Our Week 12 fantasy TE rankings will take you through all the NFL stats and matchup analysis you need to know for the best fantasy tight ends this week. From highlighting tight ends with great fantasy matchups against some of the worst pass defenses in the NFL to some signal-callers with sub-par matchups that could lower their potential output. With that in mind, let’s dive into our fantasy TE rankings for Week 12.
Note: If George Kittle (hamstring) is cleared to play, he would be third in our fantasy tight end rankings.
15. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers – vs San Francisco 49ers
Tucker Kraft epitomizes the volatility of the position outside the best fantasy tight ends. From Weeks 3-5, he averaged 4 receptions and 55 receiving yards per game. He then totaled just 23 receiving yards from Weeks 6-7 followed by a 78-yard performance with a touchdown and now a two-game stretch with 6 receptions for 34 yards and most recently a zero-catch performance. Kraft’s playmaking ability gives him fantasy upside, but the San Francisco 49ers have allowed the fourth-fewest receiving yards (356) to tight ends this year.
Related: Week 12 fantasy rankings
14. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers – @ Cleveland Browns
It’s the same story with Pat Freiermuth, he’s just not going to get you more than 20 receiving yards. What you’re rolling the dice on, especially with six tight ends on bye in Week 12, is the Pittsburgh Steelers tight end finding the end zone. There’s at least a chance of that happening with the Cleveland Browns defense missing linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramaoh, which explains why Cleveland has allowed over 60 receiving yards and a touchdown to tight ends in the last two weeks.
Related: Week 12 fantasy QB rankings, evaluating stats and matchups for best fantasy QBs
13. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders – vs Dallas Cowboys
Zach Ertz is becoming a key part of the Washington Commanders offense again. He only drew one target in Week 9 against the New York Giants, but he’s seen 26 targets in his previous three games. Ertz doesn’t get many yards after the catch and he’s only scored 2 touchdowns this year, but fantasy managers seeking a replacement tight end could get 5 receptions for 40-plus yards from Ertz against the Dallas Cowboys.
12. Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers – vs Kansas City Chiefs
It’s a bit of a gamble with our fantasy TE rankings this week. Ja’Tavion Sanders has five games this season with fewer than 10 receiving yards, so that’s where the risk comes in. However, he still averaged 51 receiving yards per game from Weeks 6-9. Facing a Kansas City Chiefs defense that has allowed the most receiving yards per game (74.3) to tight ends, we like Sanders as a sneaky option with upside.
Related: 2025 NFL Draft order right now
11. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens – @ Los Angeles Chargeers
Similar to Travis Kelce, we’re just going to have to get used to the inconsistency from Mark Andrews. He didn’t find the end zone against the Pittsburgh Steelers and he finished under 27 receiving yards for the fifth time this season. Hurting Andrews’ fantasy outlook in Week 12 is the fact that the Los Angeles Chargers haven’t allowed a touchdown to a tight end in 10 games this season. If Andrews doesn’t strike paydirt, he doesn’t have the yardage totals to be a strong fantasy option.
10. Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins – vs New England Patriots
Jonnu Smith has found a home with the Miami Dolphins. Since Week 5, he’s been one of the best fantasy tight ends by averaging 5 receptions and 61.7 receiving yards per game. Facing a bottom-10 New England Patriots defense, Smith feels like a safe bet for at least 40 receiving yards and he could certainly eclipse 60-plus on 6-plus receptions.
9. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles – @ Los Angeles Rams
Dallas Goedert is only averaging 38.75 receiving yards per game with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith healthy. The target share just isn’t as strong for the Philadelphia Eagles tight end, but the receiver duo does create open space that is helping Goedert average 12 yards per reception. With 4-6 targets against the Los Angeles Rams, Goedert could provide fantasy managers with 40-60 receiving yards.
8. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns – vs Pittsburgh Steelers
The quarterback change once again saved David Njoku’s fantasy managers. In the last four games, the Cleveland Browns tight end has averaged 7.3 receptions and 61.8 receiving yards per contest while averaging 9.3 targets drawn. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been fine against tight ends this season, but Njoku’s target share and consistency keep him as a top-10 option moving forward.
Related: NFL Week 12 power rankings
7. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings – @ Chicago Bears
T.J. Hockenson only drew 3 targets on Sunday, a disappointment considering Sam Darnold had 32 pass attempts. We’ll chalk some of that up to a tough matchup. The outlook does look a lot better against the Chicago Bears – 51.9 receiving yards per game allowed to tight ends – but a split target share with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison diminishes Hockenson’s fantasy ceiling.
6. Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers – vs Baltimore Ravens
It certainly might seem absurd for Will Dissly to be this high in fantasy TE rankings this week. However, the Los Angeles Chargers tight end is enjoying a five-game stretch where he’s averaged 4.8 receptions and 48.2 receiving yards per contest. Plus, this is matchup-specific excitement, as the Baltimore Ravens allowed the fourth-most receiving yards per game (67) to tight ends.
Related: NFL kicker rankings, Week 12 fantasy kicker rankings
5. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – @ New York Giants
Cade Otton averaged 9.8 targets, 7.5 receptions and 73.3 receiving yards per game with 3 touchdowns in his last four contests before the bye. While Mike Evans (hamstring) might be back for Week 12, Otton is at the very least the second go-to weapon for Baker Mayfield against the New York Giants. New York has allowed the second-fewest receiving yards (332) to tight ends this season, but the target share puts Otton near the top of our fantasy TE rankings.
4. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots – at Miami Dolphins
We bought stock in Hunter Henry the moment Drake Maye became the New England Patriots starting quarterback. Maye targeted his tight end 9 times on Sunday, which Henry turned into 6 receptions for 63 yards. Since Week 7, Henry is averaging 5.4 receptions and 54 receiving yards per game. We don’t expect him to repeat Brock Bowers’s monster line against the Dolphins, but that game did show New England something to attack against Miami’s defense.
3. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs – @ Carolina Panthers
After averaging 10.7 receptions and 84.7 receiving yards per game from Weeks 7-9, Travis Kelce put up a dud (2 receptions for 8 yards) on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. It’s a reminder that one of the best fantasy tight ends just isn’t going to be as consistent at 35 years old, especially when facing a top-five defense. Fortunately, the Carolina Panthers – third-most touchdowns allowed to tight ends (seven) – are not that whatsoever.
2. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders – vs Denver Broncos
The change at offensive coordinator certainly played a role in Brock Bowers drawing a season-high 16 targets this past week. Also playing a factor in his monster performance – 13 receptions, 126 yards and 1 touchdown – was the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders fell behind by multiple scores early. We’ll likely see a similar script in Week 12, although the Denver Broncos defense is much better against tight ends than Miami, so don’t bank on another 10-catch game.
Related: NFL defense rankings, Week 12 fantasy defense rankings
1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals – @ Seattle Seahawks
Trey McBride is the go-to weapon for Kyler Murray. Before the bye week, the Arizona Cardinals tight end averaged 7.3 targets per game for 5.8 receptions and 71.7 receiving yards per contest. His lowest total during that six-game run was a three-catch, 35-yard game. McBride grabs the top spot in our fantasy QB rankings this week because the Seattle Seahawks are one of the worst defenses in the NFL at stopping passes over the middle of the field.