David Njoku has officially taken the title of most frustrating fantasy football tight end in 2019 away from Chris Herndon. Week 15 was supposed to be Njoku's chance to reaffirm that he's a rising star. The matchup with the TE-friendly Cardinals was a chance to push owners into their fantasy football championships. Instead, Njoku was a healthy scratch -- in a late-afternoon game, no less. There's basically no way you can count on him for Week 16 now, making his a totally lost season. At least our Week 16 fantasy TE rankings don't have to worry about Jacob Hollister being a healthy scratch against the Cardinals (we think).
On the bright side for those of you who are relying on Hollister this week, Arizona was cooked again by a tight end in Week 15, just not Njoku. It was Ricky Seals-Jones in a revenge game scoring twice, so Hollister is our favorite matchup TE for fantasy championship week.
WEEK 16 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker
There's also a fast-rising O.J. Howard pushing his name into borderline consideration for fantasy title games after he was targeted eight times Sunday. With the Buccaneers potentially missing all three of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Scotty Miller due to hamstring injuries, we'd expect Howard to get targets almost by default in Week 16 in what's a passing-friendly matchup with Houston in a probable shootout.
Other than those guys, you can basically play it by the book this week. Play the stud TEs that you know will get volume and got you this far. Hollister is above some of those stars in our rankings, but if you don't feel inclined to go away from a guy like Zach Ertz or Austin Hooper, that's fine -- we can't really blame you.
WEEK 16 DFS LINEUPS:
FD Cash | FD GPP | DK Cash | DK GPP | Y! Cash | Y! GPP
Also note that we've left Evan Engram out of the rankings for now, as his foot injury continues to hold him out of action. (UPDATE: Engram has been placed on Injured Reserve, so his season is over.) If he plays against the Redskins, he's a top-10 option, as well. Those of you who still hope to start Engram should probably look elsewhere, though. We've also put Greg Olsen back in under the assumption that he'll make it back from concussion, but if he doesn't, his backup Ian Thomas would slot in right about the same spot.
WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Note: These rankings will be updated throughout the week, so check back for the latest.
MORE WEEK 16:
Waiver pickups | FAAB planning | Stock watch | Snap counts | Fantasy playoff tips
Week 16 Fantasy TE Rankings
MORE WEEK 16 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup Builder
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Travis Kelce, KC @ CHI. If you've got Kelce, enjoy the Sunday night hammer potential in your fantasy football championship game. |
| 2 | George Kittle, SF vs. LAR. This man is ridiculous, and if the 49ers force feed him again like they did in Week 15, you might be looking at a fantasy championship. |
| 3 | Jacob Hollister, SEA vs. ARZ. The Cardinals have allowed 46 more non-PPR points to tight ends this season than Travis Kelce has scored. They literally turn opposing TEs into the top option at the position as a collective. Hollister deserves this ranking, especially after even Ricky Seals-Jones caught two scores against Arizona in Week 15. |
| 4 | Hunter Henry, LAC vs. OAK. Henry should bounce back from a disappointing Week 15 against a defense that's allowed the second-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2019. |
| 5 | Zach Ertz, PHI vs. DAL |
| 6 | Austin Hooper, ATL vs. JAX |
| 7 | Mark Andrews, BAL @ CLE |
| 8 | Jared Cook, NO @ TEN. Cook's concussion became a non-issue well before Monday night in Week 15, so you shouldn't have to worry about that heading into a Week 16 matchup that has Cook in the TE1 tier. |
| 9 | Darren Waller, OAK @ LAC |
| 10 | Greg Olsen, CAR @ IND. Olsen will need to return from concussion to play in this game, and if he does, you can consider him as a back-end starter. Ian Thomas slots right in about here if Olsen is held out again. |
| 11 | O.J. Howard, TB vs. HOU. Howard was targeted eight times in Week 15, and the Buccaneers will likely be without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in Week 16, which should bode well for a repeat outing from the preseason top-five TE. |
| 12 | Kyle Rudolph, MIN vs. GB. Adam Thielen's return meant just three targets for Rudolph (although he did turn them into 48 yards). Playing Rudolph at this stage is counting on his playing time to convert into a touchdown. |
| 13 | Tyler Higbee, LAR @ SF. San Francisco has allowed the second-fewest points to tight ends this season, although the Niners did nearly allow a late touchdown to Austin Hooper in Week 15. We'd expect Higbee to see a similar target share to what he's been getting, but the production probably falls off a bit against a strong defense. |
| 14 | Dallas Goedert, PHI vs. DAL. Goedert racked up another five catches for 55 yards Sunday, and he continues to be usable even as the No. 2 tight end in Philadelphia behind Zach Ertz. |
| 15 | Jack Doyle, IND vs. CAR |
| 16 | Mike Gesicki, MIA vs. CIN. If you're stuck this far down the rankings, Gesicki might have the best touchdown odds of any of these also-rans. The Dolphins should actually be favored in this game, and Ryan Fitzpatrick likes throwing it up to Gesicki down near the end zone. |
| 17 | Jonnu Smith, TEN vs. NO. Smith showed off his talent with five catches and a 57-yard run Sunday. Now we just need to count on the Titans to give him the ball that frequently again. At least we know he can take advantage of opportunity to have a solid game, if given the chance. |
| 18 | Noah Fant, DEN vs. DET |
| 19 | Jason Witten, DAL @ PHI |
| 20 | Darren Fells, HOU @ TB. This is a great matchup for tight ends on paper, except it's hard to say which of Fells or Jordan Akins will take advantage. Maybe Fells can find his early-season touchdown magic once more. |
| 21 | Jordan Akins, HOU @ TB |
| 22 | Cameron Brate, TB vs. HOU. Brate saw seven targets of his own in Week 15 with the wide receiver injuries Tampa Bay is having, and he could be a desperation play for owners in a deep league in need of a tight end. Tampa Bay and Houston should get into a shootout, which could find Brate in the end zone once. |
| 23 | Gerald Everett, LAR @ SF |
| 24 | Kaden Smith, NYG @ WAS. Smith might put up decent numbers against a bad Washington team if Evan Engram is out again - if Engram plays, he'd slot somewhere in the top-10. |
| 25 | Jimmy Graham, GB @ MIN |
| 26 | Vance McDonald, PIT @ NYJ. |
| 27 | Benjamin Watson, NE vs. BUF |
| 28 | Tyler Eifert, CIN @ MIA |
| 29 | Dawson Knox, BUF @ NE |
| 30 | Logan Thomas, DET @ DEN |
| 31 | Irv Smith Jr., MIN vs. GB |