Jordan Reed.
• I thought about not ranking any of the Colts TEs as it is such a mystery who will be the right one to start any given week. However, MAC has lead them in snaps the last 2 weeks and it seems to be down to him and Burton to make the decision slightly less muddied. 
• Mike Gesicki has 9 targets in the last 2 weeks, which provides a glimpse of hope, even if it has only yielded a couple of 40 yard efforts. 
• Irv Smith Jr. missed week 10, and while I don’t necessarily think he’s worthy of a streaming status, unless you’re in pretty dire straits, I just want to keep mentioning him as an upside TE if anything were to happen to Rudolph or as you get ready for next year in keepers and dynasty leagues. 
• Dan Arnold’s 4 targets in week 10 earned him a shout out at the bottom of the list. Just something to monitor for the Cardinals offense moving forward. 
• Brate definitely isn’t somebody that is going to provide much in the way of consistency, but finds a way to sneak into games on occasion. 
• Coming off of his 6 target game in week 9, Firkser dropped back down to a lesser role with only 3 targets in week 10. Firkser and Jonnu are splitting targets, but Anthony is on the lesser side of that split more often. 
• Jack Doyle is the last of the Colts TE options that I’d recommend, but even he can find his way into the end zone on occasion. 
• Dick Rod sandwiched his disappearance in week 9 with solid performances in both week 8 and 10. With Ertz returning, Rodgers time as part of the offense is likely dwindling.