The tight end position is usually one of the toughest ones to navigate in fantasy football, and it will continue to be during fantasy championship week. Owners that don't have one of the top six or seven players at the position will have to continue to look for streamers to trust in tough start 'em, sit 'em decisions. Our Week 16 fantasy TE rankings will help you sort through the top options and recommend some potential volume and matchup-based sleepers to trust.
Per usual, our top-10 TEs are, more or less, the same as previous weeks with the only changes coming in the order in which they're ranked. This week, Robert Tonyan (vs. Titans) and Logan Thomas (vs. Panthers) are bumped up a bit higher than usual, as Tonyan has consistently gotten red-zone TDs and scores while Thomas continues to see a lot of targets regardless of who is starting at QB. That said, those were the only big changes at the top.
WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Outside the top-10, the potential options get a bit dicier, but there are still some solid sleepers. Cole Kmet (@ Jaguars) looks like one of the best options this week, as he is emerging as the No. 1 tight end in an improving Bears offense and he is taking on a Jaguars team that has been weak to TEs this year. Austin Hooper (@ Jets) is in a similar boat. He isn't getting as many targets as Kmet has in recent weeks, but the Jets have allowed more fantasy points to TEs than any other team in the league, so if Hooper should have a good game. Tyler Eifert (vs. Bears) and Kmet's teammate Jimmy Graham (@ Jaguars) are also in play thanks to highly favorable matchups and fairly consistent targets.
WEEK 16 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker
There are a couple of regular starting TEs in tougher matchups this week, as Eric Ebron (vs. Colts) and Evan Engram (@ Ravens) are taking on a couple of good defenses. Ebron especially could have trouble since the Colts have been a top-five defense against TEs this year. Both players are still getting targets, so they can be trusted as lower-end starters, but there are better options out there, like most of the players mentioned above.
Further down, Jordan Akins (vs. Bengals) and Dawson Knox (@ Patriots) qualify as deeper sleepers. Akins hasn't done a lot in recent weeks, but he has had several scoring opportunities and if he stops dropping them, he could emerge as a top play against a Bengals defense that has struggled against TEs. Meanwhile, Knox is starting to see more targets for the Bills and has a TD in three of his past four games. He's more of a TD-dependent option, but if the Patriots are focused on stopping Stefon Diggs, Knox could fly under the radar and find the end zone.
WEEK 16 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Once again, George Kittle (foot) will bear watching, as he did return to practice for the 49ers last week. It's unclear when or if he'll be healthy enough to return this season, but if he's back in Week 16, he will be a top-10 TE, bare minimum. We won't include him in our rankings just yet, but keep an eye on his status in the coming weeks.
WEEK 16 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Check back for updates to these TE rankings throughout the week.
MORE WEEK 16 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder
Week 16 Fantasy TE Rankings (Standard)
These rankings are for non-PPR leagues
WEEK 16 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Travis Kelce, KC vs. ATL |
| 2 | Darren Waller, LV vs. MIA |
| 3 | Noah Fant, DEN @ LAC. Returning from an illness in Week 15, Fant was targeted 11 times and caught eight passes for 68 yards and a TD against a Bills defense that has been weak to TEs this year. Fant gets a similarly solid matchup against a Chargers team that has allowed 10 TDs to the TE position, tied for the third -most in the NFL, so he can be trusted. |
| 4 | T.J. Hockenson, DET vs. TB |
| 5 | Mark Andrews, BAL vs. NYG |
| 6 | George Kittle, SF @ ARI |
| 7 | Robert Tonyan, GB vs. TEN. Tonyan has established himself as a top-10 fixture at TE, as he has caught a TD in five straight games and is averaging 4.4 catches for 40.8 yards in that span. The Titans have struggled against top TEs this year, so Tonyan should be in for a good day. |
| 8 | Mike Gesicki, MIA @ LV. Gesicki (shoulder) seemed close to playing last week, but he'll need to be watched closely if you're planning on using him against the Raiders. If he does play, he should do well as Tua Tagovailoa's preferred red-zone target. |
| 9 | Logan Thomas, WAS vs. CAR. Thomas had a league-high 15 targets in Week 15. He is the clear-cut No. 2 weapon in the Washington offense behind Terry McLaurin. The Panthers have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to TEs this year, so this is another great matchup for Thomas to take advantage of. |
| 10 | Rob Gronkowski, TB @ DET |
| 11 | Dallas Goedert, PHI @ DAL. Goedert continues to out-target Zach Ertz in the Eagles' offense, and he seems to be building a solid rapport with Jalen Hurts. He is averaging four catches and 41 yards in Hurts' two starts and the Cowboys just let Jordan Reed find the end zone, so Goedert could follow suit. If he does that, he'll be a nice start at the TE spot. |
| 12 | Austin Hooper, CLE @ NYJ. The red-hot Baker Mayfield targeted Hooper six times against the Giants. That marked the most targets he had seen since Week 6. Hooper turned those targets into five catches, 41 yards, and a TD. He should have a chance to do some serious damage against a Jets team that has allowed more fantasy points, yards (926), and TDs (13) to TEs than any other team. |
| 13 | Tyler Eifert, JAX vs. CHI. The Bears have allowed seven TDs to TEs in their last eight games and in reality, it would've been eight if not for an ugly Jordan Akins drop in the end zone a couple of weeks ago. Eifert is averaging 3.7 catches for 39.3 yards in his past three games. If he can continue to produce at that clip and add a TD against a Bears defense that has played poorly against TEs this year (second-most fantasy points allowed to the position), he is worth starting. |
| 14 | Cole Kmet, CHI @ JAX. After back-to-back seven target games, Kmet disappointed against the Vikings with two catches for 12 yards. Jimmy Graham was targeted three times compared to his two, so it seems as if this situation might be more of a timeshare than it was initially looking like. That said, Kmet played all of the Bears' offensive snaps and now will get a chance to take on a Jaguars defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to TEs and the second-most TDs (11). |
| 15 | Hayden Hurst, ATL @ KC. The Chiefs have allowed the sixth-most receiving yards to TEs this year (806), but it's hard to trust Hurst as anything more than a boom-or-bust streamer. In his past five games, he has averaged just two catches for 17 yards per game. He did catch a TD against the Bucs last week, however, so he definitely has high upside if he can find the end zone. |
| 16 | Zach Ertz, PHI @ DAL. Ertz has been out-targeted by Goedert 14-10 in Jalen Hurts' starts, but Ertz did see seven targets last game and caught two of them for a team-leading 69 yards. He's bouncing back a bit and if Hurts targets him at that volume again, he could produce against a Cowboys team that ranks middle-of-the-pack against TEs. |
| 17 | Jimmy Graham, CHI @ JAX. Graham is behind Kmet in terms of total snap count, but he still ranks eighth in the NFL in total red-zone targets (16). He will be a TD-dependent threat at the position, but that's an intriguing option in a matchup with the Jaguars' porous TE defense (11 TDs allowed on the year). |
| 18 | Evan Engram, NYG @ BAL. Engram has just two total TDs this year, so trusting him against the Ravens isn't recommended. Baltimore is allowing the 13th-most receiving yards to TEs this year, but Engram has only averaged 3.3 catches for 32 yards since his 129-yard outburst against the Bengals. It's hard to roll with Engram unless you're looking for a safe target option in a PPR league. |
| 19 | Eric Ebron, PIT vs. IND |
| 20 | Jordan Akins, HOU vs. CIN. Akins has logged 12 targets, eight catches, and 70 yards in his last two games for the Texans, and he would've scored against the Bears if not for an awful dropped TD. The Bengals had allowed a league-high 66.7 yards per game to TEs before their Monday Night Football game against the Steelers, so Akins could continue to rack up yards as one of Deshaun Watson's top-four receiving options. |
| 21 | Dalton Schultz, DAL vs. PHI. Schultz caught a TD last week, but every week since Week 8, he has seen his target total decrease by one (8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2). The Eagles have given up the ninth-most fantasy points to TEs this year, but the volume just might not be there any longer for Schultz. He's a low-end streamer and potential DFS target. |
| 22 | Irv Smith Jr., MIN @ NO. Smith has seven catches for 100 yards and a TD in his last two games, but Tyler Conklin has totaled eight catches for 107 yards and a TD. This looks like a frustrating split at the TE spot, so it's probably better to ignore the Vikings TEs against a middle-of-the-road Saints defense. |
| 23 | Jonnu Smith, TEN @ GB. Smith tied a season-high in catches against the Lions (5) and had 50 yards, his third-highest total of the season. That said, Smith's inconsistent usage in a battle with a Packers defense that has allowed only four TDs to TEs this year don't seem like a good mix. There are better streamers out there for sure. |
| 24 | Dan Arnold, ARI vs. SF. Arnold has averaged 47.3 yards and a TD in last three games, but the 49ers have been great against TEs this year and held him to just two catches for 21 yards in the season opener. |
| 25 | Dawson Knox, BUF @ NE. Good news: Knox has a TD in three of his last four games. Bad news: The Patriots have only allowed one TD to TEs all year long. That was to Foster Moreau in the second game of the season. |
| 26 | Tyler Higbee, LAR @ SEA. Higbee had a season-high 67 yards against the Jets and scored for the fifth time this season. The Seahawks are a much tougher opponent than the Jets, so neither Higbee nor Gerald Everett can be trusted. |
| 27 | Gerald Everett, LAR @ SEA |
| 28 | Drew Sample, CIN @ HOU |
| 29 | Jack Doyle, IND @ PIT |
| 30 | Jared Cook, NO vs. MIN |
| 31 | Jacob Hollister, SEA vs. LAR |
| 32 | Will Dissly, SEA vs. LAR |
| 33 | Darren Fells, HOU vs. CIN |
| 34 | Ian Thomas, CAR @ WAS |
| 35 | Cameron Brate, TB @ DET |
| 36 | Anthony Firkser, TEN @ GB |
