Week 16 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

The first round of the fantasy playoffs is behind us, but we still have work to do. Turning our attention to the semi-finals, the Week 16 tight end rankings have you covered. We’ll highlight tight ends that can give your postseason lineups an extra edge and put you in the best position to advance to the championships. Good luck this week!

Injury Notes for Week 16

• David Njoku missed Week 15 with a hamstring injury and is questionable this week against Cincinnati. If he’s a no-go, Jordan Akins will suit up in a favorable matchup.
• Zach Ertz is in the league’s concussion protocol, making his Week 16 status up in the air. Ben Sinnott will likely have an expanded role if Ertz is out.
• A shoulder injury sidelined Will Dissly last week and he’s questionable for Week 16. Stone Smartt filled in nicely in Dissly’s absence and is a mid-range TE2 against the Broncos this week.

Tight End Notes

• Sam LaPorta is coming off one of his best games of the season, hauling in 7-of-10 targets for 111 yards. It was the second time in as many weeks that LaPorta saw at least seven targets and racked up 50+ yards. He should continue to pile up the yardage this week against the Bears. Chicago has allowed the fifth-most receiving yards to the position, with tight ends averaging just under 81 yards per game over the last four weeks. Tight ends are also averaging 10.7 half-PPR points against the unit, good for ninth-most this season. LaPorta last faced the Bears in Week 13, and while he netted only six yards, he made up for it by scoring two touchdowns. LaPorta should have another productive week and ranks as TE5 in the Week 16 tight end rankings.
• Another week means another touchdown for Pat Freiermuth. He has scored three times in as many weeks and found the end zone four times in his last six games. While he’s benefitted with George Pickens sidelined, Freiermuth has been a top red-zone target for the Steelers most of the season. Up next for Freiermuth is a favorable matchup against the division-rival Ravens. Baltimore has given up the sixth-most receiving yards and 10th-most fantasy points to the position. The unit has been stingier against scoring, but Freirmuth’s nose for finding the end zone can’t be ignored. He’s a top-eight tight end in the Week 16 tight end rankings.
• No Evan Engram? No problem. After the veteran landed on the IR, Brenton Strange shined as the next man up for Jacksonville in Week 15. He hauled in 11-of-12 passes for 73 yards, with his 28% target share second only to Brian Thomas Jr. Strange should continue to be peppered with targets this week against the Raiders. Las Vegas is the second-most generous defense to tight ends this season. They’ve allowed the fourth-most receptions this season, with tight ends averaging just under 65 yards per game against them. Additionally, they’ve ceded seven touchdowns to the position, tied for third-most. Strange rounds out the top 12 in my Week 16 tight end rankings.
• Noah Gray has been a steady riser in the weekly tight end rankings. He’s had an uptick in volume since Week 11, averaging five targets per game to go with a whopping five touchdowns — tied for most among tight ends in that stretch. While Travis Kelce still commanded a higher target share in those five weeks (21% to 14%), it’s noteworthy that he had zero touchdowns in that span. Gray has another solid opportunity to find paydirt in Week 16. The Texans have allowed three tight ends to score in their last five games. They’ve also ceded an average of 56.2 yards per game to the position in that stretch. Carson Wentz could be under center this week, and Gray could be his safety blanket. Gray is a high-end streamer this week and ranks as TE15 in the Week 16 tight end rankings.

Check out all of our Week 16 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex

Week 16 Tight End Rankings

Note: Ranks based on half-PPR scoring

Make sure to check out all of our Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!