Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings for Week 17: Brenton Strange, Hunter Henry, Juwan Johnson and More
Morgan gives his week 17 fantasy football rankings for tight ends.
Week 17 of the NFL regular season is a wacky one, with three Thursday games and two Saturday games before even more games on Sunday and Monday. With that in mind, our schedule here gets altered, and you get week 17 positional rankings a day early!
We will cover the tight end position first. Check back for rankings for quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.
Check out week 17 fantasy football projections for tight ends on FantasySP as well.
1. Trey McBride
McBride underwhelmed in a big way in week 16, but there's a big reason to believe in him bouncing back in week 17.
He has the most favorable fantasy matchup a tight end could have against Cincinnati, so fire up McBride with confidence this coming week.
Kittle got dinged up in week 16, so hopefully he's able to play in week 17.
He has the Bears for a matchup, and Chicago is a slightly above-average matchup, so I'd be confident in Kittle if he's out there.
Jake Tonges would rank in the late teens or early 20s if Kittle is out of the picture. The presence of Luke Farrell hurts Tonges' outlook if Kittle is out.
3. Brock Bowers
A touchdown saved an otherwise uninspiring fantasy outing for Bowers in week 16.
A below-average matchup against the Giants is next for Bowers, but as one of the few proven pass catchers for Las Vegas, I'm still confident in starting him every week.
Pitts followed up a monster week 15 showing with another good performance in week 16.
He will look to keep things rolling against the Rams in week 17. LA is a slightly below-average matchup, but nothing too daunting.
Fannin scored twice to deliver big in a tough matchup last week.
He's trending up as the season winds down, and I love starting him in all leagues. The Steelers are a very favorable matchup for him, and the rookie had 81 yards on seven grabs and 10 targets the last time the teams played - start Fannin with confidence this coming week.
Ferguson has back-to-back down performances, but I like his week 17 matchup.
He has Washington, who he went for 29 yards and two scores against in week 7. Ferguson had seven catches and targets in that one. It's a very favorable matchup on paper.
Johnson is coming off a big game, so I'm giving him a top-10 spot for week 17.
Tennessee is a pretty average test for him, and I like him to pick up where he left off last week.
8. Hunter Henry
A touchdown turned an OK fantasy showing into a pretty good one last week.
Henry has the Jets in week 17, who he tallied 45 yards on four receptions and six targets against in week 11. New York is another average fantasy test.
Goedert scored to save his fantasy day in week 16.
He has a brutal test against the Bills in week 17, but with his season as a whole, I'm willing to start Goedert for the coming week.
10. Brenton Strange
Strange also turned his fantasy showing from decent to good with a score last week.
A matchup against the Colts is next - Indy is a pretty favorable matchup on paper. Strange had just 27 yards on three grabs in the last meeting against the Colts, but was targeted six times, so I see him faring better this time around.
11. AJ Barner
Barner also scored in week 16 to be a pretty solid fantasy asset.
Carolina is a pretty average test for him, so he should get some standard league consideration, even though I think he's better for deeper leagues.
12. Travis Kelce
Unsurprisingly, Kelce struggled in week 16 without Patrick Mahomes out there.
An above-average test against Denver is next for Kelce, who had 91 yards and a score over nine receptions and 13 targets in the last meeting between the teams. Down Mahomes though, I'm not very high on Kelce.
13. Dalton Schultz
Schultz also scored in week 16 to deliver for fantasy owners who started him.
The Chargers are a tougher test for him, so I have him outside the top 10, but still being a pretty solid standard league option.
14. Tyler Warren
Warren didn't do much again in the team's second game with Philip Rivers at quarterback.
He's hard to trust for week 17 against Jacksonville. That's a pretty favorable matchup, so Warren still lands in my top 15.
15. Taysom Hill
Hill lands the No. 15 spot after a do-it-all performance in week 16.
If he's pretty involved in week 17, Hill could surprise again. He's a better deep-league option, but in a pinch is a standard league asset, especially if he can start at different positions.
16. Darren Waller
Waller was uninspiring in an elite matchup last week, so he's just an average option for week 17.
Another favorable matchup against the Buccaneers is there for Waller to take advantage of, so we'll see if he can bounce back in a big way.
17. Mark Andrews
Andrews continues to underwhelm, but at a weak TE spot, he's still worth some fantasy utilization.
The Packers are a tougher test for him, so I'm not all that fond of firing him up for the coming week.
18. T.J. Hockenson
Hockenson is dealing with a shoulder injury, so you'll want to watch his status.
Detroit is his week 17 matchup, and he tallied 11 yards and a score against them back in week 9. Detroit is a pretty average matchup on paper.
19. Colston Loveland
Loveland was slowed in week 16, so he barely cracks my top 20.
A pretty favorable test against the Niners could help him surprise. I just don't trust Loveland all that much right now.
20. Dalton Kincaid
Kincaid did nothing in week 16, so you might be surprised that he made my top-25 rankings at all.
A tougher test against the Eagles is another reason to avoid him this week, but I think Kincaid bounces back and provides some fantasy points in week 17.
21. Cade Otton
Otton hasn't done a ton of late, but a favorable test against the Dolphins gives him a chance to deliver.
Miami is the second-best fantasy matchup for a tight end.
22. Mike Gesicki
Gesicki scored a touchdown and posted a solid fantasy score in week 16.
Arizona is a pretty favorable test for him this week, so there's a chance Gesicki delivers for a second straight week.
23. Chig Okonkwo
Okonkwo broke out in week 16, after pretty solid usage in week 15. He could be trending up as the season winds down.
A tougher test against the Saints is why I'm not super higher on Okonkwo this week. Having Gunnar Helm at the same position and on the same team also hurts Okonkwo's outlook some.
24. Elijah Higgins
Higgins was a true breakout star in week 16, so why not try him again in week 17.
The matchup against the Bengals means he and McBride could each shine. Higgins likely regresses this week, but in this matchup, I decided to still give him a top-25 ranking.
25. Luke Musgrave
Musgrave gets the final spot in the rankings after a couple so-so showings in a row.
He's got a tougher matchup in week 17 against the Ravens, but he could be good for a handful of points at least.
