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2021 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends for Week 9

Heath ranks the safety blankets.

By Heath Capps
Seattle Seahawks v San Francisco 49ers Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

In Week 9 you’ll have to cover the absences of TJ Hockenson and Rob Gronkowski, as well as those of Ricky Seals-Jones and the Seattle tight ends (if you were that desperate). George Kittle’s return is the most noteworthy event, but reports are that he is on a pitch count today...so tread lightly.

As always, check the rankings and notes below, and chime in with a comment or on Twitter @HeathCapps if you have grievances. Just be polite. Let’s get ready for Week 9, people!

Week 9 TE Rankings

Rank Player Name Team Opponent Notes
Rank Player Name Team Opponent Notes
1 Travis Kelce KC vs GB He leads all tight ends in receptions (51), yards (560), targets (75), and is second with four scores.
2 Darren Waller LV @ NYG He's sitting on 54 targets despite only having played in six games.
3 Mike Gesicki MIA vs HOU It looks like a quality matchup for Tua to take advantage of, and that's good for Gesicki, who ranks third among all tight ends with 56 targets.
4 Dallas Goedert PHI vs LAC The Chargers aren't stiff versus tight ends--522 yards (6th most) and five scores (6th most) are more damning given LAC has played only seven games.
5 Mark Andrews BAL vs MIN He's third in target share among tight ends, but the Vikes are a stiff test versus tight ends (zero scores allowed and only 24 receptions conceded).
6 Kyle Pitts ATL @ NO No Calvin Ridley could mean he's more of a focal point for the defense--but his volume outlook is more assured now and he's already logged 10 red zone targets.
7 Dalton Schultz DAL vs DEN Blake Jarwin is out, and Denver is less scary sans the presence of Von Miller.
8 Jared Cook LAC @ PHI Philly has allowed the most receptions (56) and touchdowns (6) to enemy tight ends.
9 CJ Uzomah CIN vs CLE CLE is a pass funnel--only 3.5 Y/A allowed on the ground (tops in NFL) but 17 scores given via the air (3rd most).
10 Tyler Higbee LAR vs TEN Check the status of Robert Woods. Maybe he garners an extra target or two. He leads all tight ends with 12 red zone targets, suprisingly.
11 George Kittle SF vs ARI There's opportunity for him given injuries to Deebo and Elijah Mitchell (both expected to play) but Kittle is reportedly slated to play only half the game today.
12 Hunter Henry NE @ CAR Once you're streaming tight ends, you may as well start with the guy who has as good a chance to score as any.
13 Zach Ertz ARI @ SF The status of Kyler Murray and Nuk Hopkins are notable here. Stay tuned. If Murray misses, maybe he's more of a checkdown option--or maybe it all falls to pieces.
14 Tyler Conklin MIN @ BAL The Ravens are generous to opposing tight ends, and Conklin is averaging over five targets per game.
15 Evan Engram NYG vs LV He's only got the one score, but he's averaging 5.5 targets/game and the Raiders are a bottom 10 defense in targets, receptions, yards, and scores to enemy tight ends.
16 Pat Freiermuth PIT vs CHI He's seen great volume the last two weeks, but the Bears are death to enemy tight ends--only 225 yards allowed and one score so far.
17 Dan Arnold JAC vs BUF Bills are a rough matchup, but can't ignore target counts of 8, 5, 10 the last three weeks.
18 Tommy Sweeney BUF @ JAC He nabbed three receptions on four targets last week as the starter with Knox sidelined, logging 82% of snaps.
19 Albert Okwuegbunam DEN @ DAL Like Sweeney, he's taking over for a missing starter (Noah Fant). Game script should work in his favor, and Dallas is a bottom third unit versus tight ends.
20 Cole Kmet CHI @ PIT He's showing signs of life lately but this Bears unit is a low-yield passing attack.
21 Hayden Hurst ATL @ NO There's hope for low-end TE2 production given Calvin Ridley's absence. He's already averaging four targets per game over the last month.
22 Marcedes Lewis GB @ KC The veteran will have a chance to produce given Bob Tonyan's ACL tear. The Chiefs allow the most yardage (602) and scores (6) to enemy tight ends so far.
23 Jonnu Smith NE @ CAR He's been limited with a shoulder injury, but is expected to play.
24 David Njoku CLE @ CIN Still splitting time with other CLE tight ends, hasn't scored or crested 3 targets in a single game since Week 5.
25 Adam Trautman NO vs ATL He managed four yards on two catches (six targets) last week. Yikes.

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