This year more than ever it has been difficult to make decisions about fantasy football lineups because of injuries, byes, and Covid-19 concerns. With starters, Travis Kelce and Dallas Goedert sitting out this week championship team’s fantasy teams could be largely affected and could force teams to start emergency options.
This week is the second week of championship week in a majority of leagues. Owners who may have two tight ends on their roster that they have been flipping between all season. Deciding between the two could be the difference between winning and losing.
Here are my tight end rankings for Week 17 of the 2020 NFL Season.
*Ratings are subject to change due to injury reports or possible move to reserve/COVID-19 list*
(Check out the section below for details on players already rumored to possibly miss this week and how their replacement options rank for the week)
Key:
Must Start- a player who is in your lineup regardless of the matchup or most circumstances. They Will likely finish near the top of the league in points that week and in most weeks.
Starting TE1- a player who makes fantasy owners comfortable starting week after week. Regardless of the matchup, this player has a solid floor.
TD Dependent Starter- a player who may not be a lock to start for a team every week, but will start more times than not because of depth at the position. Their production is based on whether they can get in the end zone or not. It can be the difference between a top 10 performance or top 25 performance
Deep League Starter- a player whose ceiling isn’t high but should put up enough production to be started in deep leagues. When a player like this is started it is because their production though it will likely be low, will be better than a few options.
Leave on the Bench- a player who should be avoided in all lineups that week. Many times this player could even be left on waivers.
Category | Name | Opponent | Ranking |
Must Start | Darren Waller | vs Denver Broncos | TE1 |
Must Start | Mark Andrews | vs Cincinnati Bengals | TE2 |
Must Start | T.J. Hockenson | vs Minnesota Vikings | TE3 |
Must Start | George Kittle | vs Seattle Seahawks | TE4 |
Starting TE1 | Noah Fant | vs Las Vegas Raiders | TE5 |
Starting TE1 | Logan Thomas | vs Philadelphia Eagles | TE6 |
Starting TE1 | Hunter Henry | vs Kansas City Chiefs | TE7 |
Starting TE1 | Robert Tonyan | vs Chicago Bears | TE8 |
Starting TE1 | Irv Smith Jr. | vs Detroit Lions | TE9 |
Starting TE1 | Evan Engram | vs Dallas Cowboys | TE10 |
TD Dependent Starter | Rob Gronkowski | vs Atlanta Falcons | TE11 |
TD Dependent Starter | Dalton Schultz | vs New York Giants | TE12 |
TD Dependent Starter | Jimmy Graham | vs Green Bay Packers | TE13 |
TD Dependent Starter | Jonnu Smith | vs Houston Texans | TE14 |
TD Dependent Starter | Mike Gesicki | vs Buffalo Bills | TE15 |
TD Dependent Starter | Jared Cook | vs Carolina Panthers | TE16 |
TD Dependent Starter | Zach Ertz | vs Washington Football Team | TE17 |
Deep League Starter | Cole Kmet | vs Green Bay Packers | TE18 |
Deep League Starter | Jordan Akins | vs Tennessee Titans | TE19 |
Deep League Starter | Hayden Hurst | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TE20 |
Deep League Starter | Vance McDonald | vs Cleveland Browns | TE21 |
Deep League Starter | Dan Arnold | vs Los Angeles Rams | TE22 |
Deep League Starter | Dawson Knox | vs Miami Dolphins | TE23 |
Deep League Starter | Austin Hooper | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | TE24 |
Deep League Starter | Trey Burton | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | TE25 |
Leave on the Bench | Tyler Higbee | vs Arizona Cardinals | TE26 |
Leave on the Bench | Jack Doyle | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | TE27 |
Leave on the Bench | Richard Rodgers | vs Washington Football Team | TE28 |
Leave on the Bench | Jacob Hollister | vs San Fransisco 49ers | TE29 |
Leave on the Bench | Tyler Conklin | vs Detroit Lions | TE30 |
Leave on the Bench | Jordan Reed | vs Seattle Seahawks | TE31 |
Leave on the Bench | Tyler Eifert | vs Indianapolis Colts | TE32 |
Leave on the Bench | Drew Sample | vs Baltimore Ravens | TE33 |
Leave on the Bench | Nick Keizer | vs Los Angeles Chargers | TE34 |
Leave on the Bench | Cameron Brate | vs Atlanta Falcons | TE35 |
Leave on the Bench | Gerald Everett | vs Arizona Cardinals | TE36 |
Possible Changes that can occur before Sunday
TE18 Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
This week in practice Cole Kmet suffered a shoulder injury. If he is unable to play Jimmy Graham will become a more interesting option this week for teams who do not have a definite starter at the position. His value doesn’t change much if Kmet is out.
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