Fantasy Football Week 16 Tight End Rankings

The 2025-26 NFL season has been outstanding so far. Already there have been a ton of breakout players and fantasy duds that have made the game so entertaining. The playoffs have begun in your fantasy leagues. During the playoffs Fantasy Managers will have full utilization of their roster and need to make sure they have backup options on their roster incase their stars get hurt. There have plenty of injuries this season to crucial players that make the pool of players to choose from on waivers that much thinner. It’s 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 16 tight end rankings.

[Ratings are subject to change due to injury reports or possible move to Injured Reserve 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.

Touchdown 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 a 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.

Fantasy Football Week 16 Tight End Rankings

Players that could miss this week’s game

TE15 Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

Darren Waller was limited in practice with a knee injury on Wednesday. He was taken limited practices almost every week he has been active this season. If Waller misses Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals Greg Dulcich moves up to TE24 between Dawson Knox and Isaiah Likely.

TE17 Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid missed practice on Wednesday with a knee injury. It is unclear if this injury will cause him to miss time. If Kincaid misses Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns Dawson Knox moves up to TE17 between T.J. Hockenson and Theo Johnson.

TE23 Gunnar Helm, Tennessee Titans

Gunnar Helm suffered a toe injury last week against the San Francisco 49ers. He was limited in practice on Wednesday with the injury. If Helm misses Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs Chigoziem Okonkwo moves up to TE23 between Brenton Strange and Dawson Knox.

TE27 Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Cole Kmet was limited in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury. It is unclear if this injury could cause him to miss time. If Kmet misses Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers Durham Smythe will be the backup tight end for Colston Loveland.

TE32 Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cade Otton missed last week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with a knee injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday with the injury. If Otton misses Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers Devin Culp becomes TE38 below Taysom Hill.

Players that are currently not expected to play

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

David Njoku missed last week’s game against the Chicago Bears with a knee injury. He missed Wednesday’s practice with eh injury and is unlikely to play this week. While Njoku is out Harold Fannin Jr. becomes the clear starter at tight end for the Browns. This could preview what Cleveland’s offense could look like next season since Njoku will be a free agent.

Mason Taylor, New York Jets

Mason Taylor missed last week’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a neck injury. He missed Wednesday’s practice because of the injury. New York will likely tread lightly with Taylor becasue they view him as a large piece of their offense going forward. While Taylor is out Jeremy Ruckert should see a few extra targets a game in this offense. Even though the team just signed Ruckert to a two year extension, he shouldn’t be near fantasy lineups this late in the season.

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