Fantasy Football Tight End Outlook for Week 18: Colston Loveland, Travis Kelce, Juwan Johnson and More

Let's cap our look at what figures to be a wild and unpredictable 18th week of NFL regular season play by going over the tight end position.

We looked at quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers already.

We will break things down by team again.

Check out week 18 fantasy football projections for tight ends on FantasySP as well.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona has Trey McBride as the top tight end and pass catcher on the team. Elijah Higgins could also factor in a bit this week, especially with Marvin Harrison out.

The Rams are a tougher fantasy test for the tight ends, but I'd be confident starting McBride yet again. Higgins is a sleeper in deeper leagues.

Atlanta Falcons

Kyle Pitts Sr. is the top Atlanta tight end, with Charlie Woerner and Teagan Quitoriano playing, but not very involved.

If Pitts plays, he has a slightly below-average test against New Orleans, who he went for just 25 yards on two grabs against back in week 12. Pitts has been good enough down the stretch to try in some leagues though.

Baltimore Ravens

Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are decent options for the Ravens at tight end.

Pittsburgh is a very favorable matchup for tight ends, so both Baltimore TEs could deliver, especially if Lamar Jackson returns.

Buffalo Bills

Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid are the top-two tight ends for Buffalo. Both are banged up, so Jackson Hawes and Keleki Latu could factor in more.

The Jets are a slightly above-average test for TEs, but I'd only consider playing Kincaid or Knox this week.

Carolina Panthers

Carolina has Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans and James Mitchell who should soak up the tight end snaps in week 18.

None are good fantasy starting options, even in a great matchup against the Buccaneers.

Chicago Bears

Colston Loveland leads the Bears now, with Cole Kmet as a deep-league starting asset, especially if some wideouts miss week 18.

The Lions are a slightly below-average test, but I'd be fine starting Loveland in most leagues.

Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati has Drew Sample, Tanner Hudson, Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant, which complicates matters.

The Browns are an average test, but with no clear standout, these tight ends are just risky options in deeper leagues.

Cleveland Browns

Harold Fannin is the top Cleveland tight end, but he's banged up. With David Njoku likely out, Blake Whiteheart, Brenden Bates and Sal Cannella are other tight end options for Cleveland.

Cincinnati is awful at slowing tight ends, so I'd be thrilled to start Fannin if he's active. If he's out, then Whitehart is probably the best option, but a very risky one, and just for deeper leagues.

Dallas Cowboys

Jake Ferguson usually leads Dallas, but he's also banged up. So it could be Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford as the team's top tight ends.

The Giants are a tougher test on tight ends anyways, so none of them are great fantasy starting options.

Denver Broncos

Evan Engram is the best fantasy option at tight end for Denver. Adam Trautman and Marcedes Lewis will also play.

The Chargers are a brutal test on tight ends, so I'd try to skip any Denver TEs this week.

Detroit Lions

Shane Zylstra, Anthony Firkser and Giovanni Ricci are splitting the tight end snaps in Detroit.

The Bears are a slightly above-average test for TEs, but I'm not confident in any Lions' tight ends for fantasy purposes in week 18.

Green Bay Packers

Luke Musgrave is the team's top fantasy tight end, but wasn't even targeted last week. Josh Whyle played more snaps.

Neither are good options going into a very tough test against Minnesota.

Houston Texans

Dalton Schultz is the top fantasy TE for Houston. Cade Stover plays a decent amount, but isn't a big fantasy threat.

If Schultz plays against Indy, he has an above-average test. Stover could be a sneaky-good option if Schultz is out.

Indianapolis Colts

Tyler Warren and Mo Alie-Cox are tight end options in Indy.

Houston is a tougher test, and with Riley Leonard at QB, neither Warren nor Alie-Cox are very good options. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Brenton Strange is the only worthwhile fantasy TE on Jacksonville worth mentioning.

He has an average matchup, so he's a decent fantasy asset for week 18.

Kansas City Chiefs

Travis Kelce and Noah Gray are the tight ends playing the most for KC.

Kelce could deliver big in his possible final NFL game. He has a tough test against the Raiders coming.

Las Vegas Raiders

With Brock Bowers out, Michael Mayer is the top Las Vegas tight end.

He too has a tougher test against Kansas City, but with no other reliable pass catchers in Las Vegas, I like Mayer for week 18.

Los Angeles Chargers

Oronde Gadsden is the top LA tight end. Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin are worth mentioning if LA ends up sitting some of its pass catchers.

Denver is an above-average matchup, so Gadsden is a pretty solid option in my eyes. The other TEs could be decent options if some pass catchers sit.

Los Angeles Rams

Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson and Davis Allen have picked up more with Davante Adams out of late. Tyler Higbee could also be activated.

It's a favorable matchup for the tight ends, so Parkinson is a decent option, and Ferguson, Allen and Higbee could be worth deep-league looks.

Miami Dolphins

Greg Dulcich and Julian Hill are the tight ends for Miami, and could handle more with Jaylen Waddle banged up. Darren Waller is out with an injury.

New England is an above-average test, so keep the Miami tight ends in mind when working on lineups.

Minnesota Vikings

With T.J. Hockenson likely out, Minnesota will turn to Josh Oliver, Ben Sims and Ben Yurosek in week 18 against Green Bay.

That's a below-average matchup, meaning I'm avoiding the Minnesota tight ends.

New England Patriots

Hunter Henry is the top tight end for the Patriots, but he's a bit banged up. Austin Hooper and CJ Dippre could take on more if he's out this week.

Miami struggles to slow tight ends, so Henry or Hooper as the top tight end could deliver big. 

New Orleans Saints

Juwan Johnson is the top tight end for New Orleans, and Taysom Hill is also worth mentioning.

Atlanta is great at slowing tight ends, so neither guy has a great outlook. Both are decent deep-league options at least.

New York Giants

Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz could handle the TE snaps if Theo Johnson is out again.

Dallas is tougher on tight ends, so Bellinger or Johnson have capped fantasy outlooks for week 18.

New York Jets

With Mason Taylor injured, it's Jeremy Ruckert, Jelani Woods and Stone Smartt who handled the TE snaps last week.

None of them are good fantasy options in week 18 in a brutal test against the Bills.

Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas Goedert powers the Eagles, but could be limited, or rest entirely in week 18. Grant Calcaterra and Kylen Granson could replace him.

The matchup against Washington is elite, so consider Calcaterra if he starts for Goedert.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Darnell Washington is out for the year now, so Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith will handle the TE work.

Baltimore is tough on tight ends, so Freiermuth and Smith are both risky options, even with DK Metcalf out yet.

San Francisco 49ers

With George Kittle out last week, Jake Tonges delivered. Luke Farrell also played a decent amount.

Kittle is the guy to start if he plays, but Tonges could surprise again if Kittle is out. 

Seattle is a pretty favorable matchup, so whoever is the top tight end has a good fantasy outlook.

Seattle Seahawks

AJ Barner leads Seattle, with help from Eric Saubert and Nick Kallerup.

San Francisco is another above-average matchup, so I like Barner this week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cade Otton is the only notable tight end in Tampa Bay, but he's struggled of late.

Carolina is an average test for him, but with all the wideouts back in Tampa, Otton is just a deep-league option.

Tennessee Titans

Gunnar Helm and Chig Okonkwo are both options for Tennessee. Helm might not play with a toe injury, leaving Okonkwo a chance to shine.

He also has a good matchup coming against the Jaguars, so definitely consider Okonkwo, especially in deeper setups.

Washington Commanders

Ben Sinnott and John Bates play the most snaps at tight end for Washington.

Philly is a very tough test, so I'm against starting both the Washington tight ends this week.