2026 NFL Tight End Rankings Week 9

Week 8 was slightly more like I hoped when I made my preseason rankings. How? I’m glad you asked! But first, I rep the brand:

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Let’s take a look at our PPR double-digit-point scorers from Week 8:

Rank	Name	Team	TGT	REC	REC YDS	Y/R	RUSH YDS	TD	FPTS	ROST
1	Brock Bowers	LV	10	7	92	13.1	0	2	28.2	99.7%
2	Harold Fannin Jr.	CLE	12	10	154	15.4	0	0	23.4	87.3%
3	Trey McBride	ARI	8	7	72	10.3	0	1	20.2	99.7%
4	Dalton Kincaid	BUF	6	4	86	21.5	0	1	18.6	85.3%
5	Mike Gesicki	CIN	6	4	76	19.0	0	1	17.6	19.5%
6	Tucker Kraft	GB	6	6	53	8.8	0	1	17.3	95.5%
7	T.J. Hockenson	MIN	5	4	58	14.5	0	1	15.8	67.1%
8	Gunnar Helm	TEN	9	5	76	15.2	0	0	14.6	2.3%
9	Darnell Washington	PIT	5	3	94	31.3	0	0	12.4	4.3%
10	Travis Kelce	KC	7	5	67	13.4	0	0	11.7	94.0%
11	Pat Freiermuth	PIT	2	2	35	17.5	1	1	11.6	42.6%
12	Colston Loveland	CHI	9	7	65	9.3	0	0	11.5	95.6%
13	Michael Mayer	LV	6	5	53	10.6	0	0	10.3	13.5%
14	Oronde Gadsden II	LAC	5	5	52	10.4	0	0	10.2	6.4%
15	Nate Boerkircher	JAC	1	1	31	31.0	0	1	10.1	0.9%

Harold Fannin Jr. is a consistency nightmare: the ceiling is very high, but as recently as Weeks 5 and 6, he had 3.30 PPR points over the two games. With Deshaun Watson being in the concussion protocol, Shedeur Sanders will start if Watson doesn’t clear; Fannin and Sanders developed a solid connection in 2025. Of the lower-rostered guys, I had believed Gunnar Helm would break out a bit this year, but it took to Week 8 for him to even have a fantasy-relevant game; Darnell Washington has had three double-digit points in three of the last five games and a touchdown in a fourth game of the five; and Oronde Gadsden II has had five targets in each of the last two games. If I need a desperate dart, I like Washington best of the three I mentioned. Neither Helm nor Washington is available in Week 9: theirs are the two teams with byes. Mike Gesicki now has a TD in every game he’s played this season where he’s had at least one target; he does have a game where he was not targeted.

The top 20 season-to-date:

Rank	Name	Team	TGT	REC	REC YDS	Y/R	RUSH YDS	TD	FPTS	FPTS/G	ROST
1	Trey McBride	ARI	86	66	544	8.2	0	5	150.4	18.8	99.7%
2	Brock Bowers	LV	62	41	547	13.3	0	5	123.7	20.6	99.7%
3	Isaiah Likely	NYG	63	41	395	9.6	0	5	112.5	16.1	91.8%
4	George Kittle	SF	46	34	425	12.5	0	5	104.5	14.9	96.6%
5	Harold Fannin Jr.	CLE	51	35	411	11.7	0	3	90.1	11.3	87.3%
6	Tucker Kraft	GB	49	35	350	10.0	5	3	88.5	11.1	95.5%
7	Sam LaPorta	DET	44	31	367	11.8	2	3	85.9	12.3	97.7%
8	Travis Kelce	KC	42	29	410	14.1	0	2	82.0	11.7	94.0%
9	Dalton Kincaid	BUF	35	27	401	14.9	0	2	79.1	11.3	85.3%
10	Pat Freiermuth	PIT	35	25	235	9.4	5	5	79.0	9.9	42.6%
11	T.J. Hockenson	MIN	37	31	295	9.5	0	3	78.5	11.2	67.1%
12	Mike Gesicki	CIN	24	17	241	14.2	0	6	77.1	11.0	19.5%
12	Michael Mayer	LV	43	36	351	9.8	0	1	77.1	9.6	13.5%
14	Tyler Warren	IND	46	34	231	6.8	6	3	75.7	12.6	96.2%
15	Colston Loveland	CHI	51	33	309	9.4	0	2	73.9	9.2	95.6%
16	Hunter Henry	NE	34	29	326	11.2	0	2	73.6	9.2	71.4%
17	Juwan Johnson	NO	37	26	255	9.8	0	3	67.5	9.6	50.2%
18	Brenton Strange	JAC	35	28	334	11.9	0	1	67.4	9.6	56.2%
19	Kyle Pitts Sr.	ATL	32	22	197	9.0	0	4	65.7	8.2	82.8%
20	Dalton Schultz	HOU	43	33	322	9.8	0	0	65.2	9.3	30.2%

The rankings above are based on total PPR points. In my opinion, points per game is a better metric: for example, I consider Tyler Warren, who is 14th in total points, above at least the six players ranked above him in total points. It’s not perfect: I must consider a minimum number of games played; smaller samples may be less valid.

Trey McBride continues to hold off Brock Bowers, but McBride moves on to a new QB: Gardner Minshew II. Unless Uncle Rico manages to have the same connection with McBride that Jacoby Brissett had in the 2025 season, Bowers will likely run down McBride before the Raiders’ bye in Week 13. Thanks to Fannin scoring nearly 43% of his points for the season in Weeks 7 and 8, he’s popped up into the top 5. Tucker Kraft is the other TE rocketing up the chart: he’s been in double digits in 4 of the last 5 games, including a season high in Week 8.

Looking at the red zone for Week 8:

NAME	TEAM	Tgt Rank	TGT	REC	REC YD	YD/REC	RUSH YD	TD	PPR PTS	ROST %
Brock Bowers	LV	1	4	3	23	7.7	0	2	17.3	99.7%
Trey McBride	ARI	2	2	2	19	9.5	0	1	9.9	99.7%
Mark Andrews	BAL	2	2	1	6	6	0	0	1.6	63.5%
Tucker Kraft	GB	4	1	1	12	12	0	1	8.2	95.5%
T.J. Hockenson	MIN	4	1	1	8	8	0	1	7.8	67.1%
Pat Freiermuth	PIT	4	1	1	7	7	1	1	7.8	42.6%
Noah Gray	KC	4	1	1	4	4	0	1	7.4	0.6%
Nate Adkins	DEN	4	1	1	2	2	0	1	7.2	1.0%
Jack Endries	CIN	4	1	1	1	1	0	1	7.1	2.4%
Sam LaPorta	DET	4	1	1	8	8	0	0	1.8	97.7%
AJ Barner	SEA	4	1	1	6	6	0	0	1.6	13.0%
Mitchell Evans	CAR	4	1	1	5	5	0	0	1.5	1.0%
Brevyn Spann-Ford	DAL	4	1	1	1	1	0	0	1.1	0.1%
Kyle Pitts Sr.	ATL	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	82.8%
Darnell Washington	PIT	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	4.3%
Michael Mayer	LV	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	13.5%
Chig Okonkwo	WAS	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	27.2%
Dalton Kincaid	BUF	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	85.3%
Mason Taylor	NYJ	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	10.7%
Kenyon Sadiq	NYJ	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	28.3%
Tyler Warren	IND	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	96.2%
Harold Fannin Jr.	CLE	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	87.3%

Kind of a slow week in the RZ: 22 players had a target, but only 13 of them had a reception. Mark Andrews continues to experience futility in the RZ, but with the news that Brissett is being sent to the Ravens, hope remains. Pat Freiermuth had a RZ TD; it came on a run. Among the nine players targeted without a catch, there are some big names here. My point: opportunity matters; results often, but not always, follow.

Here are the season-to-date RZ targets:

NAME	TEAM	Tgt Rank	TGT	REC	REC YD	YD/REC	RUSH YD	TD	PPR PTS	PPR P/G	ROST %
Trey McBride	ARI	1	19	14	68	4.9	0	5	50.8	6.4	99.7%
Brock Bowers	LV	2	12	7	75	10.7	0	5	44.5	7.4	99.7%
George Kittle	SF	3	11	9	71	7.9	0	4	40.1	5.7	96.6%
Sam LaPorta	DET	3	11	6	38	6.3	0	2	21.8	3.1	97.7%
Colston Loveland	CHI	5	10	6	63	10.5	0	2	24.3	3.0	95.6%
Isaiah Likely	NYG	6	9	8	62	7.8	0	4	38.2	5.5	91.8%
Tucker Kraft	GB	6	9	7	28	4.0	3	3	28.1	3.5	95.5%
T.J. Hockenson	MIN	8	8	6	46	7.7	0	3	28.6	4.1	67.1%
Juwan Johnson	NO	8	8	5	25	5.0	0	3	25.5	3.6	50.2%
AJ Barner	SEA	8	8	5	37	7.4	1	1	14.8	1.9	13.0%
Kyle Pitts Sr.	ATL	11	7	5	35	7.0	0	4	32.5	4.1	82.8%
Darnell Washington	PIT	11	7	3	11	3.7	0	2	16.1	2.0	4.3%
Mark Andrews	BAL	11	7	3	15	5.0	0	1	10.5	1.3	63.5%
Pat Freiermuth	PIT	14	6	6	36	6.0	1	5	39.7	5.0	42.6%
Dalton Kincaid	BUF	14	6	4	27	6.8	0	1	12.7	1.8	85.3%
Oronde Gadsden II	LAC	14	6	3	20	6.7	0	1	11.0	1.6	6.4%
Mike Gesicki	CIN	17	5	4	27	6.8	0	4	30.7	4.4	19.5%
Jake Ferguson	DAL	17	5	4	41	10.3	0	3	26.1	3.3	60.1%
Tyler Warren	IND	17	5	3	17	5.7	1	3	22.8	3.8	96.2%
Hunter Henry	NE	17	5	4	29	7.3	0	2	18.9	2.4	71.4%
Mason Taylor	NYJ	17	5	3	36	12.0	0	2	18.6	3.1	10.7%
Colby Parkinson	LAR	17	5	3	13	4.3	0	1	10.3	1.7	4.8%
Eli Raridon	NE	17	5	2	2	1.0	0	1	8.2	1.2	1.9%
Dalton Schultz	HOU	17	5	3	19	6.3	0	0	4.9	0.7	30.2%

I’d like to say that McBride, Bowers, and George Kittle are elite because of RZ usage and efficiency, but it’s also in part because those TEs have less competition from teammates. Freiermuth is good but not elite, because of less usage outside the RZ; half his points come in this area partly as a function of more competition for opportunities. Prolific QB play and offensive team play are also factors as in the cases of Sam LaPorta and Colston Loveland.

And now, the top 30 for Week 9, but first:

These rankings are for Week 9 games ONLY. If you want to speak about them, hit me up in the COMMENTS.

These rankings are for base PPR leagues: 1 point per reception, 1 point for 10 yards rushing/receiving, 6 points per touchdown, and -2 points per fumble lost. No premiums or bonuses.

I’ll give player, player’s team, opponent this week, home or road game (H/R), day of game, time of game (early (E), late (L), or night (N)), current projected team total (Imp Pts) per DraftKings, opponent’s 2026 rank vs. tight ends, PPR points per game (PPG), PPR scoring rank for the season (Rank), and percent rostered per FantasyPros (Rost %).

Rank	Name	Team	Opp	H/R	W/L	Day	Time	Imp Pts	Opp Rk	PPR PTS	Sc Rank	Rost %
1	Brock Bowers	LV	SF	R	L	SUN	L	21.25	9	123.7	2	99.7%
2	Trey McBride	ARI	SEA	R	L	SUN	L	15.50	5	150.4	1	99.7%
3	George Kittle	SF	LV	H	W	SUN	L	31.25	29	104.5	4	96.6%
4	Sam LaPorta	DET	MIA	R	W	SUN	E	28.75	30	85.9	7	97.7%
5	Tucker Kraft	GB	NE	R	L	SUN	L	21.00	10	88.5	6	95.5%
6	Harold Fannin Jr.	CLE	NO	R	L	SUN	E	19.75	27	90.1	5	87.3%
7	Colston Loveland	CHI	TB	H	W	SUN	N	26.75	22	73.9	15	95.6%
8	Isaiah Likely	NYG	PHI	R	W	SUN	E	21.00	3	112.5	3	91.8%
9	Travis Kelce	KC	NYJ	H	W	SUN	E	28.75	19	82.0	8	94.0%
10	Dalton Kincaid	BUF	MIN	R	W	MON	N	24.50	1	79.1	9	85.3%
11	Tyler Warren	IND	DAL	H	L	SUN	E	23.00	16	75.7	14	96.2%
12	Kyle Pitts Sr.	ATL	CIN	H	L	SUN	E	24.75	25	65.7	19	82.8%
13	Dallas Goedert	PHI	NYG	H	L	SUN	E	17.50	12	64.0	21	84.3%
14	T.J. Hockenson	MIN	BUF	H	L	MON	N	21.00	20	78.5	11	67.1%
15	Juwan Johnson	NO	CLE	H	W	SUN	E	22.75	23	67.5	17	50.2%
16	Mike Gesicki	CIN	ATL	R	W	SUN	E	27.75	17	77.1	12	19.5%
17	Brenton Strange	JAC	BAL	R	W	THU	L	24.75	15	67.4	18	56.2%
18	Michael Mayer	LV	SF	R	L	SUN	L	21.25	9	77.1	12	13.5%
19	Dalton Schultz	HOU	LAC	R	W	SUN	L	22.50	6	65.2	20	30.2%
20	Chig Okonkwo	WAS	LAR	H	L	SUN	E	21.00	7	33.2	40	27.2%
21	Darren Waller	CAR	DEN	H	L	SUN	E	21.00	26	53.9	25	11.7%
22	Mark Andrews	BAL	JAC	H	L	THU	L	14.75	8	54.8	24	63.5%
23	AJ Barner	SEA	ARI	H	W	SUN	L	24.00	24	47.8	27	13.0%
24	Eli Raridon	NE	GB	H	W	SUN	L	24.50	2	42.3	32	1.9%
25	Tyler Higbee	LAR	WAS	R	W	SUN	E	26.50	31	56.4	23	14.2%
26	Greg Dulcich	MIA	DET	H	L	SUN	E	21.75	32	49.6	26	6.5%
27	Cade Otton	TB	CHI	R	L	SUN	N	20.75	11	37.6	34	7.4%
28	Oronde Gadsden II	LAC	HOU	H	L	SUN	L	18.00	4	38.7	33	6.4%
29	Kenyon Sadiq	NYJ	KC	R	L	SUN	E	18.75	28	45.9	28	28.3%
30	Brevyn Spann-Ford	DAL	IND	R	W	SUN	E	28.50	21	24.0	48	0.1%

Let’s talk about some injuries first:

Travis Kelce is still dealing with a right ankle injury suffered in Week 6, and he aggravated it in Week 8. While he’s been playing through it, it’s slowing him down. He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice.

Hunter Henry left the Week 8 game after playing 8 snaps with a left foot injury and didn’t return. He did not participate on Wednesday. I’m proceeding as if he will not play in Week 9.

AJ Barner is not on the injury report, but Sam Darnold will miss the Week 9 game with a quad injury. Drew Lock will start against the Cardinals.

Jake Ferguson left the Week 8 game after playing 4 snaps with a left ankle injury and didn’t return. He did not participate on Wednesday. I’m proceeding as if he will not play in Week 9. Brevyn Spann-Ford played the bulk of the snaps after Ferguson left. Luke Schoonmaker missed Week 8 with a groin injury but was a limited participant on Wednesday.

Colby Parkinson missed the Week 8 game with injured ribs, and he did not participate in practice on Wednesday. I’m proceeding as if he will not play in Week 9.

Theo Johnson missed the Giants’ Week 7 game with a neck injury but was a full participant on Wednesday.

Mason Taylor injured his back in Week 8 and was a limited participant on Wednesday.

In a rare bit of good news for the Chargers, David Njoku returned to practice Wednesday as he continues rehabbing a right fibula injury. I don’t see him playing this week, but he could be back in Week 10 or Week 11.

Terrance Ferguson is also back at practice this week as he continues to rehab his ankle. I’m not betting on his activation happening in Week 9, but this is good news.

Other thoughts:

I love the matchups for George Kittle (vs. Raiders) and Sam LaPorta (at Dolphins) this week.

Anthony Richardson saw game action in the Week 8 blowout loss in Jacksonville, but there’s no mention of a QB switch. Tyler Warren is in purgatory. I have no faith in his team.

A team that is flipping QBs is the Eagles. Joe Milton will start against the Giants. Dallas Goedert will still be a primary target, as DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, and Britain Covey are still not practicing, but this is a vague situation as it’s Milton’s first NFL start. Milton did have action in the Patriots’ Week 18 game in 2024, and he targeted Austin Hooper 6 times in Milton’s 29 attempts.

If I’m feeling desperate this week, some of the deep dives I like are Barner, Tyler Higbee (at Commanders), and Greg Dulcich (vs. Lions).

The only weather concern I see presently is at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday. Thanks for stopping by!

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