Looking for an edge at tight end in Week 9? 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 9 fantasy matchups.
These rankings were last updated at 8:00 AM ET on Sunday, November 02, 2025.
Week 9 Fantasy TE Rankings
1) Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals (at DAL)
2) Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders (vs. JAX)
3) Tyler Warren | Indianapolis Colts (at PIT)
4) George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers (at NYG)
5) Tucker Kraft | Green Bay Packers (vs. CAR)
6) Oronde Gadsden II | Los Angeles Chargers (at TEN)
7) Sam LaPorta | Detroit Lions (vs. MIN)
8) Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys (vs. ARI)
9) Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs (at BUF)
10) Kyle Pitts Sr. | Atlanta Falcons (at NE)
11) Zach Ertz | Washington Commanders (vs. SEA)
12) Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills (vs. KC)
13) Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens (at MIA)
14) Colston Loveland | Chicago Bears (at CIN)
15) Juwan Johnson | New Orleans Saints (at LAR)
16) T.J. Hockenson | Minnesota Vikings (at DET)
17) Hunter Henry | New England Patriots (vs. ATL)
18) Theo Johnson | New York Giants (vs. SF)
19) Evan Engram | Denver Broncos (at HOU)
20) Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans (vs. DEN)
21) Noah Fant | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. CHI)
22) Jonnu Smith | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. IND)
23) AJ Barner | Seattle Seahawks (at WAS)
24) Isaiah Likely | Baltimore Ravens (at MIA)
25) Chig Okonkwo | Tennessee Titans (vs. LAC)
26) Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. IND)
27) Ja’Tavion Sanders | Carolina Panthers (at GB)
28) Gunnar Helm | Tennessee Titans (vs. LAC)
29) Hunter Long | Jacksonville Jaguars (at LV)
30) Tyler Higbee | Los Angeles Rams (vs. NO)
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid failed to build on his mid-to-late-season breakout in his rookie year, finishing as the TE30 overall in Year 2. This season, however, he has threatened to become the elite fantasy asset many believed he could be when he was drafted 25th overall in 2023.
Through five weeks, Kincaid was the TE2 overall in fantasy, having averaged 4.8 targets, 57.4 yards, and 0.6 touchdowns per game. He then missed Week 6 due to injury, was on bye in Week 7, and was relatively quiet in a blowout win against the Panthers in Week 8.
With more competitive games coming up, starting with the visit of the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9, Kincaid should get back to his early-season usage. The Bills’ star has already recorded three top-10 finishes at the position and has added touchdowns to his overall game, making him a great bet moving forward.
Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears
On the receiving end of that Ravens win were the Chicago Bears, who continue to find their feet under first-time head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson was guilty of mismanaging the clock on the Bears’ final drive, highlighting how far the team has to go to be competitive.
However, there is no doubting Johnson’s play-calling ability, and the Bears should continue to grow as an offense throughout the season. Colston Loveland is emerging as a potential star of the future, having seen his role slowly grow in the past few weeks.
The rookie tight end isn’t playable in fantasy yet, but his opportunities continue to expand with each passing game. He saw a season-high five targets in Week 8, and at his current trajectory, he could be a weekly fantasy asset in the second half of the season.
Loveland remains a stash for now, but it likely won’t be long before he’s putting up fantasy-relevant numbers every week.
Theo Johnson, TE, New York Giants (SF)
Second-year tight end Theo Johnson has stepped up this season and has become a big part of the New York Giants’ offense. The former Penn State standout is a regular target for Jaxson Dart, who just lost Cam Skattebo, a regular receiving option over the middle of the field.
The San Francisco 49ers are also missing some key players, including four-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who is also out for the season. That should make things easier for Johnson, who can dominate that area of the field when given the opportunity.
Johnson leads the Giants in red-zone targets, with eight, while his four targets inside the opposing 10-yard line are also a team-high. Johnson tallied 66 yards and a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in Week 7, and should be capable of another big game this weekend.
Elijah Arroyo, TE, Seattle Seahawks (at WAS)
Elijah Arroyo is a more speculative option this week, having not recorded a top-25 fantasy finish yet this season. That makes him a much more risky play than either of the Johnsons, but due to his long-term potential, I thought it was worth listing him here.
Arroyo is a second-round rookie and was targeted five times against the Texans in Week 7, his most of the season. That progression should be expected to continue after the team’s Week 8 bye, as is often the case with rookie pass catchers.
Most notably, were Arroyo’s two targets inside the Houston 10-yard line. Previously, teammate AJ Barner was the team’s go-to guy in the red zone. But Barner has now gone two games without a target in that area of the field, and all signs point to an Arroyo takeover.
Playing whack-a-mole with the Steelers’ tight ends is another option this week. However, with so few standout options, Arroyo should be considered purely for his post-bye breakout potential and long-term upside.
Brock Bowers | LV (vs JAX)
We haven’t seen Brock Bowers since September, and while the knee was obviously bothering him for three of his four games played, he was still just one of four TEs with at least four grabs in each week during the first month of the season.
Forget about the draft capital you spent on him. You’re not going to get a good return on that. But do you have a starter at the ugliest position in the sport? You do.
This offense is limited in various ways. While the Michael Mayer usage is likely here to stay, if we get anything close to a healthy version of Bowers, he’ll earn enough in the way of opportunities to make playing him far better than spinning the wheel of randomness on the waiver wire.
Chig Okonkwo | TEN (vs LAC)
Chig Okonkwo is an efficient player by nature (a short route running athlete), and we’ve seen that with Ward this season (80% catch rate or better in three of his past four games).
Even with that in hand, there’s just not enough meat on this bone, even at the tight end position. He has six career touchdowns, and this offense largely isn’t in the same zip code as the end zone. Okonkwo has been unable to find much of a ceiling with Ridley sidelined, and that puts him at the very back end of TE streamers moving forward.
He plays and he sees targets. That alone is worthy of keeping eyes on him, but until we see Ward take a meaningful step forward, there’s not much to chase.
Well… I am certainly glad I started Bowers this week.