Almost halfway through the fantasy football regular season, the weekly fluctuation of player rankings has begun to slow down. For the most part, it has become clear which players are every-week starters. However, the back-end TE1 and streaming tiers continue to be subject to weekly turmoil. Find out which young tight ends are making their way up the list in this week’s edition of tight end rankings.
Read More: Week 7 Streamers | Running Back Rankings
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Week 7 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings
Tier 1: Week Winners
- Travis Kelce
- Mark Andrews
- T.J. Hockensen
Travis Kelce reaffirmed his top spot on this list with a nine-catch, 124-yard performance. He has now scored more than twenty points in back-to-back weeks and scored more than 10 points in every game he has played. Mark Andrews and the Ravens are playing the Lions in Week 7, who are allowing the 7th most fantasy points per game to tight ends this year. Lamar Jackson’s top target is in for a big day. T.J. Hockensen has a very tough matchup against the 49ers but is Kirk Cousins’ number-one receiver with Justin Jefferson out.
Tier 2: Solid Starters
- Sam LaPorta
- Dallas Goedert
- Darren Waller
- George Kittle
- Evan Engram
Breakout rookie Sam LaPorta has the Baltimore Ravens on tap in Week 7, who are allowing the fewest points per game to tight ends, which kicks him out of the top section of this week’s tight end rankings. However, LaPorta has consistently been a top-tier option this year, and he headlines the second level. Dallas Goedert has rebounded from his slow start and appears to have established a very sold floor as a mid-range TE1.
Darren Waller has been hit-or-miss this season, but against a poor Washington defense, he has a good chance to have one of his better games. Another up-and-down tight end, George Kittle, ranks just behind Waller. Minnesota is league-average at stopping tight end production but gives up the fifth-most points to receivers. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk may outproduce Kittle in week 7. Evan Engram has a tough matchup against the Saints but has been a very consistent high-floor option throughout 2023.
Tier 3: Back-end TE1s
- Jonnu Smith
- Kyle Pitts
- Luke Musgrave
- Cole Kmet
The Jonnu Smith breakout is finally happening, now that we least expected it. He has been running routes at the same rate as Kyle Pitts over the last two weeks (63.5%) and has a higher Targets Per Route Run (TPRR) percentage than Pitts this season (22% to 17%). This is a true two-tight-end offense, and both Pitts and Smith are viable options in Week 7 against the Buccaneers.
Luke Musgrave’s usage demands that he will be a viable tight end starter eventually. He has a 67% routes run rate this season and ranks tenth in the NFL among tight ends in yards per route run this season. Eventually, he will have a great week, and this matchup against a terrible Denver defense could be that week. Cole Kmet has been a solid option this year, but it remains to be seen how he will perform without Justin Fields.
The wait between TDs was worth it for Jonnu Smith 🙌
📺: #WASvsATL on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/B4mQvLOt8O pic.twitter.com/urpLJ4sJrn— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
Tier 4: Streaming Options
- Pat Freiermuth
- Logan Thomas
- Michael Mayer
- Gerald Everett
- David Njoku
- Tyler Higbee
Pat Freiermuth practiced fully on Wednesday and seems likely to play in Week 7 against the Rams. He will be touchdown-dependent, but he has scored twice this year. Logan Thomas was started by many last week due to his early-season productivity, as well as being a tight end in Eric Bieniemy’s offense. While he disappointed last week, those same reasons are still valid for Week 7, as week 6 was his first bad game.
A second-round pick, Michael Mayer was used by Las Vegas in a full-time capacity for the first time last week. He ran routes on 67% of the Raiders’ plays and received a 21 percent target share. While this usage may not be sustainable, this much of a jump from early-season numbers is a good indication that Mayer will continue to be involved, causing him to make his first top-20 appearance in the tight end rankings.
Gerald Everett is the tight end for a pass-happy Chargers offense but has had thirty or fewer yards each of his last three games. David Njoku hasn’t had the worst floor but has yet to score a touchdown, and DeShaun Watson seems likely to miss another game. Tyler Higbee was good in weeks 3 and 4, but the return of Cooper Kupp has seen him garner just 6 targets in the last 2 weeks.
Tier 5: Dart Throws
- Zach Ertz
- Taysom Hill
Zach Ertz had a good start to the year but has been quiet since then. The Seahawks have also been the sixth-best defense at limiting opposing tight end production. Taysom Hill caught seven passes for 49 yards in week 6 and ran for seventy-five yards in week 2. With how bad the tight end position is at this point, managers can take a chance that this will be one of the weeks that the Saints choose to utilize Hill’s versatility.
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Main Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier – USA Today Sports
