Rest Of Season Top 25 Tight End Rankings: Week 8

Week 7 was such a bizarro week for tight ends. Harrison Bryant lead the way with Gronk in 2nd. Kittle was down at 13th and Kelce down at 26th. Albert Okwuegbunam finished above both of them. Well, let’s see what we can figure out with the rankings. 

Read all of the QB, RB and WR Razzball Rest of Season Positional Rankings now!

ELITE

• Kittle and Kelce down weeks are still going to happen. Just not as often. Kelce gets the Jets and Kittle gets the Seahawks, so, I expect them both to bounce back for fantasy owners this week. 

Party Time, Excellent!

• Party on WAyndrews! Party on Garth! Andrews was on bye in week 7. So, now, you can now drop your backup TE. If I hadn’t seen them do it last year, I’d say the TD efficiency can’t keep up, but I’m not doubting it at this point. 
• Darren Waller was the one of the top 4 TEs that showed up last week with 6 receptions for 50 yards and a score. Cinderella story, out of nowhere…now, about to become the Masters Champi…I mean, your TE1. 

Pretty…Pretty Good

• It pains me each week to move Jonnu Smith up each week. Others keep falling down really. Still TD heavy, but it’s a role that shouldn’t go away either. He has 7 red zone targets, which is good for 6th among TEs. As a typically TD dependent position goes, he has a higher chance at hauling one in than most. 
• Noah Fant didn’t look quite right and he’s all but admitted he’s playing at less than 100%. He swaps spots with Jonnu, but that’s it. He still got 7 targets in week 7 as his role in the offense seems fairly set. 
• T.J. had a big week with 5 catches on 6 targets for 59 yards and a TD. The TD saved the day a bit, but he’s had 11 targets the last 2 weeks and has gotten at least 4 targets every game (only 5 other TEs can say that). 
• I get it, it’s Jared Cook. He played less than 50% of the snaps this week. However, he has 3 TDs in 5 games this year and last year showed his red zone potential with Drew Brees and the Saints. 
• 3 for 23 is a pretty pedestrian set of numbers from Hunter Henry in week 7. The good news, in 6 games, Henry has only one week where he didn’t receive at least 7 targets. 

The Pack

This whole set of guys are hard to separate from each other, at least until we see Goedert back and healthy. You may not have a top option if you’re looking in this section, but it’s still a group I trust to at least be part of the game plan. 

• I’m sure some people would like to see Gronkowski move further up the list, and with his 8 targets, 5 receptions, and a score in the last 2 games, it’s hard for me to argue. For the rest of the season though, I don’t know if his target share remains the same once everyone is healthy, or healthier. Plus, they get some Antonio Brown guy in week 9 potentially.
• Excited for the Tua to Gesicki combo that we get to see in week 8. Tua gets thrown in to the fire right off the bat having to know where Aaron Donald is at all times. I’m still a believer in Gesicki’s talent even if others have begun to lose faith. 
• Dallas Goedert has finally returned to practice. I’m not sure if that means we get to see him this week, but whether it’s this week vs the Cowboys or next week vs the Giants, it should be a nice match up and the Eagles could certainly use another pass catching option. 
• Hayden Hurst was tied for 2nd in targets for the Falcons, which is the third time in the last 4 games. Hurst only has 3 red zone targets, so, it’s tough to see moving him up much further until we see him utilized more near the end zone. 
• Jimmy G is fairly TD dependent, but he’s had 14 targets the last 2 weeks. With Allen Robinson going through the concussion protocols, it’s possible Graham is the #1 receiving option for the Bears this week. As lackluster as that still may be. 
• At least Engram was part of the offensive plan again in week 7. His 9 targets was the 2nd most he’s seen this season. 6 receptions for 46 yards worked in PPR leagues, but it’s hard to trust the Giants for much of anything in the fantasy game right now. 
• Robert Tonyan (Tunyan like Funion) had a couple of strong target weeks while Davante was out, but he’s battling injuries now and only has 6 targets in the 2 weeks since the Packers bye. I’m willing to wait out the injury because the Packers need pass catchers. 

I Suppose You Could Do Worse

• Eric Ebron didn’t practice Wednesday, and just when I was starting to come around. He’s been getting targets with 18 in the last 3 weeks, but that hasn’t produced fantasy goodness yet. For now, it’s a bet on snaps and targets. 
• Logan Thomas has TDs in back to back weeks. I don’t think Kyle Allen is the answer for the Washington Football Team, but he might be the answer if you’re looking for a streaming TE option. He’s 2nd on the team in targets for the season and is among the group of TEs with at least 4 targets every week. 
• Tyler Higbee is recovering from a hand injury, and in his absence, Gerald Everett has picked up a role in the offense. Saved by the touchdown this week, but has been targeted 13 times in the last 3 weeks. 
• Trey Burton was utilized heavily with Mo Allie-Cox out before the bye. I have a reserved optimism about Burton based on the work he saw, but the Colts have split their TE work all season, making it hard to trust any specific guy each week. We’ll wait and see how it shakes out after the bye week. 

Streamers and Snakes, The Good Stuff

• Austin Hooper had surgery for appendicitis and is likely out this week again. Just as he was coming off 3 straight 5 reception games, he has to miss some time. 
• We’re likely without Ertz for another 2 or 3 weeks, but there’s also rumors he could be heading out of town, maybe to Baltimore. That sounds interesting enough to keep him on the list for me. 
• Mo Allie-Cox was the guy that everyone wanted to get all the snaps in Indianapolis to start the year. He may have been passed over by Burton during his time recovering from the knee injury. MAC may miss this week as well, so, it’s just a name to monitor more than anything actionable for now. 
• Darren pulled his usual Darren Fellsure as he was not targeted in week 7. He’s a blocker who leaks out into late routes for dump offs, and sometimes when you have a terrible O-line, your blocking TE doesn’t get to run routes. 
• Hard to trust any receiving options in Dallas with a beat up O-line and their 3rd string QB. Quick fall in the rankings after I made the call to move him up aggressively earlier this year. 
• Drew Sample is the primary TE for the Bengals, which is still not very exciting. Tyler Boyd and A.J. Green have been target hogs the last 2 weeks, which leaves the other receiving options hoping for some scraps. 
• Still waiting on Irv Smith Jr. to take over the TE role for the Vikings. This is like watching Goldberg play when you know Julie the Cat is so much better. 
• Finish #1 TE in a week and you at least deserve a spot on the rankings list. There’s some potential that Harrison Bryant is useful while Austin Hooper is out, but Hooper is better and should take his role back when he’s back. Short term play, but one that might be worth taking a look at with the loss of OBJ in Cleveland.