Week 12 Fantasy TE PPR Rankings: Must-starts, sleepers, potential busts at tight end

Jacob Camenker

Week 12 Fantasy TE PPR Rankings: Must-starts, sleepers, potential busts at tight end image

Taysom Hill really threw the tight end position into chaos during Week 11, and as long as he's starting at QB for the Saints and TE eligible in certain fantasy leagues, he'll be the top TE play. Even in a week with no byes, Hill tops our Week 12 PPR TE rankings despite being unlikely to have a catch. (Update: ESPN has taken away Hill's TE-eligiblity, so we've removed him from these rankings.)

Sure, you could make a case that Darren Waller (@ Falcons) could catch 15 passes against the league's worst defense against TEs or Travis Kelce will get multiple TDs against the Buccaneers and outscore Hill. That said, Hill has a high rushing floor, and simply put, no tight end can match the potential output of a QB, not even in PPR formats. 

WEEK 12 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Of course, arguments about Hill only matter for small minority of fantasy owners. For most, it's all about deciding whether to make a pickup, start a backup or stick with their usual starting TE, and there are some interesting sleepers who are widely available this week. Dalton Schultz (6.1 targets per game), Logan Thomas (5.7), Jimmy Graham (5.7), and Jordan Reed (5.5 targets in four starts) all will be trustworthy streamer options. Of the group, Thomas has been the most consistent and gets a favorable matchup against the Cowboys, so he's probably the one to trust.

WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker

Some TEs who get slight downgrades in PPR formats include Jonnu Smith (@ Colts), who averaged 3.2 targets per game his five games prior to Week 12, and Jared Cook (@ Broncos), who has just six targets in his past three games. It's probably best to avoid both of these players unless you want to give Smith a shot as a TD-or-bust play.

WEEK 12 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel

Hayden Hurst, who failed to record a catch in Week 11 despite Julio Jones (hamstring) being in and out of the game, and Eric Ebron (vs. Ravens), who has a tough matchup and was only able to salvage his Week 11 with a late TD, are also risky options this week. 

WEEK 12 DFS CASH LINEUPS: DraftKingsFanDuel

Check back for updates to these TE PPR rankings throughout the week. For individual analysis of key TEs, click here.

MORE WEEK 12 DFS: Best stacks | Best valuesLineup Builder

Week 12 Fantasy TE PPR Rankings

These rankings are for full-point PPR leagues

WEEK 12 FANTASY: SleepersBustsStart 'em, sit 'em

Rank Player
1 Darren Waller, LV @ ATL
2 Travis Kelce, KC @ TB
3 Evan Engram, NYG @ CIN
4 Austin Hooper, CLE @ JAX
5 Logan Thomas, WAS @ DAL
6 Rob Gronkowski, TB vs. KC
7 T.J. Hockenson, DET vs. HOU
8 Mike Gesicki, MIA @ NYJ
9 Dallas Goedert, PHI vs. SEA
10 Hunter Henry, LAC @ BUF
11 Jordan Reed, SF @ LAR
12 Mark Andrews, BAL @ PIT
13 Dalton Schultz, DAL vs. WAS
14 Hayden Hurst, ATL vs. LV
15 Trey Burton, IND vs. TEN
16 Eric Ebron, PIT vs. BAL
17 Jordan Akins, HOU @ DET
18 Jimmy Graham, CHI @ GB
19 Jonnu Smith, TEN @ IND
20 Noah Fant, DEN vs. NO
21 Robert Tonyan, GB vs. CHI
22 Richard Rodgers, PHI vs. SEA
23 Mo Alie-Cox, IND vs. TEN
24 Tyler Higbee, LAR vs. SF
25 Jared Cook, NO @ DEN
26 Tyler Kroft, BUF vs. LAC
27 Kyle Rudolph, MIN vs. CAR
28 Gerald Everett, LAR vs. SF
29 Jacob Hollister, SEA @ PHI
30 Tyler Eifert, JAX vs. CLE
31 Darren Fells, HOU @ DET
32 Drew Sample, CIN vs. NYG
33 Ian Thomas, CAR @ MIN
34 Anthony Firkser, TEN @ IND
35 Dan Arnold, ARZ @ NE
36 Cameron Brate, TB vs. KC

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.