Fantasy TE PPR Rankings Week 16: Who to start, sit at tight end in fantasy football

Our Week 16 fantasy TE PPR rankings could be flipped upside down before the end of the week because of all the COVID madness going on, but for now, we’ll work with what we have and help you decide who to start and who to sit at tight end.

It’s worth noting Darren Waller (knee) could be back this week, but T.J. Hockenson is done for the year after having surgery on his thumb. Travis Kelce (vs. Steelers), Mark Andrews (@ Bengals), and George Kittle (@ Titans) have all re-joined the elite class of tight ends after brief hiatuses, but we can never have enough producers at the position.

WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker

As crazy as this sounds, James O’Shaugnessy (@ Jets) might have the safest floor in PPR leagues among potential streamers. The matchup with the Jets is strong, and Jags’ tight ends have enjoyed plenty of targets all season long. Of course, his ceiling is limited by a bad Jaguars’ offense, but if you need some cheap and easy points, he’s your guy. If you want to chase as much upside as possible, C.J. Uzomah (vs. Ravens) is probably the best bet. He’s produced TE1 weeks several times and has been the overall TE1 twice this season. Low floor, high ceiling — isn’t that was the fantasy playoffs are all about? 

WEEK 16 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Other viable streamer options include Cole Kmet (@ Seahawks), Even Engram (@ Eagles), Jared Cook (@ Texans), Albert Okwuegbunam (@ Raiders). Each probably has a higher upside than O’Shaugnessy but a lower upside than Uzomah. Which player is best for your team depends on what you need this week.

We’re out on the Browns’ TEs (@ Packers), Tyler Higbee (@ Vikings), Tyler Conklin (vs. Rams), and Gerald Everett (vs. Bears) this week. All are better suited as touchdown-or-bust options in standard leagues, and since the matchups are unfavorable, we’re not trusting them in the fantasy playoffs. However, we do like season-long bust Noah Fant (@ Raiders) and weekly start ’em, sit ’em headache Zach Ertz (@ Colts), both of whom get some of the top TE matchups.

Again, be prepared with a backup because any of your must-start studs could pop up on the reserve/COVID list. Unlike RB and even WR, you can’t really handcuff your TE in most cases, so you have to study the matchups and have your pivot ready. It’s not fun to deal with this stuff during the fantasy playoffs, but no one said winning a title would be easy.

Fantasy TE PPR Rankings Week 16: Who to start at tight end

Rankings based on full-point PPR scoring