Week 4 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football (Saturday Update)

The tight end landscape is absolutely brutal right now. Elite options continue to be no-shows, and the position has scored only 11 touchdowns through three weeks — a significant drop from the 25 scored in 2023 at this point. Further, Sam LaPorta, Trey McBride, and George Kittle are iffy with injuries this week. All this is to say that an already volatile position is getting worse. What does that mean moving forward? Well, let’s take a look at the Week 4 tight end rankings and notes to find out.

Injury Notes for Week 4

• Sam LaPorta sprained his ankle in Week 3. While the injury didn’t keep him out of the game, LaPorta’s status for Monday Night Football is questionable. UPDATE: LaPorta practiced on Friday but his availability is still up in the air. Monitor his status following Saturday’s practice.
• Trey McBride is in the league’s concussion protocol after a helmet-to-helmet hit in Sunday’s game. If he’s unable to suit up, Elijah Higgins would get the start for the Cardinals. UPDATE: McBride is OUT for Week 4. Higgins is not a recommended option for fantasy this week. Despite a porous defense, Washington has been stingy against tight ends, allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points.
• George Kittle missed Week 3 with a hamstring injury. Keep tabs on the Niners’ practice for his Week 4 availability. UPDATE: Kittle is a go for Week 4 and is a top-three option.
• David Njoku missed the last two weeks with a high-ankle sprain. His status for Week 4 is up in the air. UPDATE: Njoku is OUT for this week. Jordan Akins will fill-in and is a decent TE2 in deeper formats.
• Evan Engram missed his second consecutive week with a hamstring injury, and his Week 4 status is unclear. Brenton Strange has been a solid fill-in, playing nearly 70% of snaps and combining for 11 targets, 77 yards, and a touchdown. Consider Strange a top-tier TE2 if Engram misses more time. UPDATE: Engram is doubtful for Week 4.

Tight End Notes

• Dalton Kincaid is coming off his best game of the season, catching 3-of-5 targets for 41 yards and a touchdown. It’s an encouraging performance, especially since Kincaid’s playing time has taken a hit with Buffalo’s recent trend of blowing out opponents. However, Week 4 could be a different story when the Bills face the Ravens. Baltimore has been one of the softest defenses against tight ends this season, allowing the second-most receptions, receiving yards, and fantasy points to the position. Also, this game has one of the higher expected point totals on the Week 4 slate, providing Kincaid with an opportunity to make some noise. Dalton is a top-five tight end in my Week 4 rankings.
• Cole Kmet finally leapfrogged Gerald Everett in playing time last week, and it paid off big time. He caught 10-of-11 targets for 97 yards and scored a touchdown, finishing as the week’s TE2 in fantasy points. Kmet should continue to roll this week against a leaky Rams defense allowing the third-most fantasy points and fourth-most receiving yards to tight ends this season. Keep in mind that Keenan Allen could return this week, cutting into Kmet’s target share. However, given Kmet’s usage in Week 3 (81.1% snap rate and 71.4% route rate) and the weak state of the tight end position, I’m comfortable leaning on Kmet in Week 4.
• Pat Freiermuth is one of the more consistent tight ends this season. His 13 targets tie for sixth-most among the position, while his 99 receiving yards rank 12th through three weeks. Up next, Freiermuth has a favorable matchup against a Colts defense allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season. Plus, Cole Kmet just picked them apart to the tune of 10 receptions, 97 yards, and a touchdown in Week 3. I like Freiermuth as a low-end TE1 in Week 4.
• Mark Andrews is no longer a sure-fire TE1. He’s coming off a Week 3 where he failed to secure his lone target while playing only 33% of snaps. His season hasn’t been much better. Through three weeks, Andrews has a total of eight targets (10% target share). Considering Andrews averaged a 24% target share over the past five seasons, we should be somewhat alarmed. Head coach John Harbaugh attributed Andrews’ down season to shifting gameplans that will continue to vary each week. However, Andrews shouldn’t be dropped from fantasy lineups — he has too long of a track record and can pop off in any given week. But in the meantime, I’d look for streamable options. Andrews drops to the back end of my Week 4 tight end rankings.

Check out all of our Week 4 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex

Week 4 Tight End Rankings

Note: Ranks are based on half-PPR scoring

Make sure to check out all of our Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!