Fantasy Football Week 18 Tight End Rankings

The 2023-24 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. It is officially the last week of the regular season. It is vital for fantasy managers this week to pay attention to the standings to see if their stars will play the entirety of their games or at all. 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 18 tight end rankings.

*Ratings are subject to change due to injury reports or possible move to the 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.

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 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.

Will likely not play Entire Game- a player who should be avoided in lineups that week only because they may not play the entirety of the game. Due to locked in playoff positions teams could choose to rest their stars for a majority or entirely of the game.

Rankings

Players that are could miss this week’s game

TE1 Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

Sam LaPorta was limited in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury. If he misses Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings Brock Wright would become the TE36 between Daniel Bellinger and Dawson Knox.

TE9 Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Cole Kmet missed practice on Wednesday with a knee injury. It is unclear if Kmet will miss time with the injury. If Kmet misses Week 18 against the Green Bay Packers Robert Tonyan becomes the TE27 between Isaiah Likely and Taysom Hill.

TE10 Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

Juwan Johnson missed practice on Wednesday with a foot injury. He has dealt with a couple injuries throughout the season. If Johnson misses Week 18 against the Atlanta Falcons Foster Moreau becomes the TE26 between Noah Fant and Isaiah Likely.

TE18 Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Hunter Henry has missed the past two games with a knee injury. If Henry misses Week 18 against the New York Jets Mike Gesicki becomes the TE21 between Tanner Hudson and Jonnu Smith.

TE25 Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders

Michael Mayer missed the past two games with a toe injury. It is unclear if Mayer will miss time because of the injury. If Mayer misses Week 18 against the Denver Broncos Austin Hooper becomes the TE32 between Colby Parkinson and Travis Kelce.

TE29 David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

David Njoku missed practice on Wednesday with an illness. Cleveland is locked into the fifth seed so they could rest their starters this week. If Njoku misses Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals Jordan Akins and Harrison Bryant should be be their primary tight ends.

TE33 Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Travis Kelce was limited in practice on Wednesday with a neck injury. Kansas City is locked into the three seed so they could rest their starters this week, If Kelce misses Week 18 against the Los Angeles Chargers Noah Gray will see a majority of Kansas City’s tight end reps.

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