Looking for an edge at tight end in Week 17? 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 17 fantasy matchups.
These rankings were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Thursday, December 25, 2025.
Week 17 Fantasy TE Rankings
1) Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals (at CIN)
2) George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers (vs. CHI)
3) Harold Fannin Jr. | Cleveland Browns (vs. PIT)
4) Kyle Pitts Sr. | Atlanta Falcons (vs. LAR)
5) Dallas Goedert | Philadelphia Eagles (at BUF)
6) Juwan Johnson | New Orleans Saints (at TEN)
7) Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans (at LAC)
8) Tyler Warren | Indianapolis Colts (vs. JAX)
9) Brenton Strange | Jacksonville Jaguars (at IND)
10) Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys (at WAS)
11) Colston Loveland | Chicago Bears (at SF)
12) Hunter Henry | New England Patriots (at NYJ)
13) Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. DEN)
14) Darren Waller | Miami Dolphins (vs. TB)
15) Jake Tonges | San Francisco 49ers (vs. CHI)
16) Michael Mayer | Las Vegas Raiders (vs. NYG)
17) Colby Parkinson | Los Angeles Rams (at ATL)
18) Oronde Gadsden II | Los Angeles Chargers (vs. HOU)
19) Theo Johnson | New York Giants (at LV)
20) Terrance Ferguson | Los Angeles Rams (at ATL)
21) AJ Barner | Seattle Seahawks (at CAR)
22) Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at MIA)
23) Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens (at GB)
24) Mike Gesicki | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. ARI)
25) Josh Oliver | Minnesota Vikings (vs. DET)
26) Elijah Higgins | Arizona Cardinals (at CIN)
27) Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills (vs. PHI)
28) Isaiah Likely | Baltimore Ravens (at GB)
29) Evan Engram | Denver Broncos (at KC)
30) Gunnar Helm | Tennessee Titans (vs. NO)
Darren Waller, TE, Miami Dolphins (vs. TB)
It wasn’t the smash we were hoping for against the worst TE defense of all time last week, but Darren Waller continues to be involved in the Miami Dolphins’ offense. He caught three passes for 40 yards, which is not the worst outing from the tight end position.
Waller still only played about half the snaps, but he did lead the tight ends. And the reality is, we’re chasing a touchdown with Waller anyway.
This week is another favorable spot for the Dolphins’ passing game, especially for Waller. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers allow the sixth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Quinn Ewers exceeded the admittedly very low bar set for him against the Bengals. The Dolphins should be trailing and throwing. Waller is a fine option who has a decent floor even if he doesn’t find the end zone.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)
The Jaguars’ offense is pretty simple. Who is Trevor Lawrence going to look for? Anyone other than Brian Thomas Jr.
Lawrence is playing not just the best football of his career, but some of the best football we’ve seen from any quarterback this season. Jakobi Meyers is the clear WR1 and his favorite target, but behind him, there’s no clear No. 2. Except, of course, it’s definitely not Thomas.
Last week, Lawrence found both Parker Washington and Brenton Strange. The tight end has been a mixed bag since returning from IR, but he does have 13+ fantasy points in three of his last five games.
The Colts are a pass funnel defense. They’re slightly below average at defending the tight end, allowing the 12th-most fantasy points per game to the position. Strange is easily a top 12 TE this week.
T.J. Hockenson, TE
This has been a dreadful season for T.J. Hockenson, and one target on 24 routes last weekend was just another example. As bad as that sounds, it wasn’t even his first game this season with a sub 5% target share, and with his yards per route run down 30.3% from a season ago, it’s easy to connect the dots and say that his best days are behind him.
These difficult, one-sided positions require us to take a stand and move on when something doesn’t feel right. Hock missed seven games a season ago and failed to score on his 62 targets; our antennas probably should have picked up this level of risk, given the change taking place under center.
