With the fantasy playoffs in full swing, there are only a few tight ends that we’d feel comfortable having in our lineup every week. That’s a scary thought, because it’s easy to envision almost anyone you put in your lineup being a complete bust. Who are the names you want to trust? Who is too risky to start? Let’s take a look:
- Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs – at New Orleans
- Darren Waller – Las Vegas Raiders – vs. Los Angeles Chargers
- Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Jacksonville
- T.J. Hockenson – Detroit Lions – at Tennessee
- Eric Ebron – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Cincinnati
- Evan Engram – New York Giants – vs. Cleveland
- Hunter Henry – Los Angeles Chargers – at Las Vegas
- Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles – at Arizona
- Robert Tonyan – Green Bay Packers – vs. Carolina
- Logan Thomas – Washington Football – vs. Seattle
- Mike Gesicki – Miami Dolphins – vs. New England
- Irv Smith – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Chicago
- Rob Gronkowski – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Atlanta
- Dalton Schultz – Dallas Cowboys – vs. San Francisco
- Cole Kmet – Chicago Bears – at Minnesota
- Jared Cook – New Orleans Saints – vs. Kansas City
- Noah Fant – Denver Broncos – vs. Buffalo
- Jordan Reed – San Francisco 49ers – at Dallas
- Hayden Hurst – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Tampa Bay
- Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles – at Arizona
Thoughts:
- Over the past four weeks Mike Gesicki has scored 4 TD (all coming in his past three games) while also being targeted 27 times. While that’s positive, he draws an incredibly tough matchup and there’s a good chance he misses Week 15 after dislocating his shoulder. That’s not a guarantee so monitor the news closely, but for now we’re keeping him on the rankings.
- Mark Andrews seamlessly returned to the Ravens offense, turning 6 targets into 5 catches and 78 yards in Week 14. With questions in the receiving corps he should continue to be featured, especially against a Jacksonville defense that’s allowed the second most TD to opposing tight ends (10). Consider him a must use.
- We all know Evan Engram has consistently frustrated both Giants’ fans and fantasy owners, but against a Cleveland defense that’s allowed the second most points per week to opposing tight ends (767 yards and 9 TD) he’s going to be a good “gamble” as a TE1.
- Irv Smith has not been targeted more than 5 times in any game this season, which alone makes him an extremely risky option. That said he’s coming off a 63 yard and 1 TD game, has 3 TD in his past three games and faces a Chicago defense that’s allowed the third most points per week to opposing tight ends. As a streaming option, there’s value.
- Cole Kmet has been targeted 7 times in each of the past two games, delivering 9 catches for 78 yards and 1 TD. Against a Minnesota defense that’s been middle of the pack against opposing TE, the sudden usage and upside puts him on fantasy maps as a potential streaming option.
Sources – NFL.com, ESPN
