Alright, folks, that’s it. We are going into Week 10. So it’s time to take the training wheels off. Up until now, we have been using our Yin & Yang tight-end strategy to stash guys for down the road. But the time for hopes and dreams is over. It’s that part of the year when we need to fight for every win. Playoffs fast approach.

 

Because of that, we are switching from the two-pronged format to linear rankings. If you have deep benches or the rest of your team is awesome so you can afford to hold two tight ends, here is the full write-up on how the Yin & Yang strategy works. The short and sweet is that, if you don’t have an elite tight end, you should roster two: the safest possible play (Yin) to start each week and the highest upside bench stash (Yang) to see if we can catch lightning in a bottle. The rest of us are going to focus on winning now and only planning for bye weeks. The rankings themselves are based on years of research we have done on the position which is all compiled into this one article on What Makes An Elite Tight End.

*Orange players have potential injury issues

  
 Tight End
TierRest of Season
1Travis Kelce
Mark Andrews
2George Kittle
Dallas Goedert
3David Njoku
Pat Freiermuth
T.J. Hockenson
4Zach Ertz
Dalton Schultz
Evan Engram
Gerald Everett
5Kyle Pitts
Greg Dulcich
Darren Waller
Taysom Hill
6Robert Tonyan
Hayden Hurst
Cole Kmet
Juwan Johnson
Cameron Brate/Cade Otton
7Logan Thomas
Dawson Knox
Tyler Conklin
Tyler Higbee
8Hunter Henry
Mike Gesicki
Daniel Bellinger/Tanner Hudson
Noah Fant
Kylen Granson
Brock Wright
 Handcuffs
 Isaiah Likely
 Cade Otton
 Foster Moreau
 Tanner Hudson
 Will Dissly

Tier 1: Mega Stars

 

Tier 2: Locked In

  • George Kittle and Dallas Goedert - The talent was never the question for these guys - just the usage and the spot on the target pecking order. But at this point, neither guy has been asked to hang in and block on many pass plays (even when Trent Williams was out, Kittle ran almost all of the routes). And both have proven they are the top two pass catchers on their team. Locked in.

 

Tier 3: Feeling Good

  • David NjokuHe was a focal point of the offense, he was consistent, and that was with the backup QB (with a better QB on the horizon). So obviously injury took him away. But he plans to play in Week 10 it seems and there aren’t many better options out there when healthy.
  • Pat FreiermuthIt was a little crowded for targets but then they traded Chase Claypool - problem solved. Diontae Johnson should continue to lead the team but Muth is right in the mix with George Pickens and that’s more than enough for us.
  • T.J. HockensonWe were a little worried it could take some time for him to get up to speed in Minnesota. We were also a little worried he would be behind Adam Thielen in the pecking order. So much for that. And like the other guys in this tier, you have to be feeling pretty good.

 

Tier 4: Start Em If Ya Got Em

  • Zach Ertz and Gerald EverettThese guys are about as safe of starts as you are going to get - for now. The concern is that some of these injured wide receivers come back and dilute the targets. For Ertz, it’s Marquise Brown and for Everett, it’s Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. It could happen at the worst possible time which is fantasy playoffs. That’s what separates these guys from the group ahead.
  • Dalton Schultz and Evan EngramWhen conditions are good, production is good for these guys. Injuries, matchups, and weather have gotten in the way of that at times but Schultz’s knee should be rested up after the bye, and the back issue that caused Engram to miss the action this week is said to be minor. In full PPR leagues, the targets are at least usually there.

 

Tier 5: Risk It For The Biscuit

  • Kyle Pitts, Greg Dulcich, Darren WallerYou might not feel great about it because some of the risks but the upside is there for these guys in any given week and the targets are usually there as well (even if Pitts only catches two of seven of them like he did this week). Dulcich could move up soon but the sample size is so small he still carries a good amount of risk.
  • Taysom HillEveryone understands what they are getting themselves into at this point.

 

Tier 6: Meh

  • Robert TonyanThis guy just doesn’t play the whole game. Playing 46% of the snaps this week just doesn’t cut it for us and he’s done that in most of the games this year. Hurts his upside. That’s why he’s “meh”.
  • Hayden HurstFor the time being he’s a safe albeit boring play but soon enough Ja’Marr Chase will be back. When that happens the reality if he’s competing with Joe Mixon to be the fourth target on the team. Not super exciting and their bye week comes up soon.
  • Cole KmetCole Kmet is basically in the same spot as Kyle Pitts right now where his success depends entirely on the passing volume and QB ability (which is atrocious at times). But there is one big difference. Kmet has been asked to stay in and pass block on 5, 5, 9, and 8 snaps his last four games. That is scary.
  • Juwan Johnson and Cade Otton - These guys are good starts at times based on matchups and injuries to teammates. Whenever Cameron Brate is out, Cade Otton plays a ton of snaps and runs a ton of routes. Same with Juwan Johnson when Jarvis Landry and Michael Thomas are out. But that won’t last forever.

 

Tier 7: Players That I’m Not Starting In Any Of My Leagues But You Can Start In Yours

  • The tier title makes it pretty clear. But these guys are just incredibly inconsistent while also not really being athletic enough to give us hope of breaking off a big play. Except for maybe Logan Thomas if he ever gets full healthy. 

 

Tier 8: DFS TD Chasing Dart Throws

Tight End Handcuffs 

  • Isaiah Likely - Don’t get turned off by last week - the Saints are a terrible matchup for tight ends. It’s the return of Andrews that is the problem...
  • Foster MoreauHe’s never had more than 67 yards in any game ever, even with Waller out.
  • Tanner Hudson - Sneaky DFS play whenever Bellinger is out - runs a lot of routes.

Weekly Rankings

Follow Andrew Cooper on Twitter @CoopAFiasco to see the weekly rankings once they are available later this week!

 

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