Fantasy TE PPR Rankings Week 16: Who to start, sit at tight end in fantasy football

Jackson Sparks

Fantasy TE PPR Rankings Week 16: Who to start, sit at tight end in fantasy football image

Our Week 16 fantasy TE PPR rankings could be flipped upside down before the end of the week because of all the COVID madness going on, but for now, we'll work with what we have and help you decide who to start and who to sit at tight end.

It's worth noting Darren Waller (knee) could be back this week, but T.J. Hockenson is done for the year after having surgery on his thumb. Travis Kelce (vs. Steelers), Mark Andrews (@ Bengals), and George Kittle (@ Titans) have all re-joined the elite class of tight ends after brief hiatuses, but we can never have enough producers at the position. (Update: Kelce was placed on the reserve/COVID list on Monday, but he still has a chance to play in Week 16.)

WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker

As crazy as this sounds, James O'Shaugnessy (@ Jets) might have the safest floor in PPR leagues among potential streamers. The matchup with the Jets is strong, and Jags' tight ends have enjoyed plenty of targets all season long. Of course, his ceiling is limited by a bad Jaguars' offense, but if you need some cheap and easy points, he's your guy. If you want to chase as much upside as possible, C.J. Uzomah (vs. Ravens) is probably the best bet. He's produced TE1 weeks several times and has been the overall TE1 twice this season. Low floor, high ceiling -- isn't that was the fantasy playoffs are all about? 

WEEK 16 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Other viable streamer options include Cole Kmet (@ Seahawks), Even Engram (@ Eagles), Jared Cook (@ Texans), Albert Okwuegbunam (@ Raiders). Each probably has a higher upside than O'Shaugnessy but a lower upside than Uzomah. Which player is best for your team depends on what you need this week.

WEEK 16 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em

We're out on the Browns' TEs (@ Packers), Tyler Higbee (@ Vikings), Tyler Conklin (vs. Rams), and Gerald Everett (vs. Bears) this week. All are better suited as touchdown-or-bust options in standard leagues, and since the matchups are unfavorable, we're not trusting them in the fantasy playoffs. However, we do like season-long bust Noah Fant (@ Raiders) and weekly start 'em, sit 'em headache Zach Ertz (@ Colts), both of whom get some of the top TE matchups.

WEEK 16 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo

Again, be prepared with a backup because any of your must-start studs could pop up on the reserve/COVID list. Unlike RB and even WR, you can't really handcuff your TE in most cases, so you have to study the matchups and have your pivot ready. It's not fun to deal with this stuff during the fantasy playoffs, but no one said winning a title would be easy.

MORE WEEK 16 DFS: Best stacks | Lineup Builder

Note: We'll be updating these TE rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis. For individual analysis of key TEs, click here.

Fantasy TE PPR Rankings Week 16: Who to start at tight end

Rankings based on full-point PPR scoring

Rank Player
1 Mark Andrews, BAL @ CIN
2 George Kittle, SF @ TEN
3 Travis Kelce, KC vs. PIT
4 Rob Gronkowski, TB @ CAR
5 Mike Gesicki, MIA @ NO
6 Dallas Goedert, PHI vs. NYG
7 Zach Ertz, ARI @ IND
8 Kyle Pitts, ATL vs. DET
9 Dawson Knox, BUF @ NE
10 Dalton Schultz, DAL vs. WAS
11 Noah Fant, DEN @ LV
12 Hunter Henry, NE vs. BUF
13 James O'Shaughnessy, JAX @ NYJ
14 Cole Kmet, CHI @ SEA
15 Evan Engram, NYG @ PHI
16 C.J. Uzomah, CIN vs. BAL
17 Jared Cook, LAC @ HOU
18 Tyler Higbee, LAR @ MIN
19 Albert Okwuegbunam, DEN @ LV
20 Foster Moreau, LV vs. DEN
21 Ricky Seals-Jones, WAS @ DAL
22 Tyler Conklin, MIN vs. LAR
23 Austin Hooper, CLE @ GB
24 David Njoku, CLE @ GB
25 Josiah Deguara, GB vs. CLE
26 Gerald Everett, SEA vs. CHI
27 Ryan Griffin, NYJ vs. JAX
28 Jonnu Smith, NE vs. BUF
29 Nick Vannett, NO vs. MIA
30 Jack Doyle, IND @ ARI
31 Tommy Tremble, CAR vs. TB
32 Mo Alie-Cox, IND @ ARI
33 Zach Gentry, PIT @ KC

Jackson Sparks