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. Bye weeks are starting to take place. This means that tight ends like Jake Ferguson and Chigoziem Okonkwo 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 7 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.
Rankings
| Category | Name | Opponent | Ranking |
| Must Start | Travis Kelce* | vs Los Angeles Chargers | TE1 |
| Must Start | T.J. Hockenson | vs San Francisco 49ers | TE2 |
| Starting TE1 | Mark Andrews | vs Detroit Lions | TE3 |
| Starting TE1 | Evan Engram | vs New Orleans Saints | TE4 |
| Starting TE1 | Dallas Goedert* | vs Miami Dolphins | TE5 |
| Starting TE1 | Darren Waller | vs Washington Commanders | TE6 |
| Starting TE1 | Sam LaPorta* | vs Baltimore Ravens | TE7 |
| Starting TE1 | Cole Kmet | vs Las Vegas Raiders | TE8 |
| Starting TE1 | Kyle Pitts | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TE9 |
| Starting TE1 | George Kittle | vs Minnesota Vikings | TE10 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Luke Musgrave | vs Denver Broncos | TE11 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Jonnu Smith | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TE12 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Logan Thomas | vs New York Giants | TE13 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Pat Freiermuth | vs Los Angeles Rams | TE14 |
| TD Dependent Starter | David Njoku | vs Indianapolis Colts | TE15 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Zach Ertz | vs Seattle Seahawks | TE16 |
| TD Dependent Starter | Gerald Everett | vs Kansas City Chiefs | TE17 |
| Deep League Starter | Tyler Higbee | vs San Francisco 49ers | TE18 |
| Deep League Starter | Michael Mayer | vs Chicago Bears | TE19 |
| Deep League Starter | Dawson Knox | vs New England Patriots | TE20 |
| Deep League Starter | Hunter Henry* | vs Buffalo Bills | TE21 |
| Deep League Starter | Kylen Granson* | vs Cleveland Browns | TE22 |
| Deep League Starter | Dalton Kincaid* | vs New England Patriots | TE23 |
| Leave on the Bench | Cade Otton | vs Atlanta Falcons | TE24 |
| Leave on the Bench | Colby Parkinson | vs Arizona Cardinals | TE25 |
| Leave on the Bench | Durham Smythe | vs Philadelphia Eagles | TE26 |
| Leave on the Bench | Mike Gesicki | vs Buffalo Bills | TE27 |
| Leave on the Bench | Noah Fant | vs Arizona Cardinals | TE28 |
| Leave on the Bench | Trey McBride | vs Seattle Seahawks | TE29 |
| Leave on the Bench | Taysom Hill | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | TE30 |
| Leave on the Bench | Noah Gray | vs Los Angeles Chargers | TE31 |
Possible Changes that can occur before Sunday
TE5 Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Goedert was limited in practice on Wednesday with a groin injury. If Goedert misses Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins Jack Still becomes the TE26 between Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki.
TE7 Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Sam LaPorta was limited in practice on Wednesday with a calf injury. He has been dealing with this issue since last week. If LaPorta misses Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens Brock Wright becomes the TE24 between Cade Otton and Colby Parkinson.
TE21 Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Hunter Henry missed practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury. If Henry misses Week 7 against the Buffalo Bills Mike Gesicki moves up to TE21 between Dawson Knox and Kylen Granson.
TE22 Kylen Granson, Indianapolis Colts
Kylen Granson missed practice on Wednesday with a concussion. If Granson misses Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns Drew Ogletree becomes the TE30 between Taysom Hill and Noah Gray.
TE20 Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
Dalton Kincaid missed last week’s game against the New York Giants with a concussion. It was announced Wednesday that Kincaid had cleared the concussion protocol. So at this point Kincaid is expected to play this week. However if Kincaid was to miss Week 7 against the New England Patriots Quintin Morris becomes the TE29 between Trey McBride and Taysom Hill.
Players that are currently not expected to play
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson was ruled out of this week’s matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a calf injury. While Johnson is out Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau should see increased reps at the tight end position for New Orleans.
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
Greg Dulcich reaggravated his hamstring injury that caused him to miss time earlier in the season during last week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He is currently considered doubtful to play this week against the Green Bay Packers. While Dulcich is out Adam Trautman will continue to be Denver’s top tight end on their depth chart.
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