Week 13's Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings reveal a noticeable dip in depth following a robust previous week. The scarcity can be attributed to six teams on bye and a shortage of dependable sleeper picks. Regardless of the reasons, the reality is clear: there's an upper echelon of tight ends, and then there's the rest.
Fortunately, even with the absence of key players like TJ Hockenson and Dalton Kincaid, there are still viable options for 10-team leagues. The landscape gets slightly more challenging in 12-team formats. However, with strategic streaming, a respectable output from the tight end position is attainable.
Teams on Bye
Again, teams that are on bye for Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season include standout tight ends like Hockenson and Kincaid. They are alongside depth contributors like Cole Kmet and Isaiah Likely. Notably, Michael Mayer has shown promise as a streaming option. Meanwhile, Darren Waller, now eligible to return from IR, must wait another week due to a hamstring issue.
Despite the six byes, the loss of only one favorable tight end matchup (Bears) is a silver lining. Four of the bye-week defenses (Giants, Bills, Raiders, Ravens) have been formidable, ranking in the top 11 in fewest fantasy football points per game allowed to tight ends.
Top Fantasy Football Picks
It should not be a surprise that leading our Week 13 Tight End rankings is once again Travis Kelce. He is set to face the Packers. Following closely are Evan Engram, with a favorable matchup against the Bengals, and George Kittle, despite a recent underwhelming performance against the Eagles.
In the Chiefs' 31-17 victory over the Raiders, Kelce continued his impressive form, catching 6-of-7 targets for 91 yards. The seasoned 34-year-old has consistently delivered outstanding performances. He secured six or more receptions in eight of the 10 games this season. Fantasy football managers can confidently rely on Kelce as a locked-in starter heading into Week 13 against the Packers.
Evan Engram had a solid outing in the Jaguars' 24-21 win over the Texans, catching 5-of-8 targets for 49 yards. Although he has yet to find the end zone in 11 games and has surpassed 70 yards only once this season, Engram remains a reliable target for Trevor Lawrence. His consistent performance makes him a secure option at the tight end position, despite limited upside. Keep in mind that he has had at least four catches every week and eight instances of exceeding 40 yards.
George Kittle's contribution to the 49ers' 31-13 win over the Seahawks included catching 3-of-5 targets for 19 yards. That said, Kittle's fantasy football output has been inconsistent week-to-week. He has had varying involvement in the passing game and occasional blocking duties. The recent game against the Seahawks highlighted the dominance of Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey in the 49ers' offensive showcase.
Sam LaPorta, set to play against the Saints, retains his must-start status after overcoming a minor slump in the previous week. Despite some letdowns, particularly from Schultz and Kittle, all six of these tight ends offer both high floors and high ceilings in their matchups above the league average.
Fantasy Football Sleepers
In the sleeper category, Logan Thomas and Kyle Pitts present above-average matchups. These make them viable choices in 12-team leagues. Tyler Conklin, Juwan Johnson, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Chig Okonkwo, and Tanner Hudson are also worth considering in deeper leagues, with some having seen steady targets recently.
LOCK: Logan Thomas Under 4.0 Receptions
This is a HORRIBLE matchup for Thomas as the Cowboys allow the 4th least Receptions and 5th least Targets to TEs and Thomas is BRUTAL vs the Cowboys main coverages. They run almost 100% Cover 1 and Cover 3 and Thomas has a 13% Target Rate… pic.twitter.com/pxNOQe6P23
— Alex Caruso (@AlexCaruso) November 23, 2023
Meanwhile, Pat Freiermuth emerges as a potential waiver wire priority. This is given his impressive Week 12 performance. However, caution is advised, as his output may have been a one-week anomaly against a vulnerable Bengals defense.
Fantasy Football Busts
Trey McBride and Jake Ferguson face tough matchups. This is especially true for McBride in PPR leagues. Taysom Hill's seemingly favorable matchup is tempered by Detroit's strong run defense. As for Tyler Higbee, despite his recent success, he should be approached with caution given challenging tight end matchups. This advice extends to Week 12 scorers Gerald Everett and Tucker Kraft.
Injuries
All attention shifts to Dallas Goedert (forearm injury) this week as he nears a potential return. His status leans more towards doubtful than questionable at this stage, necessitating close monitoring during practice sessions.
Now, let's dive into our NFL Fantasy Football Tight End rankings for Week 13 of the 2023 regular season. Standard rankings are indicated in parentheses.
NFL Fantasy Football Week 13 Tight End Rankings
1. Travis Kelce, KC @ GB (1)
2. George Kittle, SF @ PHI (2)
3. Sam LaPorta, DET @ NO (3)
4. Trey McBride, ARI @ PIT (5)
5. Evan Engram, JAC vs. CIN (6)
6. Dalton Schultz, HOU vs. DEN (7)
7. Jake Ferguson, DAL vs. SEA (8)
8. David Njoku, CLE @ LAR (9)
9. Taysom Hill, NO vs. DET (4)
10. Pat Freiermuth, PIT vs. ARI (10)
11. Logan Thomas, WAS vs. MIA (13)
12. Juwan Johnson, NO vs. DET (11)
13. Cade Otton, TB vs. CAR (14)
14. Kyle Pitts, ATL @ NYJ (12)
15. Gerald Everett, LAC @ NE (16)
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