Looking for an edge at tight end in Week 18? With injuries and disappointing early performances thinning out the position, hungry fantasy football managers need to hit the waiver wire for upside and volume. If stability and upside are what’s needed, these are the tight ends who could tip the scales in Week 18 fantasy matchups.
These rankings were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Tuesday, December 30, 2025.
Week 18 Fantasy TE Rankings
1) Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals (at LAR)
2) Kyle Pitts Sr. | Atlanta Falcons (vs. NO)
3) George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers (vs. SEA)
4) Colston Loveland | Chicago Bears (vs. DET)
5) Hunter Henry | New England Patriots (vs. MIA)
6) Juwan Johnson | New Orleans Saints (at ATL)
7) Brenton Strange | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. TEN)
8) Michael Mayer | Las Vegas Raiders (vs. KC)
9) Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans (vs. IND)
10) Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs (at LV)
11) Tyler Warren | Indianapolis Colts (at HOU)
12) Colby Parkinson | Los Angeles Rams (vs. ARI)
13) Dallas Goedert | Philadelphia Eagles (vs. WAS)
14) AJ Barner | Seattle Seahawks (at SF)
15) Mike Gesicki | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. CLE)
16) Chig Okonkwo | Tennessee Titans (at JAX)
17) Oronde Gadsden II | Los Angeles Chargers (at DEN)
18) Darren Waller | Miami Dolphins (at NE)
19) Evan Engram | Denver Broncos (vs. LAC)
20) Gunnar Helm | Tennessee Titans (at JAX)
21) Darnell Washington | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. BAL)
22) Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. BAL)
23) Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens (at PIT)
24) Terrance Ferguson | Los Angeles Rams (vs. ARI)
25) Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. CAR)
26) Isaiah Likely | Baltimore Ravens (at PIT)
27) Luke Musgrave | Green Bay Packers (at MIN)
28) Jake Tonges | San Francisco 49ers (vs. SEA)
29) Elijah Higgins | Arizona Cardinals (at LAR)
30) Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears (vs. DET)
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (at LV)
The Raiders are actually pretty good at defending the tight end. Of course, a lot of that is predicated on which ones they face. But they allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to the position.
With that said, this is Week 18. When we have two teams not playing for anything, stats like that hold less water than motivation and circumstance.
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Reading the tea leaves, it sure sounds like this will be Travis Kelce’s last NFL game. This will be just the second game of his career (the first being last week) where the Chiefs have nothing to play for.
Chris Oladokun will certainly struggle to move the ball, but the Raiders will also struggle to play defense as they continue their tank. You have to think the Chiefs will feature Kelce and try to have him retire on a high note, at least to the extent they can, given the fact that they won’t be in the playoffs.
Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts (at HOU)
What a precipitous falloff for Tyler Warren. I had Colston Loveland ahead of Warren in the rookie rankings and felt very foolish for half the season. Not anymore.
After posting 11+ fantasy points in six of his first seven career games, Warren has reached double digits just twice since then. Of course, Daniel Jones’ injury played a role, but Warren was already fading before he lost his quarterback.
The Colts are going to start Riley Leonard. It makes sense because they have nothing to play for, so they might as well see what the rookie can do. But it’s probably not going to go well.
The Texans still have a shot at the division if the Jaguars stumble. So, they will be trying. Although they aren’t elite against the tight end, Houston remains the best defense in the NFL. The Colts are going to have a hard time scoring points.
