What a disappointing week it was for two of the tight ends we considered to have such good matchups that they weren't even sleepers: Jack Doyle and Vance McDonald. Our Week 15 TE PPR rankings suggest there's still value with Doyle, but McDonald can return to the free agent scrap heap. David Njoku seems like a surefire play this week, but maybe we should look at McDonald as a warning for mediocre TEs in highly favorable matchups.
Njoku is facing the same fantasy-friendly Cardinals defense that McDonald did. However, the beliefe is that Njoku is much more talented, despite only playing in three games this year and doing next to nothing in his return from a wrist injury in Week 14. We still like him as the top tight end pickup this week if he's available in your league, but obviously there's some risk.
WEEK 15 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
If you don't have one of the top tight ends this week, you're probably worrying about TE injuries. Gerald Everett (knee), Greg Olsen (concussion), Evan Engram (foot), Ryan Griffin (ankle), Mark Andrews (knee/thigh), Noah Fant (foot), and Jared Cook (cook) are all hurt. Three of their backups would be worth considering as replacements: Carolina's Ian Thomas, the Giants' Kaden Smith, and Baltimore's Hayden Hurst. If you have any of those seven (or McDonald), it's worth checking on those three along with Njoku on the waiver wire.
WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver
Other than that, it's a pretty usual week in tight end land. Austin Hooper would raise the most concern heading into a matchup with the 49ers, but Hooper's target share (six) in Week 14 suggests he's healthy enough to make an impact down the stretch (and if the Falcons are without Calvin Ridley, Hooper will be more important). There's an argument to be made to streaming someone like Njoku over Hooper, but there's also plenty of argument to sticking with your stud and not kicking yourself for going away from him.
WEEK 15 DFS LINEUPS:
FD Cash | FD GPP | DK Cash | DK GPP | Y! Cash | Y! GPP
One last thing before you get to the rankings: Tyler Higbee looks like more than just a beneficiary of an Arizona matchup in Week 13. He surpassed 100 yards again, this time against the Seahawks on Sunday night. He'll put up good numbers if he gets a similar opportunity when the Rams travel to Dallas for Week 15.
MORE WEEK 15:
Waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Stock watch | Snap counts | Fantasy playoff tips
Reminder: Check back for updates during the week. For more individual tight end analysis, click here.
MORE WEEK 15 DFS: Values | Stacks | Lineup Builder
Week 15 PPR Rankings: TEs
These rankings are for full-point PPR leagues.
Rank | Player |
1 | George Kittle, SF vs. ATL |
2 | Travis Kelce, KC vs. DEN |
3 | Zach Ertz, PHI @ WAS |
4 | Hunter Henry, LAC vs. MIN |
5 | Darren Waller, OAK vs. JAX |
6 | Mark Andrews, BAL vs. NYJ |
7 | Tyler Higbee, LAR @ DAL |
8 | David Njoku, CLE @ ARZ |
9 | Jacob Hollister, SEA @ CAR |
10 | Ian Thomas, CAR vs. SEA |
11 | Austin Hooper, ATL @ SF |
12 | Jack Doyle, IND @ NO |
13 | Jared Cook, NO vs. IND |
14 | Dallas Goedert, PHI @ WAS |
15 | Noah Fant, DEN @ KC |
16 | Mike Gesicki, MIA @ NYG |
17 | Kyle Rudolph, MIN @ LAC |
18 | Jason Witten, DAL vs. LAR |
19 | Jimmy Graham, GB vs. CHI |
20 | O.J. Howard, TB @ DET |
21 | Dawson Knox, BUF @ PIT |
22 | Kaden Smith, NYG vs. MIA |
23 | Jordan Akins, HOU @ TEN |
24 | Darren Fells, HOU @ TEN |
25 | Cameron Brate, TB @ DET |
26 | Jonnu Smith, TEN vs. HOU |
27 | Jesse James, DET vs. TB |
28 | Tyler Eifert, CIN vs. NE |
29 | Benjamin Watson, NE @ CIN |
30 | Irv Smith Jr., MIN @ LAC |