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Yours truly ranks 28th in tight end accuracy over on FantasyPros this season, which is my best ranking if you exclude me being 25th in team defense. So the big guys are my best skill position, which makes sense as that’s the niche that I focus on here at Fake Teams every week. I am a glutton for punishment, I suppose, expending this much time on tight ends every week. I can safely say that this experience has been truly disgusting, and I pray that 2019 is a new year in the form of a Hunter Henry return and continued growth from young guys like David Njoku, Ian Thomas, and Chris Herndon. Jack Doyle’s return to health would help as well, and perhaps one (or both) of the Rams tight ends garners a larger role in Sean McVay’s offense. One can hope.
Anyway, I put a lot of time into Week 16, which should be championship weeks in most leagues. I’d like a strong push so that I can creep up the accuracy standings even more. We shall see, right?
The big news this week is Zach Ertz being limited on Wednesday with an ankle injury, one he apparently sustained a week ago. Still, his presence at practice indicates that his status for the weekend should be just fine. James Conner was still out of practice on Wednesday, so it looks like another week to use Jaylen Samuels—even though the Saints have played impressive defense of late (and been strong vs. the run and enemy tight ends all year). It is not a great matchup for Samuels.
Jarwin is the guy I am “high” on compared to consensus rankings. He could disappear for sure, but there aren’t many guys with seven targets in back-to-back weeks at this position.
As always, comment here if there are any questions. What are your tough decisions at tight end this week?
Week 16 TE Rankings
| RANK | PLAYER | OPPONENT | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | PLAYER | OPPONENT | NOTES |
| 1 | Travis Kelce | @ SEA | The undisputed top option given Ertz's injury (and downgrade at quarterback). |
| 2 | Eric Ebron | vs. NYG | I like his red zone prowess a bit over Kittle, and the Giants have been susceptible to every quality tight end they've played. |
| 3 | George Kittle | vs. CHI | If you're talking tight ends and you're disappointed with last week's 3-51 effort, we call that FLOOR, ladies and gents. |
| 4 | Zach Ertz | vs. HOU | He was limited on Wednesday, so stay tuned. But this matchup is prime. I'm honestly more worried about his change at QB. |
| 5 | Evan Engram | @ IND | The Colts have bled receptions to TEs over the last two weeks (11 to HOU, 7 to DAL). Engram is a far superior option to those guys. |
| 6 | Rob Gronkowski | vs. BUF | Gronk has a brutal matchup vs. BUF, who allow the 3rd fewest fantasy points to TEs (and only 4 scores all year). |
| 7 | Jared Cook | vs. DEN | A solid play on MNF in your championships, as DEN has allowed some huge games to tight ends. Cook has some upside this week. |
| 8 | Jaylen Samuels | @ NO | James Conner isn't ready, but the Saints are stout against the run and against tight ends. Still, the fast track and projected usage are good. |
| 9 | Cameron Brate | @ DAL | A back-end TE1 every week due to low floor but scoring potential. |
| 10 | Davis Njoku | vs. CIN | He tagged them for a 5-63-1 line in Week 12, but it's still tough to get enthused. Should be the Chubb show... |
| 11 | Trey Burton | @ SF | He is scoring-dependent, but he did see 7 targets last week. Who else can you rank this high, truly? That's what I thought. |
| 12 | Blake Jarwin | vs. TB | He is trending up the last two weeks and the matchup is among the best you can hope for. He has 7 targets in each of the last two weeks. |
| 13 | Austin Hooper | @ CAR | Loving the matchup despite last week's dud due to a knee injury. He was limited on Wednesday but the injury is not said to be long-term. |
| 14 | Chris Herndon IV | vs. GB | A tough matchup but his chemistry with Darnold is encouraging and this position is bereft of better options. |
| 15 | Gerald Everett | @ ARI | The passing attack rebounded from a yardage perspective last week, and Everett had 7 targets for the second week in a row. |
| 16 | Matt LaCosse | @ OAK | Officially in deep(er) streamer territory, but the Raiders are the most generous matchup in football for opposing tight ends. |
| 17 | C.J. Uzomah | @ CLE | Stream on with Uzomah, who disappointed last week but gets a chance at redemption. He had 12 targets (6-39) against CLE in Week 12. |
| 18 | Dallas Goedert | vs. HOU | Apparently I'm "high" on him this week, but he has some upside in the form of Ertz's injury. The two guys after him are sketchy. |
| 19 | Vance McDonald | @ NO | He's here solely because of the fast track in New Orleans. But this is a tough matchup and Vance is far from featured in this offense. |
| 20 | Ricky Seals-Jones | vs. LAR | He had a horrible drop last week, but also 8 targets. That's enough for me to take him over vets like Graham and Rudolph. |