The 2021-22 NFL season has only one week left. Bye weeks have been over and the fantasy leagues that are still active are in their fantasy championship. This time of year COVID-19 is running rampant which makes it important to have backup options on your fantasy roster. Also since a majority of teams have clinched their playoff spots teams will rest their starters this week. On top of all of that, injuries are continuing to mount up. 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 18 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 | Mark Andrews | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | TE1 |
| Must Start | Travis Kelce | vs Denver Broncos | TE2 |
| Must Start | George Kittle | vs Los Angeles Rams | TE3 |
| Must Start | Rob Gronkowski | vs Carolina Panthers | TE4 |
| Starting TE1 | Dalton Schultz | vs Philadelphia Eagles | TE5 |
| Starting TE1 | Darren Waller* | vs Los Angeles Chargers | TE6 |
| Starting TE1 | Zach Ertz | vs Seattle Seahawks | TE7 |
| Starting TE1 | Dallas Goedert* | vs Dallas Cowboys | TE8 |
| Starting TE1 | Pat Freiermuth | vs Baltimore Ravens | TE9 |
| Starting TE1 | Kyle Pitts* | vs New Orleans Saints | TE10 |
| Starting TE1 | Noah Fant | vs Kansas City Chiefs | TE11 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Dawson Knox | vs New York Jets | TE12 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Mike Gesicki | vs New England Patriots | TE13 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Tyler Higbee | vs San Francisco 49ers | TE14 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Jared Cook | vs Las Vegas Raiders | TE15 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Gerald Everett | vs Arizona Cardinals | TE16 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Cole Kmet | vs Minnesota Vikings | TE17 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Hunter Henry | vs Miami Dolphins | TE18 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Tyler Conklin | vs Chicago Bears | TE19 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Cameron Brate | vs Carolina Panthers | TE20 |
| Deep League Starter | John Bates | vs New York Giants | TE21 |
| Deep League Starter | Brevin Jordan | vs Tennessee Titans | TE22 |
| Deep League Starter | Austin Hooper | vs Cincinnati Bengals | TE23 |
| Deep League Starter | Evan Engram | vs Washington Football Team | TE24 |
| Deep League Starter | James O’Shaughnessy* | vs Indianapolis Colts | TE25 |
| Leave on the Bench | David Njoku* | vs Cincinnati Bengals | TE26 |
| Leave on the Bench | Albert Okwuegbunam | vs Kansas City Chiefs | TE27 |
| Leave on the Bench | Geoff Swaim | vs Houston Texans | TE28 |
| Leave on the Bench | Mo Alie-Cox | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | TE29 |
| Leave on the Bench | Tyler Kroft | vs Buffalo Bills | TE30 |
| Leave on the Bench | Adam Trautman | vs Atlanta Falcons | TE31 |
| Leave on the Bench | Hayden Hurst | vs New Orleans Saints | TE32 |
| Leave on the Bench | C.J. Uzomah* | vs Cleveland Browns | TE33 |
| Leave on the Bench | Anthony Firkser | vs Houston Texans | TE34 |
| Leave on the Bench | Jonnu Smith | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | TE35 |
Possible Changes that can occur before Sunday
TE6 Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
Darren Waller was limited from a knee injury during Thursday’s practice. He has missed Las Vegas’ last five games. If Waller was unable to return this week against the Los Angeles Chargers then Foster Moreau would slot in at TE12 between Dawson Knox and Mike Gesicki.
TE8 Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Goedert was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week. If Goedert cannot play against the Dallas Cowboys this week then Jack Stoll would slot in at TE35 below Jonnu Smith.
TE10 Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Kyle Pitts was limited in practice Thursday with a hamstring injury. If Pitts cannot play this week against the New Orleans Saints then Hayden Hurst would move up to TE15 between Jared Cook and Gerald Everett.
TE25 James O’Shaughnessy, Jacksonville Jaguars
James O’Shaughnessy last week’s game with a hip injury. If he misses this week’s game against the Indianapolis Colts then Luke Farrell would slot in at TE33 between C.J. Uzomah and Anthony Firkser.
TE26 David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
David Njoku missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with a shoulder injury. If he was to miss this week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals then Harrison Bryant would step into his TE26 slot.
TE33 C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals
C.J. Uzomah didn’t practice Wednesday and Thursday with both a hip and knee injury. If Uzomah misses this week’s game against the Cleveland Browns Drew Sample would be the TE35 below Jonnu Smith.
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