Week 14 Tight End Preview: Blowup Spot For Tyler Warren
Top Fantasy TEs for Week 14
Let's break down the key usage notes and matchups that are driving our Week 14 TE Rankings.
TIP
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1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
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Jacoby Brissett has worked wonders for McBride, who has caught 7 of his 8 TDs in Brissett's 7 starts. McBride leads TEs in all notable receiving categories and sports a team-leading 27% target share. Los Angeles is middle-of-the-pack at defending TEs. Expect another massive target day and fantasy outing for the league's top TE.
2. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
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Yes, Denver limited Bowers to a season-low 1 reception in their last meeting. But that marked the only time among his five games back from injury that Bowers finished lower than TE7 -- and the only time all season he caught fewer than four balls.
3. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Warren draws a prime matchup against the Jaguars, who rank 11th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs but 29th vs. TEs. Just in their last five games, Jacksonville has coughed up 43.3 PPR points to Brock Bowers, 18.3 to Dalton Schultz, and 16.9 to Trey McBride.
4. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
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Kelce quietly sits third among TEs in total PPR points. He’s hit 4 catches in five straight, a stretch that includes three TDs. He remains a must-start, despite a tough matchup vs. Houston.
5. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
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The absence of Drake London led to Kyle Pitts corralling 7-of-8 targets for 82 yards last week. London isn't expected to play in Week 14, which should result in plenty of routes and targets for Pitts. Defending TEs has been one of the few issues for Seattle's stout defense. The Seahawks have surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to the position. It all points to a busy day for Pitts, who looks like a solid TE1 in Week 14.
6. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
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Kincaid put in limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday, giving him a shot to return vs. the Bengals. You couldn’t ask for a better matchup. Cincy has allowed the most catches, yards, and TDs to opposing TEs.
7. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
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Played Thursday night.
8. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
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Strange has finished as a top-8 PPR TE in each of his two games back from injury -- and three of his last five overall. WR Parker Washington's absence this weekend would free up some additional targets. And Strange gets a plus matchup against the Colts' 28th-ranked TE defense.
9. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
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Schultz rebounded from a Week 12 dud to post 7-55 against the Colts. He’s now reached five catches in eight of his past ten games. Keep him in fantasy lineups in a game that could find the Texans leaning pass. They hit the road as 3.5-point underdogs.
10. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
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Johnson went 5-39-0 on 9 targets last week. He continues to be the checkdown option for Tyler Shough, making him an attractive PPR option. This could be a good spot for Johnson to score with the Bucs ranking 25th in TE TD rate at 6.9%. Johnson’s solid floor with volume and ceiling with a TD makes him a good start this week.
11. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
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Perhaps no other Commanders player is happier to have Jayden Daniels back under center than Ertz. All 4 of the veteran's TD grabs this season have come from Daniels. Ertz also topped 11 PPR points in four of his six games played with Daniels. This week, he gets a neutral matchup with the Vikings, who allow the 14th-most fantasy points to TEs. The expected boost with Daniels' return puts Ertz in the low-end TE1 range this week.
12. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
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Fannin has totaled 11 targets on a 24.4% share in QB Shedeur Sanders' two starts. And he posted a season-high 93% route rate last week. Sunday brings a tough on-paper matchup against the Titans' sixth-ranked TE defense. But the bigger concern is that the Browns just won't need to pass much as four-point favorites. That keeps Fannin stuck in low-end TE1 territory, despite the strong usage.
13. Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers
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Gadsden has totaled just 6 catches across the past three games for an offense that has cut its passing volume. The blocking struggles -- with both OTs out -- seem to have impacted the receiving TE's playing time lately as well. Throw in Philly ranking third-toughest in the league on TE scoring, and there's not much to like about Gadsden this week.
14. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
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Andrews went 4-47-0 last week and just signed a new three-year deal with the Ravens. He was targeted in the end zone again, which has been his bread and butter. The Steelers have struggled against opposing TEs, giving up a 7.1% TD rate to TEs (27th in the league). That bodes well for Andrews, though he stays at a TE2 due to Lamar Jackson’s recent struggles and being TD-dependent.
15. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
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You'll find Goedert outside our top 12 for the week, thanks to three straight 2-catch games and a Chargers D that ranks seventh-toughest on TE scoring.
16. A.J. Barner, Seattle Seahawks
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Barner actually leads Seattle's skill position players with a 78% snap share and ranks fourth with a 15% target share. He's caught 16 passes in Seattle's last three, but 10 of those came in Week 11's loss. The Falcons have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to TEs, so Barner's upside is rather capped. He's a mid-range TE2 who will need to break his TD drought to pay off as a starter.
17. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
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Loveland went 3-28-0 on 6 targets last week, and his playing time continues to consistently increase. But Cole Kmet still is hanging around and the Bears continue leaning on the run game more than the pass. The Packers can give up TDs to TEs with a 5.4% TD rate, 16th in the NFL. It’s not a great spot to rely on Loveland ultimately and you should start a better option.
18. Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins
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Waller came off IR to post 2 catches for 47 yards against New Orleans. His route rate (69%) actually exceeded its pre-injury levels. The issue is a low-volume Miami passing game, one that’s led to fewer than 25 Tua Tagovailoa pass attempts in three straight.
19. Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
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Engram posted season highs in targets (9), receptions (6), and receiving yards (79) last week. He's not likely to approach those again this week. But the game also featured his second-largest snap total and snap share of the season. More of that would at least present a little upside from this position in the bottom half of TE2 territory.
20. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
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Hockenson has averaged 17.3 receiving yards per game in J.J. McCarthy's six starts. While the Commanders have allowed the seventh-most PPR points to TEs, Hockenson's lack of production in Minnesota's offense keeps him in the low-end TE2 range.
21. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Otton only went 2-9-0 last week. As the Buccaneers’ passing game has struggled, that has made Otton barely usable. With Chris Godwin playing more, Otton’s upside has decreased. In Week 8, he went 4-40-0 against the Saints. Bench Otton if possible.
22. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
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Likely went 5-95-0 last week, though a fumble at the one-yard line cost Likely (and the Ravens) a TD. He was used heavily with the Ravens playing from behind and facing the Bengals, who rank worst in the league among TEs. The Steelers have struggled against opposing TEs, giving up a 7.1% TD rate to TEs (27th in the league). That bodes well for Likely, though Lamar Jackson’s struggles and Mark Andrews still splitting snaps should give pause before starting Likely.
23. Mason Taylor, New York Jets
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Taylor hasn’t reached 35 yards since Week 5. Even with four teams on bye, the rookie’s only an option in deep formats.
24. Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams
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Parkinson has quietly been productive over the last month. Since Week 10, he's caught 4+ balls in three of the Rams' four games. During that stretch, Parkinson has averaged 9.5 PPR points per game, ranking 11th overall among fantasy TEs. In Week 14, he'll see another favorable game script against a Cardinals' defense that has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to TEs. Parkinson has some deep-league streaming appeal.
25. Gunnar Helm, Tennessee Titans
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Helm has caught six balls on seven targets in two straight games. But he's still only running a route on about half of the dropbacks in a bad passing game. He can't be trusted in fantasy lineups.
