Week 13 is a beautiful one for tight end byes, as none of the top-tier studs are out of action for that reason. Of course, not everyone has a must-start stud, so our Week 13 fantasy TE rankings can still help plenty of owners decide who to start at this tough position.
Again, it doesn't get much prettier when it comes to byes, as Tennessee, Cleveland, Green Bay, and Carolina take the week off. If you've been relying on Austin Hooper, you're probably checked out for the season anyway. There will still be some people looking for streamers, though, so we're here to help.
WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker
Travis Kelce (vs. Broncos) is the only premier TE with a worrisome matchup, but obviously, worries don't apply to him. Dalton Schultz (@ Saints) also looks to be in a tricky spot, but there aren't many tight ends with more upside, especially in PPR leagues.
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
However, Dawson Knox (vs. Patriots) and Hunter Henry (@ Bills) are two productive TEs that realistically can be sat on the pine in Week 13, mainly because they tend to be more "touchdown or bust" than Schultz. Matchups with two of the strongest defenses in fantasy against tight ends might justify sitting them, but you better have some good alternatives. Zach Ertz (vs. Bears) also fits into this category of players, but his upside has been lower than Knox, Henry and Schultz.
WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo
Streamers this week include C.J. Uzomah (vs. Chargers), Evan Engram (@ Dolphins), Jack Doyle (@ Texans), Foster Moreau (vs. Washington), and Tyler Conklin (vs. Lions). Uzomah and Engram each face bottom-five teams against fantasy TEs heading into Week 12, we know Uzomah has big upside. Conklin's matchup with Detroit and Moreau's matchup with Washington aren't necessarily favorable on paper, but with the steady targets and big-play upside we've seen from both at times this year, we consider them solid options against poor pass defenses.
WEEK 13 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
In deep leagues, Mo Allie-Cox (@ Texans) and Ryan Griffin (vs. Eagles) are worth considering because of their top-three matchups. Notice we specified "deep leagues" because neither are even close to reliable, but they're technically decent considerations if you're forced to pick from the bottom of the barrel. Juwan Johnson (vs. Cowboys) can also be added to that discussion.
WEEK 13 DFS: Best values | Best stacks | Lineup Builder
Because no tight end of consequence is on a bye and only one regular starter is dealing with injury (Darren Waller), you shouldn't have much trouble picking up a decent streamer. This almost feels like a week without byes, so don't overthink things too much.
Note: We'll be updating these TE rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis.
Fantasy TE Rankings Week 13: Who to start at tight end
Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Travis Kelce, KC vs. DEN |
| 2 | Rob Gronkowski, TB @ ATL |
| 3 | Mark Andrews, BAL @ PIT |
| 4 | George Kittle, SF @ SEA |
| 5 | Mike Gesicki, MIA vs. NYG |
| 6 | Logan Thomas, WAS @ LV |
| 7 | Kyle Pitts, ATL vs. TB |
| 8 | Dallas Goedert, PHI @ NYJ. Surely you're disappointed by Goedert's one-catch, zero-yard performance in Week 12, but the Jets are a bottom-10 defense against the position and Jalen Hurts simply had the worst game of his career against the Giants. Don't overreact here too much -- start Goedert, who has overall TE1 upside. |
| 9 | Pat Freiermuth, PIT vs. BAL. Freiermuth (concussion) has a chance to miss this game, but he's virtually a must-start against the Ravens if he can play. Baltimore came into Week 12 as the fifth-worst defense against fantasy TEs and allowed David Njoku and Harrison Bryant to combine for six catches, 80 yards, and a touchdown. Freiermuth has scored six touchdowns this season but also commands enough targets to be a solid PPR option. The Steelers usually follow up disastrous performances with solid ones, so we're not too concerned about him in this spot. |
| 10 | Dalton Schultz, DAL @ NO. The Saints are a strong defense against fantasy tight ends, but they are coming off a game in which they allowed Dawson Knox to reach the end zone twice. Schultz commands enough targets to be ranked as a TE1 at a weak position, so it's hard to justify benching him this week. He's been productive even when CeeDee Lamb (concussion) and Amari Cooper (reserve/COVID) have been in the lineup, so go ahead and trust him in this spot, |
| 11 | T.J. Hockenson, DET vs. MIN. Hockenson's targets figures haven't been consistent in recent weeks, and a touchdown saved him from a bust week against the Bears in Week 12. Minnesota is a top-five unit against tight ends and is coming off of a performance in which they held George Kittle to just one catch. Still, Hockenson's upside can only make him slide in rankings so far, but don't be shocked if it's another bust week for the Lions' TE. |
| 12 | Noah Fant, DEN @ KC. Kansas City is also ranked among the worst defenses against fantasy TEs, but it's becoming tough to trust any Broncos' pass-catchers at this point in the season. None can be counted on for any kind of consistency, and Fant is coming off a game in which he caught just three passes for 12 yards in an even more favorable matchup with the Chargers. Like Hockenson, we know he's one of the most talented TEs in the league, but other players at the position have been much more reliable and have flashed higher ceilings. |
| 13 | Dawson Knox, BUF vs. NE. New England came into Week 12 as the third-strongest defense against fantasy TE and allowed just three catches for 25 yards to Tennessee's three-man tight end committee. Knox will be among the best TEs they have faced, but his prospects might rely on a deep touchdown. He's been better than just a touchdown-or-bust option, but this week, that is how we should view him. |
| 14 | Foster Moreau, LV vs. WAS. Moreau caught six passes for 60 yards and a touchdown when Darren Waller (knee) missed a game earlier this season, so we view him as one of the better streaming options in Week 13 assuming Waller can't go. Washington is a neutral matchup for tight ends, but Las Vegas loves to feature tight ends, especially since they don't have much at WR after Hunter Renfrow. Washington's weakness is their passing defense, so expect Derek Carr to sling it around early and often. |
| 15 | C.J. Uzomah, CIN vs. LAC. Uzomah has had two overall TE1 performances this year, so we have to at least consider him in a matchup with the second-weakest defense in limiting fantasy tight ends heading into Week 12. Sure, the Chargers "shut down" Noah Fant, but the Broncos completed just 11 passes, as they were content to ground and pound to victory. Joe Burrow and co. should have a more pass-happy game script, so Uzomah's ceiling is high. That said, his floor is virtually non-existent, so it's another week with a boom-or-bust outlook for Uzomah. |
| 16 | Hunter Henry, NE @ BUF. Henry has caught just 2.9 passes/game this season, and his fantasy outlook lies solely on touchdowns. Buffalo is a top-five defense against tight ends -- like Tennessee was -- so we're expected another touchdown-or-bust day from Henry, |
| 17 | Zach Ertz, ARI @ CHI. A Pat Freiermuth two-touchdown day against Chicago is the only time the Bears have allowed more than 12 fantasy points in standard leagues to tight ends. Since Ertz hasn't been the fantasy stud we'd hoped he'd be in Arizona, he's more on the "sit" side of the start 'em, sit 'em bubble. |
| 18 | Tyler Conklin, MIN @ DET. Like Uzomah, Conklin's floor doesn't make him a safe play, but he does have some upside when Kirk Cousins is playing well. Detroit is OK against fantasy TEs, but Cole Kmet just put up eight catches for 65 yards against them, so it's not as if we should be overly concerned about the matchup. |
| 19 | Evan Engram, NYG @ MIA. |
| 20 | Jack Doyle, IND @ HOU |
| 21 | Cole Kmet, CHI vs. ARI |
| 22 | Tyler Higbee, LAR vs. JAX |
| 23 | James O'Shaughnessy, JAX @ LAR |
| 24 | Jared Cook, LAC @ CIN |
| 25 | Mo Alie-Cox, IND @ HOU |
| 26 | Gerald Everett, SEA vs. SF |
| 27 | Ryan Griffin, NYJ vs. PHI |
| 28 | Juwan Johnson, NO vs. DAL |
| 29 | Jonnu Smith, NE vs. BUF |
| 30 | Will Dissly, SEA vs. SF |