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No Travis Kelce just looks really, really weird atop the weekly rankings. The man has just been a fixture in that perch for such a long time. And I don’t mean to be morbid, but when the 32-year-old isn’t playing anymore, this is going to be a collection of sad souls to rank.
No Adam Trautman is a bummer this week, as he was beginning to establish himself with Trevor Siemian under center.
The big news is the possible return of Logan Thomas for Washington, so stay tuned to his status leading up to game time. If he doesn’t go, John Bates would be a defensible TE2 play. And if you’re into desperation, you can look to the Saints backup tight ends in Juwan Johnson or Nick Vannett. But that’s really, really digging deep.
As always, chime in with a comment or question if you have them! Hope everyone is enjoying a rest day today!
TE Rankings for Week 12
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Opponent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Opponent | Notes |
| 1 | Darren Waller | LV | @ DAL | It's a three-horse race at the top this week sans Travis Kelce, but Waller gets the nod after a rebirth last week (7-116 on eight targets). |
| 2 | George Kittle | SF | vs MIN | Since his return, he's scored in three straight contests. |
| 3 | Mark Andrews | BAL | vs CLE | He's second to only Kelce in targets to tight ends, ahead of Waller by two looks (83 to 81). |
| 4 | Kyle Pitts | ATL | @ JAC | Who else is Matt Ryan going to throw to, honestly? Cordarrelle Patterson is limited by an ankle injury. |
| 5 | Dalton Schultz | DAL | vs LV | No Amari Cooper or Blake Jarwin increases his outlook, which is already solid. |
| 6 | Rob Gronkowski | TB | @ IND | He made it through last week unscathed (6-71 on eight targets). No Antonio Brown, either. |
| 7 | Dawson Knox | BUF | @ NO | He returned with a bang last week (6-80 on 10 targets). |
| 8 | Mike Gesicki | MIA | @ CAR | This is a tough matchup for Tua and the Fins, but they are on a roll (three straight wins). |
| 9 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT | @ CIN | Ranks second among tight ends with 15 red zone targets. Eric Ebron is out. |
| 10 | Hunter Henry | NE | vs TEN | He's touchdown or bust, but he's scoring lots of touchdowns and the Pats are projected for 25+ this weekend. |
| 11 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | @ NYG | He's getting plenty of targets, but his scoring upside is capped by Hurts' ability to run it in. |
| 12 | Noah Fant | DEN | vs LAC | He's all over the map, but his athleticism isn't in question. I'll take a shot here. |
| 13 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | @ GB | He leads all tight ends with 16 red zone targets. |
| 14 | Dan Arnold | JAC | vs ATL | Let's chalk last week's bagel up to the 49ers dominating time of possession. |
| 15 | Austin Hooper | CLE | @ BAL | The Ravens do give up lots of targets to tight ends, and CLE isn't drowning in WR options. |
| 16 | Evan Engram | NYG | vs PHI | Despite the injuries for NYG, he's got really modest target counts in his last three games (4, 3, 5). |
| 17 | Tyler Conklin | MIN | @ SF | It's hard to trust him given that Jefferson and Thielen dominate targets. |
| 18 | Gerald Everett | SEA | @ WAS | He's been more involved since Russell Wilson returned, with target counts of 8 and 4 in the last two games. |
| 19 | CJ Uzomah | CIN | vs PIT | He's been useless sans his scoring barrage in the middle of the season. |
| 20 | Logan Thomas | WAS | vs SEA | You'll want to make sure he's playing--and ideally, let him show you he's healthy this week before you play him. |