Week 12 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

As we get closer to the fantasy football playoffs, the intensity begins to build each week. The good news, for those who invested in the tight end position, is that in Week 11, order appeared to be restored. Sure, there was a key injury to Sam LaPorta prior to the games beginning, but expectations were met… for the most part, that is.

We do have to qualify things as it was a week light on touchdowns. Only George Kittle found the end zone twice, but there were some strong performers. Let’s take a quick look back at Week 11 before reviewing everything you need to know, which includes our Week 12 NFL Tight End rankings.

Week 11 Top-Five Performances

Trey McBride – 10 catches, 115 yards, TD
George Kittle – 6 catches, 67 yards, 2 TD
Travis Kelce – 9 catches, 91 yards, TD
AJ Barner – 10 catches, 70 yards
Mark Andrews – 3 catches, 32 receiving yards, 35 rushing yards, rushing TD

Week 12 Bye Weeks

Denver Broncos – Evan Engram
Los Angeles Chargers – Oronde Gadsden
Washington Commanders – Zach Ertz
Miami Dolphins – Greg Dulcich

Injury Notes for Week 12

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

The good news is that it hasn’t been much of an issue to this point. However, Dalton Schultz continues to show up on the injury report with a shoulder issue. Over that stretch, he’s had 21 catches for 205 yards and a touchdown in four games, so he’s managed to keep his production up. Being limited in practice clearly hasn’t been an issue for the veteran.

However, with the short week as the Houston Texans play on Thursday, we do need to keep a closer eye on things. There’s nothing to indicate that Schultz won’t play, but the shorter week could be an issue.

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

On the other side of the coin for Thursday’s game, we have Dalton Kincaid. As he deals with a hamstring injury, Kincaid didn’t return to practice on Monday. At this point, things don’t appear to be favorable for him to take the field. However, with only one catch for 23 yards last week, Dawson Knox doesn’t appear to be the answer.

Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers

The good news is that Oronde Gadsden played on Sunday. He didn’t appear to have any lingering issues with his quadricep injury, so that’s a plus. For the rest of the season, it’s also a good thing that the Chargers have their bye in Week 12, so he’ll have additional time to heal.

However, the bad news is that the Chargers thought their bye week was Week 11. The offense simply didn’t make the trip to Jacksonville, and Gadsden only had two catches for 41 yards. I wouldn’t let that negatively impact your thoughts of him moving forward, though.

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

To say that it’s a crowded tight end room in Los Angeles would be an understatement. If there were a leader, though, it would be Tyler Higbee. We saw him come off the field last week with an ankle injury and not return.

While we await Higbee’s status for Week 12, I’m not sure there’s much to do. While Terrance Ferguson has the most upside, there’s still Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson to contend with. This is a situation likely best left ignored.

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

Prior to Week 11, a back injury sent Sam LaPorta to injured reserve. That was a costly transaction as LaPorta is one of the best tight ends in the game. Brock Wright will step up in LaPorta’s offense, and it’s hard to get an accurate read after Week 11.

The entire Detroit Lions offense struggled, and that included Wright. He was targeted seven times, but that led to just two catches for eight yards.

Tight End Notes

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

I’m not sure it’s going to stop. There’s no questioning that Trey McBride is one of the best, if not the best, tight end in the game. So, seeing him have success shouldn’t be a surprise. However, given the way the Cardinals offense was going in the beginning of the season with Kyler Murray under center, it’s a nice development.

Since Jacoby Brissett took over, McBride has been locked in. He’s now up to five straight games with touchdowns after catching 10 passes for 115 yards last week. McBride is going to soar past the round numbers this season. He’s now up to 71 catches for 718 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. That success should continue against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks

When we think of the Seattle Seahawks offense, it’s hard not to focus just on Jaxson Smith-Njigba. However, we should also keep an eye on AJ Barner as the second-year tight end. His season-long numbers of 31 catches for 306 yards might not look incredibly impressive, but he does have four touchdowns on the season.

For Barner, the struggle has been to find consistency. Last week, though, with 10 catches for 70 yards, he did show what he’s capable of. As we come down the stretch, I’d be looking for that to continue.

Mason Taylor, New York Jets

There’s only so much a tight end can control. If they could pass the ball to themselves, things would certainly be a lot easier. I don’t want to say that’s been Mason Taylor’s only problem, as playing in the NFL as a rookie isn’t easy, but it also hasn’t helped.

Last week, Taylor caught four passes for 30 yards in Justin Fields’ likely last start as a New York Jet. You could make the argument that with Garrett Wilson out, Taylor is, in fact, the Jets’ number one receiver. With veteran Tyrod Taylor now starting at quarterback going forward, it will be interesting to see how Mason Taylor responds.

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

If there were any doubts about George Kittle, they have been dispersed. The tight end is locked and loaded, and now he has Brock Purdy back under center.

Health isn’t an issue for Kittle as he’s clearly the number one receiving option for San Francisco. Last week, Kittle caught six passes for 62 yards, and he was the only tight end to have two touchdowns. It’s clear he’s still a top option at the position

Check out all of our Week 12 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings