Editor’s update No. 2: We have updated our rankings.
David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Editor’s update: Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a torn ACL on Thursday. He is out for the year, and his status for the start of the 2018 season is unclear. For purposes of Week 8, we are working on updating our rankings, but Ryan Griffin holds effectively no value for the time being. He was developing into a potential bye week option, but he is not worth playing until we see how he does with Tom Savage.
With the exception of Jack Doyle’s monster day, Week 8 was rather uneventful for tight ends. Jimmy Graham did deliver two touchdowns shortly after rumors that the Seattle Seahawks were looking to trade him, but the top 10 also included a two-reception, 58-yard effort from Eric Ebron. Fortunately, some consistency was found as Zach Ertz, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce all had solid games.
Week 9 is going to be tough for finding reliable tight ends. Gronkowski, Hunter Henry, and Kyle Rudolph are on bye. Also, it doesn’t sound like Jordan Reed is going to play due to injury (if you can imagine such a thing,) so you will want to check for Vernon Davis on waivers.
Doyle definitely had a game to remember in Week 8, and it could continue Week 9 against the Houston Texans, who have given up the fifth-most points to the position. Austin Seferian-Jenkins had a down week, but he could bounce back when the Jets host the Bills Thursday Night. Also, take a look at Jared Cook if you are a sucker for punishment. He is an up-and-down player, but his matchup against the Dolphins is one of the best out there this week.
Did I miss a tight end you are interested in? Have lineup questions for Week 9? Take a look at our Week 9 rankings and leave a comment!
Tight end rankings, Week 8
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett; ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
TE rankings, Week 9
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | SK | JG | DG | KB | ZS | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zach Ertz | PHI | vs. DEN | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | @ DAL | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Evan Engram | NYG | vs. LAR | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NYJ | vs. BUF | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | vs. WAS | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Jared Cook | OAK | @ MIA | 11 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 7 | Cameron Brate | TB | @ NO | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| 8 | Jack Doyle | IND | @ HOU | 6 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| 9 | Vernon Davis | WAS | @ SEA | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| 10 | Jason Witten | DAL | vs. KC | 8 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| 11 | Austin Hooper | ATL | @ CAR | 14 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 15 |
| 12 | Delanie Walker | TEN | vs. BAL | 10 | -- | 9 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| 13 | Nick O'Leary | BUF | @ NYJ | 18 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 17 |
| 14 | Tyler Kroft | CIN | @ JAC | 12 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 13 |
| 15 | Ed Dickson | CAR | vs. ATL | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
| 16 | Martellus Bennett | GB | vs. DET | 22 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 |
| 17 | Benjamin Watson | BAL | @ TEN | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 18 |
| 18 | A.J. Derby | DEN | @ PHI | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
| 19 | Ryan Griffin | HOU | vs. IND | 17 | -- | 18 | 19 | 20 | 12 |
| 20 | Eric Ebron | DET | @ GB | 21 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 24 |
| 21 | George Kittle | SF | vs. ARI | 16 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 20 |
| 22 | Marcedes Lewis | JAC | vs. CIN | -- | 24 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| 23 | Coby Fleener | NO | vs. TB | -- | 21 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
| 23 | Gerald Everett | LAR | @ NYG | -- | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
| 24 | Julius Thomas | MIA | vs. OAK | 25 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 25 |
| 25 | Jonnu Smith | TEN | vs. BAL | 23 | 19 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Tyler Higbee | LAR | @ NYG | 20 | 25 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | O.J. Howard | TB | @ NO | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
