Week 8 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

Well that was some performance out of Oronde Gadsden in Week 7. It was a big week for tight ends across the board as Pat Freiermuth had his best game of the season. The same can be said for Dalton Schultz while Jake Ferguson continued to be a threat.

As we look towards Week 8, the concern is going to be not to chase some of these performances. In other cases though, we shouldn’t be surprised by what some of the success. A clear hierarchy is beginning to develop across the league. Now, let’s take a look at how everything translates into our Week 8 Tight End Rankings. Just be prepared though, as bye weeks are going to be an issue.

Week 7 Top-Five Performances

Trey McBride – 10 catches, 74 yards, 2 TD
Oronde Gadsden – 7 catches, 164 yards, TD
Pat Freiermuth – 5 catches, 111 yards, 2 TD
Jake Ferguson – 7 catches, 29 catches, 2 TD
Dalton Schultz – 9 catches, 98 yards

Week 8 Bye Weeks

Arizona Cardinals – Trey McBride
Detroit Lions – Sam LaPorta
Jacksonville Jaguars – Hunter Long
Las Vegas Raiders – Brock Bowers/Michael Meyer
Los Angeles Rams – Tyler Higbee
Seattle Seahawks – AJ Barner/Elijah Arroyo

Injury Notes for Week 8

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins offense is in a complete state of disarray. At this point, it’s hard to really focus on them, but with six teams on bye, we don’t have many choices. However, it appears that fantasy managers might be without Darren Waller this week. After just 15 snaps last week, Waller’s pectoral injury stands to keep him sidelined.

I’m not sure we can truly rely on Julian Hill and Tanner Conner, as, if anything, the targets will go to a wide receiver.

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

David Njoku didn’t practice at all last week, so it’s not surprising that he wouldn’t have played in Week 7. Before returning, Njoku will have to return to the practice field, and at this point, it’s unclear he’ll be able to do so. That means we’ll be keeping an eye on Harold Fannin for an increased role.

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

After injuring his hamstring in Week 1, George Kittle returned to action last week. The focus of the San Francisco 49ers was on the running game, so Kittle was only targeted twice. While he didn’t finish with a catch, it’s a good sign that Kittle returned to action and made it through the game healthy.

Tight End Notes

Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys

The fact that Cee Dee Lamb returned in Week 7 didn’t seem to matter to Jake Ferguson’s productivity. Instead, the tight end had another busy game as he was targeted seven times. Ferguson caught all seven of those passes for 29 yards. The lack of yardage was ultimately inconsequential as he caught two touchdowns.

Ferguson is now up to six touchdowns and 334 yards on the season with 51 catches. This is a career season for the tight end, and the Dallas offense appears to be humming on all fronts. The return of Lamb only makes things better.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

While he didn’t catch a touchdown, Kyle Pitts had a strong game in a losing effort for the Atlanta Falcons. Based on the bye weeks, there’s no disputing Pitts as a TE1 this week. The talent is there, but the consistency certainly hasn’t been.

For the first time this season, Pitts was targeted 10 times, and that translated to seven catches for 62 yards. That’s two times in three games in which Pitts broke the 60-yard mark, and there was the potential for more. A penalty negated a 27-yard catch, and it was the third game in which Pitts caught at least five passes. Let’s see if that continues this week, as Pitts is capable of generating results.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It shouldn’t be a surprise that we’ve reached the point in the season where Cade Otton is a viable option. Injuries have decimated the Tampa Bay receiving corps, and that leaves Otton as a dependable option to step up.

Last week, Otton was targeted nine times, and he finished with seven catches for 65 yards. That was a a big chunk of the 22 catches for 231 yards Otton has so far this season. I’d expect a similar target share this week while catching his first touchdown of the season.

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

As Nico Collins left Monday’s game with a concussion, his status for Sunday is unclear. Ultimately, it was Dalton Schultz who picked up the slack as he was targeted 10 times. The tight end finished with nine catches for 98 yards.

Schultz has 30 catches for 284 yards on the season, as, once again, he’s carved out a solid floor in Houston’s offense. Prior to Week 7, Schultz had a three straight catches of five yards. Should he receive an increased workload in Week 8, I’d expect his first touchdown to come.

Check out all of our Week 8 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings