Week 11 Fantasy TE Rankings: Must-starts, sleepers, potential busts at tight end

Jacob Camenker

Week 11 Fantasy TE Rankings: Must-starts, sleepers, potential busts at tight end image

Travis Kelce owners can breathe a sigh of relief. After having to rely on streamers with Kelce on bye in Week 10, he's returning to action along with weekly top-10 play Hayden Hurst and solid streamer Dalton Schultz. Those players will provide a pretty big boost to our Week 11 fantasy TE rankings.

Kelce, Hurst, and Schultz are all top-15 plays this week, with Kelce once again occupying the No. 1 spot. Kelce will continue to hold down that position week in and week out with some of the perennial top options having their fair share of issues. Notably, George Kittle (foot) and Zach Ertz (ankle) are on IR. Ertz is eligible to return this week, but chances are he'll miss more time.

WEEK 11 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker

Kittle and Ertz aren't the only TEs out this week. Bye weeks will knock out a few potential streaming options, as Evan Engram, Jordan Reed, and Jimmy Graham will all be idle. That will thin out the rankings a little bit, but it will also open up opportunities for new streamers to rise.

WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Jared Cook (vs. Falcons) is probably the best of the spot starters this week. Cook is taking on a Falcons team that has given up the most fantasy points per game to TEs this year, so he could be in for a big game if he gets enough targets. With it looking like Drew Brees (ribs) may miss this contest, perhaps Jameis Winston will look Cook's way often in such a favorable matchup. Or maybe Taysom Hill, who has TE eligibility in ESPN leagues, will get more snaps at QB to run the ball. His rushing upside will make him a great TE streamer with more snaps seemingly available at QB for the Saints. (Update: With Hill now expected to operate as the Saints primary QB, his floor is the highest of any TE on the board, which is why we've moved him to No. 1 in our rankings.)

WEEK 11 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings

Other streaming options include Logan Thomas (vs. Bengals), Schultz (@ Vikings), and either Irv Smith Jr. (if healthy) or Kyle Rudolph (vs. Cowboys). All are in solid matchups and have been getting enough targets in recent weeks to stay fantasy-relevant.

WEEK 11 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKingsFanDuel

This week, it's probably best to avoid Jonnu Smith (@ Ravens) and Robert Tonyan (@ Colts). Both are in road matchups against tough defenses, and in recent weeks, they have been more TD-dependent than anything else. Could they pan out? Sure, and if we had to pick one to roll with, it would probably be Smith, but at this point, there are other higher-quality options that have been getting more consistent targets than the 3.2 Smith has averaged the past five weeks. 

MORE WEEK 11 DFS: Best stacks | Best valuesLineup Builder

Check back for updates to these TE rankings throughout the week.

Week 11 Fantasy TE Rankings (Standard)

These rankings are for non-PPR leagues

Rank Player
1 Taysom Hill, NO vs. ATL
2 Travis Kelce, KC @ LV. Kelce is returning from his bye and is rightfully back in the No. 1 spot and should be for the rest of the season.
3 Darren Waller, LV vs. KC
4 Hayden Hurst, ATL @ NO. Hurst is returning from a Week 10 bye and will get to take on the Saints, a team that has allowed 9.7 fantasy points per game (FPPG) to TEs this year. That's good for the eighth most in the NFL, so Hurst, who is averaging 5.5 catches for 60.3 yards in his past four games, should be a solid start.
5 Rob Gronkowski, TB vs. LAR
6 Austin Hooper, CLE vs. PHI
7 Eric Ebron, PIT @ JAX
8 Mark Andrews, BAL vs. TEN. Andrews had a very productive game against the Patriots, catching seven-of-nine targets for 61 yards. He hasn't scored since Week 5, but Andrews is starting to return to form as a top fantasy TE again. The Titans allow 9.4 FPPG to TEs this year, good for the ninth most in the NFL. Andrew should have a solid day against them, especially considering that he is the only healthy tight end on the Ravens roster after Nick Boyle's season-ending knee injury.
9 Logan Thomas, WAS vs. CIN. Thomas has steadily developed into one of the most consistent tight ends in fantasy football. He has at least four targets in every game this year despite playing with three different quarterbacks, and he has averaged 3.5 catches and 49 receiving yards over the course of his past three games. His ceiling may be more TD-dependent than some of the other top options here, but his consistency earns him a spot in the top 10 against a Cincinnati defense that has allowed the second-most FPPG to TEs this year (11.8).
10 Jared Cook, NO vs. ATL. The Falcons have allowed 12 FPPG to TEs this year and a league-high eight TDs to the position. Cook didn't catch either of his two targets against the 49ers, but they are tough on TEs and the Saints only threw for 123 yards in that game anyway. The Falcons are a much more favorable matchup for Cook, so feel free to trust him in this spot even with Drew Brees (ribs) out.
11 Hunter Henry, LAC vs. NYJ. Henry has remarkably totaled exactly four catches in three straight games with yardage totals of 33, 33, and 30. That's consistent, but he only has just TDs on the year, so his floor is relatively low. He can still be trusted in a great matchup against the Jets, but he'll need to start racking up more yardage to continue to consistently be a top-10 TE.
12 T.J. Hockenson, DET @ CAR. Hockenson disappointed against Washington (two catches, 13 yards), but he has scored in four of his past six games and is averaging seven targets per game in his past four outings. The Panthers have allowed 548 receiving yards to TEs this year, good for the fourth most in the NFL, and that includes 295 yards in the past three weeks alone, so Hockenson may be able to take advantage of their recent struggles.
13 Noah Fant, DEN vs. MIA. In four games since returning from an ankle injury, Fant has racked up 6.5 targets per game but has managed just 37 yards and four catches per contest. He still has explosive playmaking ability, but he appears to still be hampered by the lingering malady and hasn't scored since Week 2. Still, the volume is there for Fant, so you have to start him in most matchups, especially PPR leagues. That said, you can consider other options in standard leagues for Week 11, as the Dolphins allow just five FPPG to TEs this season.
14 Dallas Goedert, PHI @ CLE. Though Goedert had just 33 yards against the Giants and was outgained by Richard Rodgers in that contest, he still saw six targets and should continue to get a lot of opportunities from Carson Wentz, who loves throwing to TEs. The Browns have been middle-of-the-pack against TEs, so Goedert can be considered this week, though Rodgers' presence could limit his overall opportunities.
15 Dalton Schultz, DAL @ MIN. In his past two games, Schultz has been targeted 15 times and caught 10 of them for 101 yards. The Cowboys should be getting Andy Dalton (concussion, COVID) back ahead of Week 11, so Schultz will now have a chance to connect with him instead of Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert. Schultz is a top streamer, and if he keeps getting targets, he may eventually become a top-12 option in PPR formats.
16 Irv Smith Jr., MIN vs. DAL. At this point, it's a well-known fact that the Cowboys have a poor defense. They're actually middle-of-the-pack against tight ends, but they have still allowed five TDs to the position this season. The Vikings will have a chance to get some production out of the position if they continue to run play-action from heavy personnel. In Week 9, Smith was the beneficiary of this and caught two short TDs. If he's healthy -- a groin injury kept him out in Week 10 -- he may have a chance to score again. If not, Kyle Rudolph will get the opportunity to be a streamer for the Vikings.
17 Mike Gesicki, MIA @ DEN. In his past two games, Gesicki has seen nine targets, caught five of them, and has generated 82 yards. Those numbers aren't spectacular, but they're an improvement over the five-game stretch in which he had more than one catch just once. If Tua Tagovailoa keeps looking his way, Gesicki's numbers could improve. For now, he's just a decent streamer in a below-average matchup (the Broncos ranked 22nd in FPPG to TEs this year).
18 Jonnu Smith, TEN @ BAL. Good news: Smith has found the end zone in back-to-back games. Bad news: He is averaging just 3.2 targets and 1.6 catches per game over his past five outings. Smith certainly can score, but he doesn't have the upside needed to be a consistent starting option. The Ravens rank 16th in FPPG allowed to TEs this year, so Smith will almost certainly be a TD-dependent option this week, and that will limit his ceiling.
19 Trey Burton, IND vs. GB. Burton saw a season-low three targets against the Titans last week but he caught all of them for 24 yards. He hasn't gotten a goal-line carry since Week 8, but he could always have a chance to log one against a weak Packers run defense. Overall though, it's hard to recommend trusting him as anything other than a PPR streamer.
20 Tyler Higbee, LAR @ TB. Against the Seahawks, Higbee logged a season-high 60 receiving yards on six targets. He has a good matchup coming up with the Buccaneers, who have allowed the ninth-most yards to TEs this year (493) and six TDs. Higbee has upside this week, but given that all three of his TDs came in Week 2 and he continues to split work with Gerald Everett, his floor is too low to trust.
21 Richard Rodgers, PHI @ CLE. Rodgers led the Eagles in receiving against the Giants with 60 yards. While he has totaled 60-plus yards twice in his past three games, he put up a goose-egg against the Cowboys. He's too volatile to start with Dallas Goedert healthy.
22 Robert Tonyan, GB @ IND. Only one NFL team has yet to allow a receiving TD to a TE. It's the Colts. Tonyan may lose some targets to Allen Lazard, who will presumably make his return this week, anyway, so sitting Tonyan this week is the right move.
23 Darren Fells, HOU vs. NE. Fells has just three catches for 41 yards in his last three games and is now splitting reps with Jordan Akins, who recently returned from a concussion. Fells is almost entirely TD-dependent, so he should only be started in excellent matchups. The Patriots don't qualify as one.
24 Gerald Everett, LAR @ TB. See Tyler Higbee.
25 Mo Alie-Cox, IND vs. GB. Alie-Cox has nine catches for 99 yards in his past three games. He's splitting time with Trey Burton and Jack Doyle at TE, so it's hard to trust him in full, but since Philip Rivers likes throwing to his TEs, Alie-Cox does have scoring potential.
26 Kyle Rudolph, MIN vs. DAL. See Irv Smith Jr.
27 Greg Olsen, SEA vs. ARZ
28 Drew Sample, CIN @ WAS
29 Jordan Akins, HOU vs. NE
30 Tyler Eifert, JAX vs. PIT
31 Ian Thomas, CAR vs. DET
32 Anthony Firkser, TEN @ BAL
33 Dan Arnold, ARZ @ SEA
34 Cameron Brate, TB vs. LAR

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.