Week 18 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

I’m never going to fault anyone for playing fantasy football. Of course, we have an exciting Week 18 in front of us. The desire is to enjoy it, but more from a DFS perspective than anything else.

Quite simply, Week 18 is a mess. I mean, as a football fan, it’s a beautiful thing. There are three games in which the winner takes home the division championship. Does it really get any better than that?

But what about all the other teams? You have teams preparing for the postseason who want to stay healthy. Then, there are teams getting set for next season, so there’s no reason to push a less than 100% player.

With that being said, though, let’s keep it going. Please stay close to the news, as things can change quite often and quickly. Based on where things currently stand, though, here are our Week 18 NFL Tight End rankings while quickly reviewing the top performers from Week 17.

Week 17 Top Five Performances

Trey McBride – 10 catches, 76 yards, TD
Colston Loveland – 6 catches, 94 yards, TD
Jake Tonges – 7 catches, 60 yards, TD
Greg Dulcich – 5 catches, 58 yards, TD
Michael Mayer – 9 catches, 89 yards

Week 18 Bye Weeks

All 32 teams are taking the field this week. Thankfully, some are doing so for the last time this season.

Injury Notes for Week 18

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

While the San Francisco 49ers are guaranteed to make the playoffs, a divisional championship and home-field advantage are up for grabs on Saturday. George Kittle missed last week’s game with an ankle sprain, and Jake Tonges picked up the slack. The 49ers are obviously stronger with Kittle on the field, and at this point, things are trending that way. He’s been limited in practice so far this week, but I wouldn’t read too much into that. It’s a de facto playoff game, and I’d expect Kittle to make an impact.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Suddenly, Dallas Goedert has popped up on the Injury Report with a knee injury. This is our first time hearing of the injury, and with the Philadelphia Eagles not having anything to play for this week, I’d expect him to be limited, at best, on Sunday. That sentiment is enhanced after he missed practice on Thursday. The next man up is Grant Calcaterra, but I’d look elsewhere from a fantasy perspective.

TJ Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Not practicing early in the week is nothing new for TJ Hockenson. It could be a solid spot to end the season for JJ McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings, so it would make sense for Hockenson to be out there. Missing practice on Thursday, though, wasn’t a move in the right direction. Even still, he hasn’t had the best season, so my optimism is limited.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

I wouldn’t read much into Kyle Pitts being limited in practice with a knee injury this week. It hasn’t impacted him to this point. The bigger problem is his inconsistency, as he had just two catches for 16 yards last week. Pitts does have a solid matchup this week against the New Orleans Saints, which makes him one of the better options.

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

While I’m not expecting him to return for Week 18, Tyler Higbee is back to practicing in full. That probably means it’s more likely we see in the playoffs than this week, but I’m not sure there’s much fantasy value here. The Rams have a crowded tight end group, and consistency has been hard to find among them.

Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys

With a rough second half, things are moving in the wrong direction for Jake Ferguson. While he’s moving in the right direction, Ferguson is struggling with a calf injury. Things are trending towards him playing in a good matchup against the New York Giants, but you should have another option in consideration.

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

While I wouldn’t close the book on Darren Waller playing this week, the missed practices aren’t a great development. Should he not take the field, which might be appearing more likely to be the case, Greg Dulcich is worthy of our attention.

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Despite dealing with a knee injury, things are moving in the right direction this week for Hunter Henry. While we have to take Week 18 injury news with the standard caveats, things appear to be in order here.

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

Despite the fact that he’s participating in practice on a limited basis this week, I’m not incredibly confident in Dalton Kincaid’s status for Week 18. Kincaid didn’t play last week, and it’s all about the postseason for the Buffalo Bills. Dawson Knox is in a similar health state, so I’m not sure you can count on either.

Tight End Notes

Brenden Bates, Cleveland Browns

Let’s stay consistent and close out the season by taking advantage of the Cincinnati Bengals. We know how terrible they are against tight ends, and Harold Fannin is the one we want. The problem is that the rookie isn’t healthy, and David Njoku’s status isn’t any more promising.

That brings us to Brenden Bate,s who has all of five catches for 65 yards on the season. Shaddeur Sanders has been relying on the tight end, and Bates having a big game is something that could easily happen in Week 18.

AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks

Let’s follow the games that matter this week. The Seattle Seahawks are on the hunt for a division title and home-field advantage. AJ Barner has carved out a solid role in Seattle’s offense and has touchdowns in two straight games. On the season, Barner is up to six touchdowns to go along with 50 catches for 505 yards. It figures to be a high-scoring game, and I’m expecting Barner to get a piece of that.

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

The 2025 NFL season concludes with the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers facing each other for the AFC North title. It’s been a down year, with lots of inconsistency for Mark Andrews. Overall, he has just 46 catches for 408 yards and five touchdowns. Lamar Jackson likely will be returning, but either way, it projects to be an all-hands situation. Andrews is the perfect dumping valve if the Ravens keep things conservative but aggressive.