NFL bye weeks are winding down, but Week 12 is causing fantasy football some stress.
Emerging every-week starter Oronde Gadsden II headlines fantasy-worthy tight ends on vacation.
On the bright side, weekly starter Tyler Warren resurfaces from the Colts' Week 11 bye, and the Saints' Juwan Johnson emerges with an intriguing case to see some desperate lineups this week.
Keep scrolling for the complete Week 12 fantasy tight ends picture with these rankings, complete with breakdowns of the best starters, injuries to monitor, sleepers to stream, and busts to temper your expectations for lineup consideration.
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Fantasy TE Week 12 Rankings PPR
These Week 12 tight end player ratings account for point-per-reception (PPR) league scoring, with one additional point awarded for every 10 receiving yards, along with the standard 6 points per touchdown.
Any player's TE Bonus lineup consideration (weighing tight end receptions more heavily in point rewards) is noted below in the Week 12 Value column.
📋 READ: Fantasy rankings this week
| Rk | Tr | Name | TM | OPP | Week 12 Value |
| 1 | 1 | Trey McBride | ARI | JAX | Elite TE1 |
| 2 | 1 | Tyler Warren | IND | @KC | Elite TE1 |
| 3 | 1 | Travis Kelce | KC | IND | Elite TE1 |
| 4 | 2 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | @DAL | TE1 |
| 5 | 2 | George Kittle | SF | CAR | TE1 |
| 6 | 2 | Mark Andrews | BAL | NYJ | TE1 |
| 7 | 3 | Brock Bowers | LV | CLE | TE1 |
| 8 | 3 | Jake Ferguson | DAL | PHI | TE1 |
| 9 | 3 | Dalton Schultz | HOU | BUF | TE1 |
| 10 | 4 | Cade Otton | TB | @LAR | Top TE Streamer |
| 11 | 4 | Hunter Henry | NE | @CIN | Top TE Streamer |
| 12 | 4 | Noah Fant | CIN | NE | Top TE Streamer |
| 13 | 4 | Kyle Pitts | ATL | @NO | Top TE Streamer |
| 14 | 4 | AJ Barner | SEA | @TEN | Top TE Streamer |
| 15 | 5 | Colston Loveland | CHI | PIT | TE Streamer |
| 16 | 5 | Juwan Johnson | NO | ATL | TE Streamer |
| 17 | 5 | Brock Wright | DET | NYG | TE Streamer |
| 18 | 5 | Mason Taylor | NYJ | @BAL | TE Streamer |
| 19 | 5 | T.J. Hockenson | MIN | @GB | TE Streamer |
| 20 | 6 | Jackson Hawes | BUF | @HOU | TE Streamer |
| 21 | 6 | Dawson Knox | BUF | @HOU | TE Streamer |
| 22 | 6 | Harold Fannin | CLE | @LV | TE Streamer |
| 23 | 6 | David Njoku | CLE | @LV | TE Streamer |
| 24 | 7 | Luke Musgrave | GB | MIN | Deep TE Bonus Sleeper |
| 25 | 7 | Theo Johnson | NYG | @DET | Deep TE Bonus Sleeper |
| 26 | 7 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | TB | Deep TE Bonus Sleeper |
| 27 | 8 | Gunnar Helm | TEN | SEA | Bench |
| 28 | 8 | Chig Okonkwo | TEN | SEA | Bench |
| 29 | 8 | Darnell Washington | PIT | @CHI | Bench |
| 30 | 8 | Taysom Hill | NO | ATL | Bench |
| 31 | 9 | Cole Kmet | CHI | PIT | Bench |
| 32 | 9 | Ja'Tavion Sanders | CAR | @SF | Bench |
| 33 | 9 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT | @CHI | Bench |
| 34 | 9 | Jonnu Smith | PIT | @CHI | Bench |
| 35 | 9 | Daniel Bellinger | NYG | @DET | Bench |
| 36 | 9 | Isaiah Likely | BAL | NYJ | Bench |
| 37 | 9 | Michael Mayer | LV | CLE | Bench |
| 38 | 9 | Johnny Mundt | JAX | @ARI | Bench |
| 39 | 10 | Elijah Higgins | ARI | JAX | Bench |
| 40 | 10 | Noah Gray | KC | IND | Bench |
| 41 | 10 | Tanner Hudson | CIN | NE | Bench |
| 42 | 10 | Mitchell Evans | CAR | @SF | Bench |
| 43 | 10 | Tommy Tremble | CAR | @SF | Bench |
| 44 | 10 | Charlie Woerner | ATL | @NO | Bench |
| 45 | 10 | Charlie Kolar | BAL | NYJ | Bench |
| 46 | 10 | Davis Allen | LAR | TB | Bench |
| 47 | 11 | Josh Whyle | GB | MIN | Bench |
| 48 | 11 | Mo Alie-Cox | IND | @KC | Bench |
| 49 | 11 | John FitzPatrick | GB | MIN | Bench |
| 50 | 11 | Drew Sample | CIN | NE | Bench |
| 51 | 11 | Luke Farrell | SF | CAR | Bench |
| 52 | 11 | Elijah Arroyo | SEA | @TEN | Bench |
| 53 | 11 | Luke Schoonmaker | DAL | PHI | Bench |
| 54 | 11 | Brevyn Spann-Ford | DAL | PHI | Bench |
| 55 | 11 | Terrance Ferguson | LAR | TB | Bench |
| 56 | 11 | Colby Parkinson | LAR | TB | Bench |
| 57 | 11 | Blake Whiteheart | CLE | @LV | Bench |
| 58 | 12 | Drew Ogletree | IND | @KC | Bench |
| 59 | 12 | Josh Oliver | MIN | @GB | Bench |
| 60 | 12 | Ben Yurosek | MIN | @GB | Bench |
| 61 | 12 | Foster Moreau | NO | ATL | Bench |
| 62 | 12 | Jack Stoll | NO | ATL | Bench |
| 63 | 12 | Jeremy Ruckert | NYJ | @BAL | Bench |
| 64 | 12 | Grant Calcaterra | PHI | @DAL | Bench |
| 65 | 12 | Connor Heyward | PIT | @CHI | Bench |
| 66 | 12 | Jake Tonges | SF | CAR | Bench |
| 67 | 12 | David Martin-Robinson | TEN | SEA | Bench |
| INJ | -- | Dalton Kincaid | BUF | @HOU | |
| INJ | -- | Hunter Long | JAX | @ARI | |
| INJ | -- | Brenton Strange | JAX | @ARI | |
| INJ | -- | Austin Hooper | NE | @CIN | |
| INJ | -- | Harrison Bryant | HOU | BUF | |
| IR-R | -- | Sam LaPorta | DET | NYG | |
| IR-R | -- | Mike Gesicki | CIN | NE | |
| IR | -- | Tucker Kraft | GB | MIN | |
| BYE | -- | Oronde Gadsden | LAC | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Zach Ertz | WAS | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Evan Engram | DEN | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Greg Dulcich | MIA | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Darren Waller | MIA | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Julian Hill | MIA | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Will Dissly | LAC | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Ben Sinnott | WAS | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Adam Trautman | DEN | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Nate Adkins | DEN | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Tucker Fisk | LAC | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | Tanner Conner | MIA | BYE | |
| BYE | -- | John Bates | WAS | BYE |
Find the best pickups at this position in our Week 12 waiver wire.
Fantasy TEs on Week 12 Bye
- Oronde Gadsden II, Chargers
- Zach Ertz, Commanders
- Evan Engram, Broncos
- Greg Dulcich, Dolphins
Week 12 fantasy TE injuries to watch
- Dalton Kincaid missed Week 11 and remains up in the air to be available for Week 12 against the tough Texans pass defense. Dart throws on Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes for a touchdown-dependent day would remain active in Kincaid's absence.
- Whoever emerges from the injury list between the Jaguars' Brenton Strange (preference) and Hunter Long could be in for a fine day against the Arizona Cardinals, who've leaked against the position when an involved name participates in the passing game against them.
Who are the best fantasy Week 12 tight ends?
Warren rejoins the top tiers that hold many familiar names, with George Kittle's monster two-touchdown Week 11 solidifying his top-5 standing, and Dalton Schultz cementing his name among the top 10 as long as Davis Mills is lining up under the Texans' center instead of CJ Stroud (concussion).
Dallas Goedert may have the "sneakiest" TE1-overall upside in a matchup with the Cowboys, who continue to wilt against receivers.
Which top fantasy TE sleepers should I target for Week 12?
Run to grab the Buccaneers' Cade Otton, who lines up against the Rams, one of the most favorable outlets for the position (they funnel production toward the middle of the field, so tight ends often benefit).
Hunter Henry remains widely rostered but should slide into lineups against the weak Bengals secondary.
On the flip side of this matchup, the Bengals' Noah Fant should gather at least a handful of targets as New England attempts to bottle up Ja'Marr Chase -- and if he's suspended for Spitgate, that bolsters Fant's case even more.
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Which fantasy Week 12 bust candidates should I worry about among tight ends?
The main concern this week is Jake Ferguson against the Eagles. Sitting him outright will prove tough in most leagues, but Philly's linebacker coverage ranks among the best in the league, which removes a channel through which Ferguson could sit down and snare easy targets. This might be more of a George Pickens game as a deep attacker.