There is a reason we wait on the tight end in most cases. And that’s because tight ends seem to come out of the woodwork each year. In fact, a tight end has come from TE18 or later to finish top 5 in ADP every year for 13 straight years. It’s a way we create leverage in drafts - use your first 8 or 9 picks on RBs and WRs, get a QB at some point, and figure out tight end later. And this year, as always, has presented plenty of options off the wire. Now it’s about figuring out the right one. 

In our season-long Yin & Yang tight end rankings (found here), we help you figure out who to roster. In this article, I share my thoughts for Week 6. If you want my rankings for every position and every format, those are available to Fantasy Alarm Members here. We actually have our Spooktober deal running now, where you can get 20% off the monthly price for the rest of the NFL season. There’s no better time than now to sign up - especially if you have fantasy basketball drafts coming up!

Reminder - these rankings below are just for Week 6. If you want my rest of the season tight end rankings, in our patented Yin & Yang Tight End format, those are available here at the bottom of this article. As always, I’ll be available for comments or concerns in the Twitter or Reddit threads, so feel free to weigh in there with your own thoughts - or any questions you have for this week!

*Players highlighted in red have injury concerns that we need to monitor

 

 

 

 Tight End
TierWeek 6
1Jake Ferguson
2Trey McBride
Tyler Warren
Tucker Kraft
3Kyle Pitts
Hunter Henry
Sam LaPorta
Travis Kelce
4Darren Waller
Dalton Kincaid
5Juwan Johnson
David Njoku
Jake Tonges
Cade Otton
6Harold Fannin
Mark Andrews
Zach Ertz
Michael Mayer
7Taysom Hill
8Hunter Long
AJ Barner
Tommy Tremble
Chig Okonkwo
Jonnu Smith
9Colston Loveland
Cole Kmet
Oronde Gadsden Jr
Elijah Arroyo
Gunnar Helm


 

SUNDAY UPDATE

Week 6 Tight End Rankings: Tier 1

Trey McBride no longer stands alone. Jake Ferguson has been peppered with targets with CeeDee Lamb out, and, as we mentioned, he leads the league in catches vs. man-to-man. That has also led him to lead the league in targets in the endzone, where it’s a lot of man coverage. That paid off last week, and this week he gets another good matchup with the Carolina Panthers. 

Week 6 Tight End Rankings: Tier 2

Tyler Warren and Tucker Kraft both pass the eye test and look at least solid in virtually every category we care about, like route participation, target share, yards per route run, etc. They also both give you the additional element of being involved in gadgety plays - both players get screens, take handoffs, and have taken a snap at QB here or there. Warren is slightly ahead as his team is a little more pass-happy and he doesn’t pass block as much, but Kraft has a great matchup vs. CIN this week, so he’s right there. 

Week 6 Tight End Rankings: Tier 3

This tier is the next best thing, though they are all capable of down weeks. Kyle Pitts has been oddly reliable thanks largely to his route participation which is the second highest behind only Trey McBride. Pitts offers big upside with his speed with multiple 50+ yard plays last year. Right now Falcons WR Darnell Mooney and Bills LB Matt Milano are trending towards out - if either plays, Pitts might move down a couple spots for our Sunday update. 

Hunter Henry has a plus matchup vs. the Saints and is tied for second in endzone targets behind Jake Ferguson, so he gets a little extra juice. The only thing concerning about Henry so far has been his pass block rate which is a little high for us. Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce face off in a potential shootout here, which gives them upside but they are both capable of disappearing as well. 

Week 6 Tight End Rankings: Tier 4

This tier is comprised of two guys who are not playing a full snap share currently, but are still focal points of their attack when out there - especially in the red area. Kincaid is one of the tight ends tier with Hunter Henry, with three endzone targets, and we know Waller is getting looks in that range. Kincaid sits at a 60% route participation on the season, while Waller got up to 64% last week. Waller will keep rising up these rankings if his role continues to grow, but we don’t know for sure what their plans are for that. 

 

 

 

Week 6 Tight End Rankings: Tier 5

A lot of good options in here. Mason Taylor gets the nod at the top of the tier, as Garrett Wilson should be dealing with Patrick Surtain. Juwan Johnson has been dealing with an ankle issue, but he’s still getting good deployment, and the Pats have struggled against tight ends. Dallas Goedert has kind of a bad matchup here with Tyler Nubin and company, but he offers a decent floor. David Njoku was a favorite of Dylan Gabriel last week and played more than Fannin. Evan Engram’s usage is close to what we get from Kincaid and Waller, so I don’t mind him, especially with the matchup for Sutton, but his production has not been as good as Kincaid and Waller. Theo Johnson has been solid as well, but his matchup vs. the Eagles is arguably the worst one for tight ends.

Week 6 Tight End Rankings: Tier 6

Brock Bowers is here. Why? Because if your only other options are Dallas Goedert or Theo Johnson, I would play them on Thursday Night Football rather than waiting for Bowers. That’s how bad it’s gotten. I don’t trust Geno, and I don’t trust his knee. 

Week 6 Tight End Rankings: Tier 7

These guys are pretty flimsy here, but they still provide the next best opportunity from the heap out there. Jake Tonges is oddly the best option given his 42 routes last week (last week’s hero, Kendrick Bourne, ran 44). 

Week 6 Tight End Rankings: Tier 8

Pretty much any tight end that catches passes is going to be more viable in any sort of PPR format ahead of Taysom Hill for me right now. That could change, but all those players are listed in the 7 tiers above.

Week 6 Tight End Rankings: Tier 9

These guys terrify me with their current roles in the offense - don’t trust it. 

 

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