Wild Card Fantasy Football TE Rankings (PPR): George Kittle Leads Way, Plus Colston Loveland, Dalton Schultz and More
Morgan ranks tight ends as fantasy football/DFS assets for the Wild Card Round of the NFL postseason.
Let's knock off another fantasy football position for Wild Card Round rankings by going over tight ends.
We already went over quarterbacks and running backs, and will discuss wide receivers in another article.
Also be sure to check out Wild Card Round fantasy matchups and projections.
For the tight end list, I have 17 players ranked. I have PPR scoring in mind.
Check out Wild Card Round fantasy football projections for tight ends on FantasySP!
Kittle was a pretty easy choice atop the fantasy tight end rankings.
He has a very tough matchup coming against the Eagles, but is easily the best fantasy TE, so he gets the No. 1 spot. Philly only allows eight fantasy points per contest, but I see Kittle still delivering big.
Kittle averaged 14.7 PPR points per week and had 22.8 and 25.4 in weeks 15-16 before getting injured. He played in week 18, and should be good to go this week.
He could end up as the top San Fran fantasy pass catcher, so that's deserving as the No. 1 TE spot.
Goedert missed week 18 with an injury, but I expect him to play against the Niners, which is a favorable test.
San Fran allows 15 fantasy points per game to tight ends, so Goedert could surprise this week. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith lead the pass catchers in Philly, but Goedert could deliver big as well this week.
Feel free to fire him up for the Wild Card Round, and be expecting solid fantasy points.
Schultz had a pretty solid fantasy season, and was a bit underrated in my eyes.
He has a stellar matchup against the Steelers, who allow 17 fantasy points per game. With only Nico Collins as an established pass catcher in Houston, Schultz could deliver big, especially in this matchup.
Schultz shouldn't cost a lot in DFS contests either, so I really like the idea of using him in those, along with regular fantasy football leagues.
I have the Bears' rookie tight end ranked fourth for the first round of the postseason.
He ended the regular season on a heater, and could carry that into the Bears' playoff run. The only thing I'm worried about is a bit tougher test coming against the Packers.
Loveland had 30 yards on three catches and four targets in the second game against Green Bay. The rookie had 29 yards and a score on four grabs and five targets in the first matchup.
I think Loveland does a bit more this time around, even if the Bears have all their wide receivers out there.
5. Hunter Henry
Henry gets the No. 5 ranking going into a test against the Chargers.
LA is the fifth-toughest fantasy test a tight end could have. They only allow 10 fantasy points per game.
Henry has established himself as a notable part of the Patriots' offense, and he has touchdown upside, so I simply cannot rank him any lower.
Kincaid lands in my No. 6 spot.
He had a rather disappointing fantasy regular season, but with not many proven pass catchers in Buffalo, his upside is too good to pass on any longer.
Jacksonville is an above-average matchup for Kincaid, so he could end up surprising this week. If he finds the end zone, he could be one of the top finishers.
Strange had an up-and-down season, with an injury halting a solid start to the year. He was pretty good down the stretch for a red-hot Jacksonville team.
I wanted to rank him higher, but a brutal matchup against the Bills prevented me from doing that. Buffalo allowed the least amount of fantasy points to TEs this regular season.
Jacksonville also has three good wideouts (Brian Thomas, Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington) to turn to, so Strange's fantasy outlook isn't super high. He's a gamble this week, especially in a tough matchup.
Gadsden flashed some fantasy brilliance this season, but with so many pass catchers on the Chargers, he was overshadowed sometimes too. A No. 8 ranking feels more than fair.
The Patriots are an average fantasy test for him, so maybe Gadsden could provide a handful of points.
Of course, if he finds the end zone, he could finish a lot higher than I have him ranked. He's the last tight end in these rankings that I would really want to play this week.
Parkinson ended the year with a bang, catching two touchdowns over four receptions and seven targets. The problem is that there's four total tight ends on the Rams who could contribute any week, so Parkinson's fantasy outlook is lowered.
Carolina is a slightly above-average fantasy matchup for tight ends, but with Davante Adams probably back, I'm not a huge fan of Parkinson, or any other LA Ram tight ends this week.
Parkinson had 27 yards on four catches and five targets the last time the teams met.
10. Pat Freiermuth
Freiermuth did some nice things in the final two weeks of the season, so he gets the No. 10 slot. He had four or five targets in the final four weeks, and went over 50 yards the final two regular season games.
A tougher test against Houston knocks him down a peg, as does the return of DK Metcalf, who was suspended the final two weeks.
Still, Pittsburgh needs other pass catchers to step up, and Freiermuth could be the one who does.
11. Tyler Higbee
Higbee returned from the injured reserve list in week 18 and had 91 yards and a score on five grabs and six targets. That was a great showing, but I just don't see him contributing much behind Puka Nacua and Adams, while also having to deal with teammates at tight end.
He did not face the Panthers during the regular season, as he was on IR at that point.
Higbee is more of a lottery ticket play this week. You are hoping he's really involved, or catches a touchdown. There's just better options in fantasy, or in DFS contests.
12. Dawson Knox
Knox is the No. 2 tight end in Buffalo, but he produced enough down the stretch to end up in the rankings for the coming week.
With not many proven pass catchers in Buffalo, plus an above-average matchup against Jacksonville, Knox could surprise, even if he doesn't find the end zone.
He's still a lottery ticket option.
13. Luke Musgrave
Musgrave is the top Packers' tight end after the injury to Tucker Kraft. Musgrave barely took advantage of things, and didn't have a target over the final two weeks of the regular season.
He was the lead tight end for both of the games against the Bears. Musgrave had 22 yards on two grabs and four targets in the first game, then 38 yards on three catches and targets in the second outing.
Musgrave could put up a sneaky-good fantasy outing this week, but he's another gamble and lottery ticket.
14. Jonnu Smith
Smith was a fantasy disappointment in his first season with Pittsburgh. He scored in double figures just three times, and it took a touchdown each week to get him there.
Add in a below-average matchup against the Texans and I'm not a big fan of trying Smith this week.
He could surprise, but it'd likely take a touchdown to help him deliver enough fantasy points for a decent showing.
15. Cole Kmet
Kmet is the No. 2 Bears' tight end after the team drafted Loveland.
He was only somewhat involved down the stretch, and I don't see that changing in the postseason, regardless of which Bears' wideouts play.
Kmet had 42 yards on two catches and targets in the first game against Green Bay, then 14 yards on two grabs and three targets in the other outing.
Ferguson didn't play in week 18, so his status will be one to watch. He caught touchdowns in weeks 16 and 17, so he was starting to come on a bit.
The return of Higbee hurts his fantasy outlook, and having Adams back would bury Ferguson on the target list a bit more.
The so-so matchup against the Panthers doesn't help his cause much. He had no catches on two targets in the first meeting between the teams. Only try Ferguson in super deep fantasy leagues or DFS contests.
17. Tommy Tremble
Tremble is the top tight end for Carolina after the injury to Ja'Tavion Sanders.
Tremble hasn't done much this season, but he did have 38 yards and a score on three grabs and four targets in week 18.
The Rams are a slightly below-average test for a tight end. Tremble had a two-yard catch across two targets in the regular season game against LA. Carolina is lacking pass catchers outside Tetairoa McMillan, but I don't trust Bryce Young and the offense enough to try Tremble.
