The depth at TE was tested a bit last week with Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle, and David Njoku all on bye, but it help up fairly well. Our Week 12 fantasy TE rankings get a big test, as the perennial No. 1 TE, Travis Kelce, is on bye. That means there will be a new top dog for the first time in a while, and it also means that Kelce's owners could be looking for potential sleepers and streamers on the waiver wire. Thankfully, we highlight some players who could help with the difficult start 'em, sit 'em decisions Kelce owners are facing.
There are two members of the streamer crowd that stand out: Jeff Heuerman and C.J. Uzomah. Heuerman gets a matchup with a Steelers defense that hasn't fared well against TEs all season, and considering that he's getting more action in the passing game (16 targets in two games since the Demaryius Thomas trade), he can be trusted as a potential high-volume player. Meanwhile, Uzomah has put up six catches for 64 yards in the past two weeks against teams that have been very good against TEs. The Browns are much worse, so he could break through with a score this week and should have a chance to see targets whether or not A.J. Green plays.
Week 12 Rankings:
Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | D/ST | Kicker
There were some notable TEs that were knocked out due to injury last week. Jimmy Graham suffered a broken thumb and he will have to miss time as a result. In addition to his injury, O.J. Howard left the Bucs-Giants game late with an ankle malady, so we'll be watching his status closely. Right now, we're expecting him to suit up, but that could change depending on how he practices in the coming days.
Note: We will update these rankings and add analysis during the week, so check back often.
WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Week 12 Fantasy Rankings: TE
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
| 1 | Zach Ertz, Eagles vs. Giants |
| 2 | George Kittle, 49ers @ Buccaneers. Kittle has established himself as one of the best young TEs in football. The Buccaneers have given up five double-digit scores at the position since Week 3 and are second-worst at defending the position league-wide. Kittle should easily succeed and continue on as the top target for Nick Mullens. |
| 3 | O.J. Howard, Buccaneers vs. 49ers |
| 4 | Eric Ebron, Colts vs. Dolphins. Ebron didn't catch a pass last week, but that's bound to change against the Dolphins. Miami allowed five TDs in a three-week span to TEs recently, and Ebron is a big-time TD threat. Andrew Luck will look to get Ebron involved in the red-zone and will probably feed him targets early on. |
| 5 | David Njoku, Browns @ Bengals. The Bengals aren't good at anything on defense. That includes defending tight ends. They give up the fifth-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to the position, so Njoku should have a good chance to produce coming off a bye week. |
| WEEK 12 DFS CASH LINEUPS: Yahoo | FanDuel | DraftKings | |
| 6 | Rob Gronkowski, Patriots @ Jets |
| 7 | Greg Olsen, Panthers vs. Seahawks |
| 8 | Trey Burton, Bears @ Lions. Burton had just one catch for nine yards last week, but last time he played the Lions, he caught four passes for 40 yards and added a two-point conversion. We're expecting him to have a game closer to the latter this week. You can't sit Burton anyway because of his TD potential. |
| 9 | Jeff Heuerman, Broncos vs. Steelers. Heuerman has seen 16 targets in two games since the Demaryius Thomas trade, and he seems to be more heavily involved in the Denver offense. The Steelers haven't been good against TEs this year, so Heuerman could have a good outing against them. |
| 10 | C.J. Uzomah, Bengals vs. Browns. Uzomah's overall worth may depend a bit more on whether or not A.J. Green is active in this contest, but he did catch three passes for 41 yards against a tough Ravens team last week. Uzomah will have a chance to do some damage against a Browns team that has allowed 17 catches, 155 yards, and three TDs to TEs in their previous two games. |
| WEEK 12 DFS GPP LINEUPS: Yahoo | FanDuel | DraftKings | |
| 11 | Vance McDonald, Steelers @ Broncos. The Broncos were just picked apart by the ancient Antonio Gates, who logged 80 yards and a TD against them last week. It was their third-straight week allowing a score to a TE. McDonald should take advantage of the matchup and will have a chance to get in the end zone for a third-straight week. |
| 12 | Jordan Reed, Redskins @ Cowboys. Last week, Reed put up a season-high seven catches, 71 yards, and scored for the first time since Week 1. New starting QB Colt McCoy will likely treat Reed as his primary target, so that gives him some upside heading into Week 12. That said, a tough matchup with the Cowboys could cause him to struggle on a short week. Still, he can be started thanks to his TD upside. |
| 13 | Jared Cook, Raiders @ Ravens. Cook caught a TD last week and he'll have to catch another if he wants to stay relevant in this matchup. The Ravens have been solid against TEs this year and have only allowed two TDs to the position this season. That makes Cook a high-end TE2 this week. |
| 14 | Evan Engram, Giants @ Eagles. Engram has been a disappointment this season and he is averaging only 4.7 targets per game. The one thing the Eagles defense has done well this year is defend the TE position, and they have only allowed one player to hit double-digit points against them this season. That was O.J. Howard in Week 2. Engram will struggle to get the space and the opportunities to make plays this week. He's best served as a bench option for the moment. |
| 15 | Chris Herndon, Jets vs. Patriots. The Patriots are one of the worst teams in the NFL in FPPG allowed to TEs at a mark of 10.41. Herndon has been getting more and more involved in the Jets' offense in recent weeks, and he has at least 6.2 fantasy points in four of his last five games. This could be his chance to breakout in a favorable matchup with a divisional rival. |
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| 16 | Kyle Rudolph, Vikings vs. Packers. Rudolph hasn't scored since Week 3. He hasn't logged more than 39 yards in five weeks. He did have his best game of the season, seven catches for 72 yards, against the Packers, but it seems that most of the targets in the passing game are going to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Until that changes, it's very difficult to trust Rudolph. |
| 17 | Nick Vannett, Seahawks @ Panthers. The Panthers have a lot of trouble defending the TE position, and they have allowed nine TDs to the position. The Seahawks will try to take advantage of that, and Vannett is the TE1 for the squad. He should see some red-zone targets, though it's questionable whether he or his teammate Ed Dickson will get more chances to catch the ball. For now, we like Vannett since he has gotten more targets over the course of the past few weeks. |
| 18 | Mark Andrews, Ravens vs. Raiders |
| 19 | Jonnu Smith, Titans @ Texans. Smith has started to get more involved in the Tennessee offense, and he set season-highs in targets (8) and catches (6) last week. The Texans were just beaten badly by Jordan Reed, so perhaps the athletic Smith could have a chance to do similar damage. Of course, he is held back a bit by the potential injury to Marcus Mariota. |
| 20 | Ricky Seals-Jones, Cardinals @ Chargers |
| 21 | Austin Hooper, Falcons @ Saints. In the last two weeks, Hooper has seen 19 targets and has caught 14 for 83 yards and a score. However, the Saints have been good against TEs this year and just did a great job of limiting Zach Ertz. Hooper could end up floundering in this matchup as a result. |
| 22 | Ben Watson, Saints vs. Falcons. The Falcons are actually decent against TEs, but they did allow Watson to post five catches for 71 yards when they met in Week 3. That could make Watson a potential streamer, but he may not get enough target share to do much. |
| 23 | Jack Doyle, Colts vs. Dolphins. Doyle has been seeing almost six targets a game this season and has played well since returning to the lineup. That said, his TD potential isn't that high as Luck tends to look Ebron's way in the red-zone. Because of that, Doyle falls below the level of some ofthe other streamers that are available. |
| 24 | James O'Shaughnessy, Jaguars @ Bills |
| 25 | Charles Clay, Bills vs. Jaguars |
| 26 | Ed Dickson, Seahawks @ Panthers |
| 27 | Cameron Brate, Buccaneers vs. 49ers |
| 28 | Lance Kendricks, Packers @ Vikings. Kendricks may be the starter if Jimmy Graham misses time with a thumb injury. He's not a viable fantasy starter. |
| 29 | Antonio Gates, Chargers vs. Cardinals. We saw vintage Antonio Gates last week against the Broncos, but he'll have a hard time replicating that. The Cardinals don't give up much to TEs and it seems that last week's strategy may have been part of the game plan. It's likely that the Chargers will look elsewhere for production, especially since the Cardinals don't do well against the run. |
| 30 | Hayden Hurst, Ravens vs. Raiders |
| 31 | Michael Roberts, Lions vs. Bears |
| 32 | Jordan Thomas, Texans vs. Titans |
| 33 | Vernon Davis, Redskins @ Cowboys |
| 34 | Mike Gesicki, Dolphins @ Colts |
| 35 | Geoff Swaim, Cowboys vs. Redskins |
| 36 | Dallas Goedert, Eagles vs. Giants |
| 37 | Jesse James, Steelers @ Broncos |
| 38 | Marcedes Lewis, Packers @ Vikings. Lewis seems to be the second-fiddle to his teammate Kendricks with Graham likely out, so he's also not a fantasy factor. |
