clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

2021 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends for Week 4

Heath ranks the safety blankets.

By Heath Capps
Miami Dolphins v Chicago Bears Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

It’s safety blanket time, right under the wire for Thursday Night Football! That said, no tight end from the Jaguars or the Bengals made my top 25, so be prepared for Dan Arnold and C.J. Uzomah to have full-fledged breakouts tonight.

Aside from that, the notes are in the table. Tell me, is Mike Gesicki back in your circle of trust? I did urge you not to abandon him back in Week 2 after his initial dud...

Week 4 TE Rankings

Rank Player Name Team Opponent Notes
Rank Player Name Team Opponent Notes
1 Travis Kelce KC @ PHI His 20 receptions are tied for 10th in the NFL, while his three scores are tied for sixth. KC has an implied total over 30 points. Do you really need Travis Kelce analysis?
2 Darren Waller LV @ LAC He's only got one score so far, but his 224 yards (18th) is swell, while his 33 targets is tied with Keenan Allen and Cooper Kupp for second in the league. He's also got seven RZ looks (tops among TEs). The touchdowns will come.
3 George Kittle SF vs SEA He's got a modest 18 targets through three weeks, but his YAC ability means he's firmly entrenched inside the top four or five each week. Monitor his calf injury, though.
4 Mark Andrews BAL @ DEN He doesn't have a single target inside the RZ yet, but his 17 targets isn't horrible and he's doing plenty with those looks (14.3 Y/R). That mark ranks 25th overall, and third among TEs after only Goedert and Kelce.
5 TJ Hockenson DET @ CHI Only a pair of targets last week, but you have to keep banking on his overall volume at this thin position.
6 Rob Gronkowski TB @ NE You want to bet on someone else scoring with Brady and Gronk back in New England? I don't.
7 Logan Thomas WAS @ ATL We don't love his QB situation, but the volume plays and the matchup is pristine.
8 Noah Fant DEN vs BAL Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler are out. Fant should see more volume this week--Bridgewater only had 25 passing attempts in total for Week 3, as the Jets didn't put up much of a fight. BAL will make DEN have to air it out more, though.
9 Tyler Higbee LAR vs ARI This is a projected shootout, so I like Higbee's chances given how much he's on the field.
10 Mike Gesicki MIA vs IND He saw 12 targets with Brissett under center, so lets see if that train keeps rollling.
11 Dallas Goedert PHI vs KC He's splitting time with Zach Ertz, but he leads all tight ends with 16.5 Y/R and the Eagles should be chasing.
12 Kyle Pitts ATL vs WAS He's running plenty of routes, but not being targeted much (17). Maybe he'll see more volume in a home game--the last two road affairs, he wasn't involved much.
13 Robert Tonyan GB vs PIT He's not seeing volume, but he's still a high-end streamer.
14 Jared Cook LAC vs LV This same defense gave up 12 targets and a 10-86 stat line to Mike Gesicki and Jacoby Brissett last week. He's worth a shot as a high-end streamer.
15 Dawson Knox BUF vs HOU He's has scores in back-to-back weeks. He plays a lot, but isn't used a ton via the air. Still, the matchup warrants streamer consideration.
16 Tyler Conklin MIN vs CLE He caught 7 of 8 balls last week for 70 and a score...in the TE landscape that makes you a viable TE2 option.
17 Jonnu Smith NE vs TB Splitting time with Hunter Henry and we can't expect the Patriots to score much.
18 Hunter Henry NE vs TB Splitting time with Jonnu Smith and we can't expect the Patriots to score much.
19 Zach Ertz PHI vs KC He still saw 7 targets last week and managed a 4-53-1 line. Rumors of Ertz's demise appear to be ill-gotten...
20 Austin Hooper CLE @ MIN Splitting snaps with Njoku. You're hoping for a score.
21 Dalton Schultz DAL vs CAR He's still splitting time with Jarwin, but he's caught 14 of 15 balls so far and is worth TE2 consideration after two scores last week.
22 Pat Freiermuth PIT vs GB It looks like we'll continue seeing a changing of the TE guard in PIT as the year wears on. Great matchup this week.
23 Cole Kmet CHI vs DET Maybe I'm reaching, but he's playing a lot of snaps and this is a winnable matchup for Justin Fields and company.
24 Evan Engram NYG @ NO He'll have to prove it to me, first. He put up another dud last week despite injuries to the NYG wideout corps.
25 Maxx Williams ARI @ LAR He disappeared last week after a Week 2 breakout, but he's worth rolling out as a desperation TE2 option if you're...desperate.

In This Stream

Everything You Need for NFL Week 4

View all 9 stories

Next Up In Fantasy Football