6 of the top 10 tight ends in week 11 are currently owned in 20% or less of fantasy leagues. What a time to be alive!
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There were performances that seemed flukey such as Ricky Seals-Jones’ 2 touchdown game against the Houston Texans. However, Adam Shaheen did catch my eye with his four catch, one touchdown game against the Green Bay Packers. O.J. Howard continued to be the preferred option in Tampa Bay, at least while Ryan Fitzpatrick is under center.
Along with notable games from some of the lesser known players we also saw a few guys continue to slide. Hunter Henry’s day could have been better if he hauled in a difficult end zone target. He didn’t, so he finished with 2 receptions for 25 yards receiving in a game where the Los Angeles Chargers put up 700 points. Not good. Charles Clay and Jared Cook also disappointed. For Clay, you hope that Tyrod Taylor takes back the starting job and keeps it. For Mr. Cook, things should get better as the Oakland Raiders’ remaining schedule is very friendly.
With no more bye weeks streaming the position should get a bit easier. Vernon Davis and Tyler Kroft are the two most intriguing options. Davis might already be taken in your league, but Kroft should be available and he has a very good matchup against the Cleveland Browns. If you have the stomach for it, you can try to catch a ride on the Jared Cook rollercoaster. The Denver Broncos secondary isn’t what it used to be and they have given up the third most points to tight ends this season. As mentioned above, Adam Shaheen is an interesting play going forward. The second round pick has a favorable schedule and if he shows well against the Philadelphia Eagles you can feel better about starting him in weeks 13 and beyond.
This could also be the week we see Greg Olsen return from a foot injury. Kelvin Benjamin is now in Buffalo. Curtis Samuel is done for the year and I’m not buying Devin Funchess as a legit WR1. Olsen may split snaps with Ed Dickson in week 12, but if he is still available he is a quality add. His fantasy playoff schedule isn’t ideal, but it is easy to imagine Cam Newton feeding him the ball.
Did I miss a tight end you are interested in? Have lineup questions for Week 12? Take a look at our Week 12 rankings and leave a comment!
Tight end rankings, Week 12
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett; ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
TE rankings, Week 12
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | SK | JG | DG | KB | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | vs. MIA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | vs. BUF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Zach Ertz | PHI | vs. CHI | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | Evan Engram | NYG | @ WAS | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | @ SF | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | Vernon Davis | WAS | vs. NYG | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Jared Cook | OAK | vs. DEN | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Jack Doyle | IND | vs. TEN | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | Delanie Walker | TEN | @ IND | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| 10 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NYJ | vs. CAR | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| 11 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | @ DET | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| 12 | Charles Clay | BUF | @ KC | 17 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 11 |
| 13 | Greg Olsen | CAR | @ NYJ | 10 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 |
| 14 | Hunter Henry | LAC | @ DAL | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 |
| 15 | Benjamin Watson | BAL | vs. HOU | 19 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| 16 | Tyler Kroft | CIN | vs. CLE | 11 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 14 |
| 17 | Jason Witten | DAL | vs. LAC | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | Eric Ebron | DET | vs. MIN | 20 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
| 19 | Adam Shaheen | CHI | @ PHI | 23 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
| 20 | Julius Thomas | MIA | @ NE | -- | 22 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
| 21 | Martellus Bennett | NE | vs. MIA | -- | 20 | 21 | 21 | 23 |
| 22 | Austin Hooper | ATL | vs. TB | 14 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 |
| 23 | Jesse James | PIT | vs. GB | -- | 21 | 23 | 22 | 20 |
| 24 | O.J. Howard | TB | @ ATL | -- | 23 | 22 | 23 | 21 |
| 25 | Cameron Brate | TB | @ ATL | 18 | 25 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | C.J. Fiedorowicz | HOU | @ BAL | 21 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Garrett Celek | SF | vs. SEA | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Antonio Gates | LAC | @ DAL | -- | -- | 24 | 25 | 25 |
| -- | Marcedes Lewis | JAC | @ ARI | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | David Njoku | CLE | @ CIN | 25 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
