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

We hope you’ve made it this far in the fantasy football playoffs, and if you’re reading this, you probably did. We’re not going crazy with our Week 16 fantasy TE rankings, though. As always, the studs remain locked in at the top, and matchup quality dictates the order in the middle of the rankings. We’re almost to the end of the season, so it’s pretty clear which tight ends should be considered each week. That’s not to say they can’t bust, but we have to trust what data we have — and then hope all the TEs are active.

First, let’s take a moment to welcome back the Travis Kelce we all know and love after his monster performance against the Chargers. That was as good of a matchup as any TE can get, and he smashed. That said, we’re not ready to say he’s locked into the TE1 spot each week, as you’ll see in the rankings. T.J. Hockenson (hand) is out for the year, but we finally might be getting Darren Waller (vs. Broncos) back from his knee injury this week. Stay tuned for updates.

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

This week, there are plenty of players who draw real interest of fantasy owners in need of a streamer. Cole Kmet (@ Seahawks), C.J. Uzomah (vs. Ravens), James O’Shaughnessy (@ Jets), Evan Engram (@ Eagles), and Jared Cook (@ Texans) are all on the start-or-sit bubble and have favorable matchups. Our rankings will indicate which ones we like the most, but obviously, the floors and upsides vary across all of these players.

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

If you’re shooting for the most upside possible, Uzomah is the clear choice, as he’s the only one among this list to have multiple overall TE1 finishes, but he also might have the lowest floor. In standard leagues, high tight end floors rarely exist among streamers, but O’Shaughnessy will likely get the most guaranteed targets. Engram has the best matchup possible, but we know he’s risky play at this point given his inability to take advantage of several favorable matchups throughout the season. Noah Fant (@ Raiders) is too heavily owned to be considered a streamer, but he’s another unreliable TE in a great spot this week. Even fellow Broncos TE Albert Okwuegbunam (@ Raiders) is a potential deep sleeper.

On the other side of the start-or-sit bubble, Tyler Higbee (@ Vikings), Tyler Conklin (vs. Rams), David Njoku and Austin Hooper (@ Packers), and Gerald Everett (vs. Bears) look to be in tough spots this week. They’re all worth mentioning since they’ve had productive outings this season, but matchups carry a lot of weight when determining the fantasy outlooks of this group. It’s also worth noting Ricky Seals-Jones (@ Cowboys) has essentially lost our interest unless he has a nice game against the Eagles on Tuesday. He should be a better play in PPR than in standard, though.

We’re in a weird spot right now, as anyone can end up on the reserve/COVID list at any time. If you’re a George Kittle, Kelce, or Rob Gronkowski owner, you should be aware of the streamers in case your guy is a surprise inactive late in the week. It’s unfortunate all of this is coming in the fantasy playoffs, but the most prepared fantasy owners will be ready to roll with the punches. We hope you’re back to check out our Week 17 rankings as most leagues start the championship round.

Note: We’ll be updating these TE rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis.

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

Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring