With Week 8 of the fantasy football season providing even more surprises and heartbreak than the seven preceding it, we’re going to have to re-calibrate ahead of Week 9. Whether you’re currently in the playoffs or not, Pro Football Network has you covered with our Week 9 TE rankings. If you have a reliable producer at the tight end position, then your start or sit decisions should be easy, and you’ll be the envy of the league for being guaranteed points at an increasingly-barren position.
What to keep in mind heading into Week 9 and searching for the best fantasy football running back
Make sure to check out PFN’s fantasy bye week schedule to keep up to date on who you will need to replace in your lineups. With the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, and Cleveland Browns all inactive, this should be a competitive week for tight ends on the waiver wire. While Zach Ertz and Austin Hooper have missed recent weeks with injuries, this foursome of teams has still provided fantasy-relevant options. Dallas Goedert, Richard Rodgers, Drew Sample, Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett, Harrison Bryant, and David Njoku would all be considered in other weeks, even if some of them might only be deep-league streamers.
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Once you get beyond the ever-decreasing number of upper-echelon players, there’s very little to differentiate between Week 9 fantasy TE rankings. Travis Kelce has been the best player at the position in 2020. He’s missed just one game since the beginning of 2014. His consistency of performing at a high level in one of the top offenses in the league makes him one of the few must-start players regardless of matchup.
George Kittle’s injury has rocked the fantasy landscape at tight end. When he’s on the field, he’s proven himself one of the most dominant players we’ve seen at the position, but a fractured foot will leave fantasy managers scrambling to find a replacement. Jordan Reed had nine receptions for 73 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the two games that Kittle missed earlier in the season, including a TE5 performance against the Jets in Week 2.
If he could overcome the knee injury that landed him on injured reserve, he could play a major role in the 49ers’ passing attack. If Reed cannot play in Week 9, then Ross Dwelley will be the beneficiary in a game that the 49ers will likely be having to throw the ball and play catch-up.
TJ Hockenson is quietly creeping towards “set and forget” territory. After only seven games, he’s just three receptions and 46 yards off the totals from his entire rookie season and has already doubled his touchdown output. While he accrued most of his productivity in Week 1 of 2019, he’s been far more predictable this season, leading the league in Fantasy Football Consistency Score. He faces a Minnesota Vikings team, which has struggled heavily defending the pass and should convert his high volume into fantasy success.
Options available on the waiver wire
When it comes to streaming options on the waiver wire, Trey Burton fantasy managers will have been burned before, but there’s every reason for positivity in Week 9. Burton has played just four games in 2020 but has been targeted at least four times in each of them. Perhaps surprisingly, he’s also been featured in the Colts’ red zone rushing attack with touchdown runs of one and two yards in his last two games.
Logan Thomas (vs. Giants) is a tempting play. Only Terry McLaurin has more targets for the Washington Football Team. McLaurin will likely see shadow coverage from James Bradberry, who’s having a strong season, and this could leave Thomas as an appealing option for QB Kyle Allen. When these two teams played earlier in the year, Thomas had three receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown, and fantasy owners will hope that he can have another strong performance.
These fantasy TE rankings should help cover all the sleepers you should be targeting to help win your week, as well as the must-starts and potential busts you should avoid.
Note: Please keep in mind that these are full point PPR TE rankings. PPR means that TEs get an additional full point for each reception. This can play a big factor when deciding on which guys to get into your lineups and makes volume all that much more important.
Fantasy TE Rankings Week 9: Sleepers, must-starts, potential busts
1) Travis Kelce vs. Carolina Panthers
2) Darren Waller at Los Angeles Chargers
3) Noah Fant at Atlanta Falcons
4) TJ Hockenson at Minnesota Vikings
5) Rob Gronkowski vs. New Orleans Saints
6) Hunter Henry vs. Las Vegas Raiders
7) Hayden Hurst vs. Denver Broncos
8) Mark Andrews at Indianapolis Colts
9) Eric Ebron at Dallas Cowboys
10) Evan Engram at Washington Football Team
11) Jared Cook at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12) Robert Tonyan at San Francisco 49ers
13) Logan Thomas vs. New York Giants
14) Trey Burton vs. Baltimore Ravens
15) Jordan Reed vs. Green Bay Packers
16) Jimmy Graham at Tennessee Titans
17) Jonnu Smith vs. Chicago Bears
18) Mike Gesicki vs. Arizona Cardinals
19) Irv Smith Jr. vs. Detroit Lions
20) Jordan Akins at Jacksonville Jaguars
21) Greg Olsen at Buffalo Bills
22) Dalton Schultz vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
23) Darren Fells at Jacksonville Jaguars
24) Tyler Eifert vs. Houston Texans
25) Albert Okwuegbunam at Atlanta Falcons
Fantasy TE Rankings Week 9 | The best of the rest
Jack Doyle vs. Baltimore Ravens
Ian Thomas at Kansas City Chiefs
Ross Dwelley vs. Green Bay Packers
Chris Herndon vs. New England Patriots
Will Dissly at Buffalo Bills
Kyle Rudolph vs. Detroit Lions
Mo Alie-Cox vs. Baltimore Ravens
Tyler Kroft vs. Seattle Seahawks
Ryan Izzo at New York Jets
Cameron Brate vs. New Orleans Saints
Dan Arnold vs. Miami Dolphins
