Fantasy TE PPR Rankings Week 17: Who to start, sit at tight end in fantasy football

Deciding who to start at tight end is always a difficult task, but since we’re in the fantasy championship round and injuries and COVID continue to take away studs, that decision has become tougher than ever. Our Week 17 fantasy TE PPR rankings are here to help, but make sure to check back because our rankings could be flipped upside down by next Sunday for a number of reasons.

Travis Kelce (reserve/COVID list) should be back next week to play against the Bengals, but we’ll have to see if Darren Waller (knee) can take on the Colts. Both would have solid matchups, and we know they’re must-starts as long as they’re on the field. For now, we’re not optimistic about Waller, which means Foster Moreau is once again a potential sleeper.

WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker

However, we’re mostly here to discuss options on waivers or in free agency if you end up scrambling for a last-minute fill-in. Ricky Seals-Jones (vs. Eagles) has the No. 1 TE matchup and is best suited for PPR leagues. He hasn’t had a great fantasy day yet, but the targets are there and the Eagles are seriously awful against tight ends (even Evan Engram scored against them in garbage time last week). C.J. Uzomah (vs. Chiefs) also has a great matchup, and although he’s a better standard league play, a deep touchdown will make him a TE1 in PPR, too.

WEEK 17 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

There are guys with neutral matchups, such as Gerald Everett (vs. Lions), Tyler Conklin (@ Packers), Albert Okwuegbunam (vs. Chargers), and Cole Kmet (vs. Giants), who usually have decent floors and high upside, too. All either command plenty of targets or are key pieces in the red zone, so you can do worse than these guys in the championship. Ultimately, we hope to not have to use these guys in lineups, but we know many fantasy owners could end up in a tough spot.

Jared Cook (vs. Broncos), Evan Engram (@ Bears), and James O’Shaughnessy (@ Patriots) have been called upon in some spots this season, but if you can avoid them this week, you probably should. The matchups are some of the toughest a tight end can get, and Engram and O’Shaughnessy are in some of the worst offenses and passing games in the league. Cook could be somewhat of a PPR consideration if more key WRs join Mike Williams on the reserve/COVID list, but ultimately, he could bust even if that’s the case. O’Shaughnessy loses even more shine if Dan Arnold (knee) comes off the IR like he’s trending toward.

Zach Ertz (@ Cowboys), Kyle Pitts (@ Bills), Mike Gesicki (@ Titans), and Dalton Schultz (vs. Cardinals) are all in tough matchups, but each has shown a high enough floor to merit starting in most leagues, especially PPR. Schultz is probably the toughest call because Dallas has so many options, but he should be a pretty safe 8.5-plus points if you think that’s all you’ll need from your TE spot.

We’re hoping this week is a little bit more normal, but we’re not very optimistic. It doesn’t hurt to add as much depth as possible to your bench. This is the last week of of most fantasy seasons, so let go of some of the guys you thought could be lotto ticket stashes and protect yourself at all positions. The lower-owned tight ends could quickly become tough to obtain if a few key TEs are surprise inactives.

Fantasy TE PPR Rankings Week 17: Who to start at tight end

Rankings based on full-point PPR scoring