The 2021-22 NFL season is past its halfway point. Fantasy Football playoffs will start soon and bye weeks will continue to take place. This means that tight ends like David Njoku and Geoff Swaim will be out this week. On top of that injuries have started to mount up at this point of the season. It is always a great idea to evaluate backup options so that way fantasy managers are prepared if star players miss time. Here are the Fantasy Football Week 13 tight end rankings.
*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 | Travis Kelce | vs Denver Broncos | TE1 |
| Must Start | George Kittle | vs Seattle Seahawks | TE2 |
| Must Start | Rob Gronkowski | vs Atlanta Falcons | TE3 |
| Must Start | Darren Waller* | vs Washington Football Team | TE4 |
| Must Start | Mark Andrews | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | TE5 |
| Starting TE1 | T.J. Hockenson | vs Minnesota Vikings | TE6 |
| Starting TE1 | Pat Freiermuth* | vs Baltimore Ravens | TE7 |
| Starting TE1 | Noah Fant | vs Kanas City Chiefs | TE8 |
| Starting TE1 | Mike Gesicki | vs New York Giants | TE9 |
| Starting TE1 | Dallas Goedert | vs New York Jets | TE10 |
| Starting TE1 | Logan Thomas | vs Las Vegas Raiders | TE11 |
| Starting TE1 | Kyle Pitts | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TE12 |
| Starting TE1 | Tyler Higbee | vs Green Bay Packers | TE13 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Dawson Knox | vs New England Patriots | TE14 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Gerald Everett | vs San Francisco 49ers | TE15 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Cole Kmet* | vs Arizona Cardinals | TE16 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Zach Ertz | vs Chicago Bears | TE17 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Tyler Conklin | vs Detriot Lions | TE18 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Dalton Schultz | vs New Orleans Saints | 9.3 points |
| TD Dependent Starter | Evan Engram | vs Miami Dolphins | TE20 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Jack Doyle* | vs Houston Texans | TE21 |
| Deep League Starter | Brevin Jordan | vs Indianapolis Colts | TE22 |
| Deep League Starter | Hunter Henry | vs Buffalo Bills | TE23 |
| Deep League Starter | Jared Cook | vs Cincinnati Bengals | TE24 |
| Leave on the Bench | C.J. Uzomah | vs Los Angeles Chargers | TE25 |
| Leave on the Bench | Ryan Griffin | vs Philadelphia Eagles | TE26 |
| Leave on the Bench | James O’Shaugnessy | vs Los Angeles Rams | TE27 |
| Leave on the Bench | Juwan Johnson | vs Dallas Cowboys | 3.7 points |
| Leave on the Bench | Mo Alie-Cox | vs Houston Texans | TE29 |
| Leave on the Bench | Jonnu Smith | vs Buffalo Bills | TE30 |
| Leave on the Bench | Cameron Brate | vs Atlanta Falcons | TE31 |
| Leave on the Bench | Foster Moreau | vs Washington Football Team | TE32 |
Possible Changes that can occur before Sunday
TE4 Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
Darren Waller is considered week-to-week with a knee injury. He is unlikely to play this week but hasn’t been ruled out yet. If Waller doesn’t play this week then Foster Moreau moves up to TE6 between T.J. Hockenson and Pat Freiermuth.
TE7 Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pat Freiermuth has been in concussion protocol but was able to practice Wednesday and Thursday. He is expected to play but if he wasn’t then Zach Gentry would start for the Steelers at tight end.
TE16 Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Cole Kmet was limited in practice Thursday with a groin issue. If Kmet was to miss this week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals then Jimmy Graham would play a large role on this offense and slot in at TE28 between Juwan Johnson and Mo Alie-Cox.
TE21 Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts
Jack Doyle was limited in practice Thursday with a knee injury. If Doyle was unable to play then Mo Alie-Cox would move up to TE25 between C.J. Uzomah and Ryan Griffin. Kylen Granson would be an interesting sleeper in tight end premium leagues.
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