Week 13 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

Let’s get it! We get a temporary reprieve from the madness that is bye weeks, but the schedule is all over the place. As a football fan, what could be better? But as a fantasy football manager, things become that much more stressful. We have three games on Thursday, another one on Friday, and then a full slate of action on Sunday.

In preparation, there’s a lot to review. While we can’t speak to the quality of each situation, there are options aplenty. Now, it’s time to take a quick look back at Week 12 before reviewing everything you need to know, which includes our Week 13 NFL Tight End rankings.

Week 12 Top-Five Performances

Hunter Henry – 7 catches, 115 yards, TD
Trey McBride – 9 catches, 79 yards
Colston Loveland – 4 catches, 49 yards, TD
Brenton Strange – 5 catches, 93 yards
Colby Parkinson – 4 catches, 41 yards, TD

Week 13 Bye Weeks

None

Injury Notes for Week 13

Brock Wright, Detroit Lions

With Sam LaPorta sidelined, Brock Wright is now atop the tight end depth chart for the Lions. After dominating the snap count last week, Wright is dealing with a neck injury. It kept him out of practice on Monday, and it’s a situation to keep an eye on with Detroit playing on Thursday. Wright also didn’t practice on Tuesday, so things aren’t trending in the right direction.

Going from LaPorta to Wright is a downgrade, but there’s also room for opportunity in the red zone for the latter. It’s not necessarily a situation to target, but an injury to Wright makes this a tight end situation to ignore. From a fantasy standpoint, Ross Dwelley isn’t the answer.

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

On Wednesday, Darren Waller is slated to return to the practice field after being placed on the Injured List. It doesn’t necessarily mean that he will return to game action this week, but it does begin his 21-day window.

In the four games he did play this year, Waller proved to be a fantasy asset with four touchdown passes on 10 catches with 117 yards. While his replacement, Greg Dulcich, hasn’t made a fantasy impact, Waller should upon his return.

Tight End Notes

Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

After missing the last five games due to injury, Brenton Strange returned in a big way in Week 12. To be clear, Travis Hunter is now out for the season, and Brian Thomas is also sidelined due to injury, but it was a strong game for Strange. He showed no ill effects or rust from his injury, catching all five of his targets.

Not only did Strange return to his role in Jacksonville’s offense, but he had 20 catches prior to his injury, and he was utilized downfield. Strange gained 93 yards compared to his 46 yards per game entering action last week.

Facing the Tennessee Titans is a favorable matchup for Strange, and we should look to capitalize on it.

Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford is playing at an incredible level this season. Saying that a rising tide lifts all boats is certainly relevant here as Stafford’s receivers continue to benefit.

With Tyler Higbee’s injury, as of late, the beneficiary at the tight end position has been Colby Parkinson. By no means is Parkinson an elite option, but if you need to take a trip a little further down the tight end list, he shouldn’t be ignored.

Parkinson has had a touchdown catch in each of his last three games. That also shouldn’t be surprising, considering that Stafford has 27 of them on the season. Facing the Carolina Panthers this week, it seems almost automatic that Stafford throws for another three or four touchdown passes.

The biggest issue here is that if Parkinson doesn’t catch a touchdown, his value is limited. Over that three-game stretch, he has 10 catches for 96 yards. However, with four catches for 41 yards in two of those games, he does have a legit role within the offense.

Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

When you draft a tight end over Tyler Warren, you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do. However, there’s a reason the Chicago Bears selected Colston Loveland over Warren. We also need to qualify things with the fact that Loveland is 21 years old and adjusting to life in the NFL isn’t easy.

As of late, though, we have begun to see things shifting. Last week, Loveland caught four passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. In his last four games, the rookie has 17 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns while being targeted 20 times.

This week, things could be difficult against a tough Philadelphia Eagles defense, but Loveland’s impact is real. If he does have a down game, don’t let it sway you for the rest of the season.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

I guess we are doing this again with Kyle Pitts. Regardless of the talent he has and the flashes he shows, at the end of the day, this is what we are working with when it comes to Pitts. The quarterback shift to Kirk Cousins also doesn’t appear to be working in Pitts’ favor.

While it’s unclear if you’ll truly have a better option, Pitts only has two catchers per game in each of the last three weeks. He only has one touchdown on the season with 49 catches for 459 yards, so how much can we truly put on the loss of Penix?

Unfortunately, it’s hard not to get frustrated by Pitts.

Check out all of our Week 13 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings