Tight end continued to be a forgettable position in 2017. Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce were the best of the bunch during the fantasy regular season and it was great to see guys like Zach Ertz, Jimmy Graham and Evan Engram become reliable options as well. Unfortunately, we may be without Ertz and Gronk going into the first week of the playoffs since Ertz is in the concussion protocol and Gronk went Randy “Macho Man” Savage on a downed defender and is suspended.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
To keep the bad news rolling, this isn’t a great week to stream the tight end position. Trey Burton is usually a solid fill in for Ertz, but whoever starts will have a tough match against the Los Angeles Rams. Dwayne Allen will get more action with Gronk and Martellus Bennett out, but he didn’t do anything with his opportunity the last time Gronkowski missed a game.
Cameron Brate broke back onto the scene with Jameis Winston back at quarterback. You like the two touchdowns, but his lack of volume (two receptions) should make you hesitant to start him against the Detroit Lions. O.J. Howard is still around to further muddy the waters. Tyler Kroft is also a low-volume play and I’d prefer his matchup at home against the Chicago Bears.
David Njoku had his best game of the year and the Cleveland Browns are finally featuring him more. On Sunday, he gets the Green Bay Packers, who are one of the best teams in the league at defending tight ends. Charles Clay is a better option if he is still available and if Tyrod Taylor starts. I also like Ricky Seals-Jones, who came back to earth in Week 13, but he is getting enough attention to stream him against a struggling Tennessee Titans defense.
For the tight ends in the middle of the pack, there are some to stick with and a few you may want to sit. Kyle Rudolph has been hot, but has a date with the Carolina Panthers this week in what could be a low-scoring slog. Delanie Walker, Hunter Henry, and Jason Witten are all plus plays with positive matchups
Did I miss a tight end you are interested in? Have lineup questions for Week 13? Take a look at our Week 14 rankings and leave a comment! Good luck in the playoffs!
Tight end rankings, Week 14
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett; ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
TE rankings, Week 14
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | SK | JG | DG | KB | ZS | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Kelce | KC | vs. OAK | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | @ JAC | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Zach Ertz | PHI | @ LAR | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Delanie Walker | TEN | @ ARI | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Evan Engram | NYG | vs. DAL | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| 6 | Hunter Henry | LAC | vs. WAS | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
| 7 | Jason Witten | DAL | @ NYG | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| 8 | Jack Doyle | IND | @ BUF | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 7 |
| 9 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | @ CAR | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | Charles Clay | BUF | vs. IND | 13 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 14 |
| 11 | Jared Cook | OAK | @ KC | 10 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 11 |
| 12 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NYJ | @ DEN | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| 13 | Tyler Kroft | CIN | vs. CHI | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
| 14 | Cameron Brate | TB | vs. DET | 11 | 11 | 19 | 14 | 19 | 10 |
| 15 | Ricky Seals-Jones | ARI | vs. TEN | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 |
| 16 | Vernon Davis | WAS | @ LAC | 15 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 15 |
| 17 | Greg Olsen | CAR | vs. MIN | 20 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 |
| 18 | David Njoku | CLE | vs. GB | 17 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
| 19 | Austin Hooper | ATL | vs. NO | 19 | 17 | 23 | 18 | 23 | 17 |
| 20 | Julius Thomas | MIA | vs. NE | 18 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 18 |
| 21 | Stephen Anderson | HOU | vs. SF | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| 22 | Dwayne Allen | NE | @ MIA | -- | -- | 11 | -- | 11 | -- |
| 23 | Benjamin Watson | BAL | @ PIT | -- | -- | 17 | -- | 17 | -- |
| 24 | Eric Ebron | DET | @ TB | 22 | 22 | -- | 22 | -- | 22 |
| 25 | Antonio Gates | LAC | vs. WAS | 25 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 23 |
| -- | O.J. Howard | TB | vs. DET | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 |
| -- | C.J. Fiedorowicz | HOU | vs. SF | 24 | 25 | -- | 25 | -- | 24 |
