Another week down, and it's been another disappointing week from the so-called elite tight ends. Sam LaPorta (in one half) and Trey McBride both went for a hair over five PPR points. Mark Andrews turned into a ghost once again and was completely absent from the box score.
A handful of the mid-tier starters at tight end had strong weeks. Dallas Goedert took advantage of the absence of A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith (left early in the 4th), turning 11 targets into 10 receptions for 170 yards. Jake Ferguson played a key role in the Cowboys' comeback effort and finished with 15.5 PPR points.
If your "elite TE" didn't perform to your expectations, take a deep breath and regroup because a new week is upon us. The slate is wiped clean and Week 4 presents a whole new set of circumstances.
Be sure to check back in here often as our rankings will be updated regularly as we prepare for Week 4!
WEEK 4 FANTASY RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy TE Rankings Week 4: Who to start, sit at tight end
Rankings based on PPR scoring. These rankings will be updated throughout the week, so check back often.
| RANK | PLAYER NAME | TEAM | OPPONENT | CHANGE |
| 1 | Brock Bowers | LV | vs. CLE | Up 3 |
| 2 | Jake Ferguson | DAL | at NYG | Up 5 |
| 3 | Travis Kelce | KC | at LAC | Up 2 |
| 4 | Kyle Pitts | ATL | vs. NO | Up 2 |
| 5 | Dalton Kincaid | BUF | at BAL | Up 4 |
| 6 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | at TB | Up 6 |
| 7 | Evan Engram | JAC | at HOU | Up 4 |
| 8 | Hunter Henry | NE | at SF | Up 2 |
| 9 | Mike Gesicki | CIN | at CAR | Up 5 |
| 10 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT | at IND | Up 6 |
| 11 | Mark Andrews | BAL | vs. BUF | Down 3 |
| 12 | Colby Parkinson | LAR | at CHI | Up 1 |
| 13 | Cole Kmet | CHI | vs. LAR | Up 12 |
| 14 | Isaiah Likely | BAL | vs. BUF | Up 1 |
| 15 | Zach Ertz | WAS | at ARI | Up 5 |
| 16 | Jonnu Smith | MIA | vs. TEN | Up 2 |
| 17 | Tyler Conklin | NYJ | vs. DEN | Up 10 |
| 18 | Noah Fant | SEA | at DET | Up 1 |
| 19 | Taysom Hill | NO | at ATL | Up 2 |
| 20 | Dalton Schultz | HOU | vs. JAC | Down 3 |
| 21 | Greg Dulcich | DEN | at NYJ | Up 1 |
| 22 | Tucker Kraft | GB | vs. MIN | Up 6 |
| 23 | Cade Otton | TB | vs. PHI | Up 3 |
| 24 | Juwan Johnson | NO | at ATL | Down 1 |
| 25 | Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN | at MIA | Down 1 |
| 26 | Will Dissly | LAC | vs. KC | |
| 40 | Eric Saubert | SF | vs. NE | N/A |
| 27 | Ja'Tavion Sanders | CAR | vs. CIN | |
| 28 | Austin Hooper | NE | at SF | |
| 38 | Jordan Akins | CLE | at LV | N/A |
| 29 | Luke Musgrave | GB | vs. MIN | |
| 30 | Gerald Everett | CHI | vs. LAR | |
| 31 | Michael Mayer | LV | vs. CLE | |
| 32 | Daniel Bellinger | NYG | vs. DAL | |
| 33 | Hayden Hurst | LAC | at PIT | |
| 41 | Brock Wright | DET | vs. SEA | N/A |
| 39 | Tip Reiman | ARI | vs. WAS | N/A |
| 34 | Dawson Knox | BUF | at BAL | |
| 35 | Johnny Mundt | MIN | at GB | |
| 36 | Kylen Granson | IND | vs. PIT | |
| 37 | Ben Sinnott | WAS | at ARI | |
| 42 | Josh Oliver | MIN | at GB |
Who are the best fantasy TEs for Week 4?
It's the usual suspects at the top of our Week 4 tight end rankings. 60 percent of our top-5 is made up of the young, emerging crop of tight end talent. Trey McBride is an offensive focal point in Arizona and should have a strong outing against a pitiful Washington defense (he did depart in the 4th to be evaluated for a concussion, so check back for status updates). Sam LaPorta has been off to a rough start this season, but the lack of production elsewhere at the position makes it hard to knock him down much further (he went down at the half with an ankle injury, so we'll monitor his status as well). Finally, Brock Bowers has lived up to the hype and moves like a wide receiver that (sometimes) lines up as a tight end. This trio will have the position in good hands for the foreseeable future.
George Kittle and Travis Kelce have been holding down the position for years now. The changing of the guard is coming soon, but in the year 2024, both are still high-end fantasy options. Kittle should take on a significant role in Deebo Samuel's absence and is primed for a big week against New England if he can return from his hamstring injury. Kelce is in a similar boat to LaPorta - neither has produced at a high level yet this year, but it's hard to move on just yet. Kelce should be started in every league this week.
Who are the best fantasy TE waiver pickups for Week 4?
Cole Kmet finally escaped the clutches of Shane Waldron. Kmet was involved in a heinous time timeshare with Gerald Everett to begin the year. Things finally shifted in Kmet's favor last week and he played 81 percent of snaps, leading to 11 targets. Caleb Williams also proved that he can sustain fantasy-relevant pass catchers, throwing for 363 yards on Sunday. If Kmet maintains this role and Williams finds his groove, Kmet could be a legitimate fantasy option moving forward.
Tyler Conklin is another player who emerged in Week 3 after staying relatively quiet in the first few weeks of the year. Conklin hauled in five of his six targets for a team-leading 93 yards. Aaron Rodgers has breathed life into the Jets' offense and is capable of generating production from players other than Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. Conklin will be that third option in some weeks, making him an option for teams who are desperate for TE production.
WEEK 4 WAIVER WIRE ADVICE
Top Players to Target | How to spend FAAB | MNF Waivers
Who are the best fantasy TE sleepers for Week 4?
Zach Ertz has played a steady role in the Washington offense to open the year. Prior to Monday Night Football, Ertz is the Commanders' leading receiver while running a route on 72 percent of Jayden Daniels' dropbacks. No matter how badly you may want Ertz to pass the torch to Benn Sinnott, this is Ertz's job to lose. Ertz is the TE8 through two weeks and will likely continue to provide top-12 production until something changes with Washington's TE rotation.
The aforementioned Tyler Conklin is a strong sleeper option this week. He has been a full-time player throughout the season and proved last week that he is capable of delivering when his name is called. There's a good chance that Conklin and the other complementary pass catchers in New York will be leaned on in Week 4. Garrett Wilson will draw coverage from lockdown corner Pat Surtain. We just saw Cade Otton go for a respectable 11.7 PPR points against the Broncos after Surtain erased Mike Evans. If Wilson falls to a similar fate, Conklin could see a steady dose of targets from Rodgers.
What are the biggest TE injuries for Week 4?
The last few weeks have been brutal at tight end. Beginning with the injuries from previous weeks, David Njoku has now missed two straight games with an ankle injury. It's possible he returns for Week 4, but for now we have him unranked. Njoku managers should monitor practice reports and check back here for updates.
Evan Engram has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has also led to a two-week absence. Once again, monitor practice reports for this situation. We think the chances of him playing are leaning in his favor, so we have him ranked for now, but if he sits, we'll be swapping him out for Brenton Strange.
Two rather significant injuries occurred during Week 3 action. Sam LaPorta left the Lions' game with an ankle injury; Dan Campbell confirmed that it was an ankle sprain in his postgame presser, and then it was confirmed Monday that it was a low ankle sprain rather than a high ankle sprain. While that's good news overall, there's still a decent chance he sits for one week, so we pulled him from the rankings until we hear otherwise.
Trey McBride left late in the Cardinals' Week 3 loss to the Lions after sustaining a helmet-to-helmet hit. It was confirmed on Monday that he did enter the concussion protocol. So, until he clears protocol, we have pulled him from the rankings. But check back often for more updates.