Which tight ends have the most favorable fantasy matchups? Who is the best streaming option? And who has a poor matchup?
Here's a breakdown of five notable tight ends featured in Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon and Matthew Freedman's Week 13 fantasy football rankings.
The No. 1 TE
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce is once again the No. 1 tight end across PPR, standard and half-point PPR formats. It helps that the Chiefs are implied for a slate-high 35.25 points against an abysmal Raiders defense that ranks dead last in Football Outsiders' pass DVOA against tight ends.
His median projection in our FantasyLabs Player Models is tied with Zach Ertz, but Kelce's ceiling projection leads all tight ends.
The Most Favorable Matchup
Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brate checks in with an average rank of 9.3 among our rankers in PPR scoring, taking on a generous Panthers defense that has allowed a league-high 17.3 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends this season.
With O.J. Howard (ankle) on injured reserve, Brate is set up well against a defense that has surrendered an average of 7.2 targets and 71.1 receiving yards per game to the position.
Matchup Downgrade
Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins
The Eagles have their faults on defense, but they've been stingy against tight ends, allowing just 8.6 fantasy points per game to the position — the fourth-lowest mark in the league.
It's an unattractive spot given the Redskins are implied for a meager 18.75 points. You're probably starting Reed anyway given the boom-or-bust nature of the tight end position, but the matchup is worth noting.
The Best Streamers
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals
If you're desperate, Uzomah could be a viable streamer this week with Jeff Driskel behind center. Uzomah led the Bengals with eight targets in Week 12 once Driskel took over at quarterback.
Uzomah has an average rank of 16.7 among our rankers in PPR.
Matt LaCosse, Denver Broncos
Jeff Heuerman (ribs) is on injured reserve, leaving LaCosse as the Broncos' starting tight end. LaCosse put together a 3-34-1 game on just four targets and 27 snaps last week, but that snap count will be on the rise as the featured tight end.
On deck is a Bengals defense that's allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. LaCosse is tied with Uzomah with an average rank of 16.7.
Want another edge? Be sure to keep up with the week's news on FantasyLabs.
