Week 14 Rankings (2018): Top 20 Tight Ends

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Already a questionable position to fill, injuries have helped to further deplete the alternatives for fantasy owners.  Greg Olsen is just the latest option to be lost, and if you don’t have one of the truly elite there’s a good chance that you are scrambling at the worst possible time.  Who are the tight ends worth utilizing as we prepare for the fantasy playoffs?  Let’s take a look:

1. Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Baltimore
2. Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles – at Dallas
3. Eric Ebron – Indianapolis Colts – at Houston
4. Jared Cook – Oakland Raiders – vs. Pittsburgh
5. George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Denver
6. Jordan Reed – Washington Redskins – vs. New York Giants
7. Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – at Miami
8. David Njoku – Cleveland Browns – vs. Carolina
9. Vance McDonald – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Oakland
10. Jimmy Graham – Green Bay Packers – vs. Atlanta
11. Austin Hooper – Atlanta Falcons – at Green Bay
12. Jonnu Smith – Tennessee Titans – vs. Jacksonville
13. Chris Herndon – New York Jets – at Buffalo
14. C.J. Uzomah – Cincinnati Bengals – at Los Angeles Chargers
15. Ian Thomas – Carolina Panthers – at Cleveland
16. Cameron Brate – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New Orleans
17. Dan Arnold – New Orleans Saints – at Tampa Bay
18. Trey Burton – Chicago Bears – vs. Los Angeles Rams
19. Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens – at Kansas City
20. Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – at Seattle

Thoughts:

• The weekly debate between Travis Kelce and Zack Ertz continues, though it may get more difficult to put Ertz at the top.  Kelce now has 99+ yards in three of his past four games, with 5 TD over this span, including 295 yards and 3 TD in his past two games.  Throw in that the Chiefs could become even more pass heavy, given the state of their running attack, and he could become the locked in top option moving forward.
• With Jack Doyle sidelined the tight end targets funneled through Eric Ebron, who turned 16 targets into 10 catches and 81 yards.  He’s already scored 11 TD on the season, including one against the Texans back in Week 4, suddenly turning him into one of the more dependable options in the league.
• Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, as Jordan Reed is currently battling injury.  He’s proven that he can be a highly productive option with Colt McCoy playing quarterback, he should operate as a safety valve for Mark Sanchez and the matchup against the Giants is a favorable one.  As long as he’s healthy he’s going to be a must use option in all formats.
• Vance McDonald has had 28 yards or fewer in three of his past four games, but any tight end facing the Oakland Raiders is going to be on radars.  Oakland is coming off a week where they were torched for 207 yards and 3 TD by opposing tight ends and has allowed 100+ yards in four of their past six games.  Given the state of the position consider McDonald a viable TE1.
• Are you looking for a deep sleeper at the position?  The Kansas City Chiefs have allowed 2 TD to opposing tight ends in each of their past two games.  That should open an opportunity for Mark Andrews, who has arguably been the Ravens’ best producer at tight end this season.  Obviously who plays quarterback is going to have an impact and the risk limits him to being a TE2, but for those who are desperate he’s worth considering.

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