Week 16 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

Let’s keep on going. We have one week of the fantasy football postseason in the books, but that means we have two more to go. This is why you play the game. As the lights get brighter, everything else should remain the same. Stick, at least from a process perspective, with what got you here.

The hope here is that you benefited and didn’t fall victim to a season-defining performance last week. We had six tight ends with two touchdowns, and that’s something that can change a matchup.

While to a point you always want to look forward, that takes a backseat at this part of the season. There are just four teams left, so it’s really all about putting your best foot forward this week. Whether you are chasing that championship or DFS success, we have you covered. Here are our Week 16 NFL Tight End rankings while quickly reviewing the top performers from Week 15.

Week 15 Top-Five Performances

Kyle Pitts – Atlanta Falcons – 11 catches, 166 yards, 3 TD
Trey McBride – Arizona Cardinals – 12 catches, 135 yards, 2 TD
Darren Waller – Miami Dolphins – 7 catches, 66 yards, 2 TD
Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles – 6 catches – 70 yards, 2 TD
Colby Parkinson – Los Angeles Rams – 5 catches, 75 yards, TD

Week 16 Bye Weeks

None. Thankfully, we are past that part of the season.

Injury Notes for Week 16

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

It should go without saying, but things are sliding more to Colston Loveland. However, that’s not to say Cole Kmet doesn’t have a role, as he was on the field for 48 of 66 offensive snaps in Week 15. In that time, he caught two passes for 28 yards, and now he’s dealing with multiple injuries.

All signs do point to Kmet playing in Week 16, but that shouldn’t really change anything from a fantasy perspective. Were Kmet sidelined, Loveland would potentially receive a few more targets, but there’s nothing to truly move the needle here. Especially since Kmet is participating in practice to begin the week.

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

The short week doesn’t help, but Tyler Higbee will not be returning from Injured Reserve for Week 16. At this point, Colby Parkinson has put a strong hold on the job. However, it’s still a positive not to have Higbee eating into, even a piece, of his target share.

Tight End Notes

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

Just when you think you have things figured out, guess again. The Cincinnati Bengals are terrible against the tight end, so the thought process of targeting Isaiah Likely just seemed to make too much sense.

Instead, Likely wasn’t targeted in Week 15. In fairness, Mark Andrews’ role wasn’t much more substantial. Everything with the process was correct, but the game flow didn’t work in our favor.

The Ravens only had the ball for 20 minutes and 40 plays, so there was minimal opportunity for Likely to make his presence felt. In that time, Jackson only threw the ball 12 times, so the results were predictable.

TJ Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

The fact that Week 15 was a season-best performance for TJ Hockenson is very telling. While previously a strong option amongst tight ends, a lot of young and more exciting options have surged past Hockenson. However, we shouldn’t write him off just yet.

In fairness to Hockenson, there have been some real issues at the quarterback position for the Minnesota Vikings. Last week, though, albeit against Dallas, Hockenson showed what he’s capable of. He caught four of his five targets for 66 yards.

That made it four of his last games with at least four targets for Hockenson, which is something to keep an eye on. It’s another good matchup against the New York Giants this week as JJ McCarthy is becoming more comfortable with Hockenson.

Harold Fannin, Cleveland Browns

It’s not going to be an easy path for Shedeur Sanders. The rookie quarterback still has a lot to work through, and it doesn’t help that he’s often playing from behind. Efficiency, though, has not been Sanders’ friend, although things are slowly improving.

Last week, Harold Fannin was targeted 14 times, and that should jump off the page as a prolific fantasy performance. That only translated to seven catches for 48 yards as Sanders was still all over the place. My takeaway, though, is that it appears Fannin has become the preferred target of his quarterback.

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

From the perspective of Trey McBride, it’s better for him to have Jacoby Brissett under center, and not Kyler Murray. After a monster game on Sunday, McBride is now the proud holder of two new records.

McBride’s back-to-back seasons with at least 100 receptions was the first for a tight end. Additionally, he’s also the first tight end to catch a minimum of five passes in 16 straight games.

It was a monster game for McBride as he caught 12 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. He’s now up to 10 touchdowns on the season as he continues to establish himself as one of the best tight ends in the league.

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