Week 11 Tight End Preview: Matchup Edges To Exploit

Top Fantasy TEs for Week 11

Let's break down the key usage notes and matchups that are driving our Week 11 TE Rankings.

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

McBride’s big Week 10 marked the second time in three games that he drew 13 targets and caught at least nine balls. He has scored in each of QB Jacoby Brissett’s four starts this season. WR Marvin Harrison Jr.’s absence (appendicitis) should only further emphasize his role against a soft 49ers defense.

2. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Bowers had his worst NFL game last week, but should rebound in a hurry. The Raiders are implied to score 23.5 points, which is tied for 12th-most in Week 11. Bowers leads Las Vegas with a 25% target share, but that figure is down due to his being limited by a knee injury in the first half of the season. He's healthy now, as indicated by his massive Week 9 showing. The Cowboys are middle-of-the-pack, allowing 13.8 PPR points per game to TEs, but Bowers is an elite fantasy option in a game that carries the highest total of the slate.

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Just when we all started worrying that Kittle’s hamstring injury continued to limit his effectiveness, he ripped off a 9-84-1 receiving line against the Rams. Barring some terrible downturn, that reminder of his upside should be enough to keep him a weekly starter going forward.

4. Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers

Gadsden left Week 10 with a quad bruise, but he returned to a full practice on Wednesday. We wouldn’t expect him to have any limitations ahead of a solid scoring matchup with Jacksonville. The Chargers are implied for nearly 24 points.

5. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys

The Raiders defend TEs quite well. Las Vegas has only allowed 2 TDs to TEs all season and surrenders the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to the position. Still, Ferguson ranks third among all TEs with 66 targets and ranks 2nd with 56 grabs. He has a 21% target share in a high-octane offense that is implied to score the third-most points this week. That keeps Ferguson as a top-tier TE1 with top-5 upside in Week 11.

6. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Detroit arrives to this matchup ranked just 18th in TE-coverage DVOA. WR A.J. Brown hits the week with more cryptic social-media messages than TDs (unofficial). Goedert’s fantasy value has relied heavily on TDs so far -- which tends to be the case among TEs -- but his six targets last week coming out of the bye ranked second on the team and trailed leader DeVonta Smith by just one.

7. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Kelce went 4-66-0 in one of the worst passing outings of Patrick Mahomes’ career. He has at least 50 yards in each of his past five games, making Kelce a locked-in TE starter. The Broncos are stout against TEs and play man coverage, something Kelce struggles with. Even so, he should be locked in as a starter.

8. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

LaPorta has been sidelined in practice this week with a back injury, leaving him uncertain for Sunday night's game vs. the Eagles' third-ranked TE defense. Check Shark Bites for updates on LaPorta's status for this one.

9. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

Fannin is averaging 7.5 targets, 5.3 catches, and 56 yards over his last four games. He ranks eighth among TEs in expected PPR points per game and 10th in actual points per game during that span. Cleveland probably won't score much against a healthier Ravens defense on Sunday. But Fannin should see enough volume to come around with a useful fantasy line.

10. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Otton had a monster PPR week, catching 9 of 12 targets for 82 yards. With WRs Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMilan out, Otton has been schemed up touches. The main issue is that he doesn’t have a TD yet this year. The Bills are allowing only 2.6 catches per game to TEs, the lowest in the league, but Otton should buck that trend.

11. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

Pitts has only averaged 4.5 receptions for 45 yards with 1 TD in eight games with Michael Penix under center this season. That includes a 4/39/0 outing against these Carolina Panthers back in Week 3. Pitts hasn't scored in 5 consecutive games and has been held to 38 receiving yards in each of his last two. The good news is Carolina allows the eighth-most fantasy points to TEs, who have scored 5 TDs on the Panthers. It's a solid matchup for Pitts, who is a fringe TE1 this week.

12. Theo Johnson, New York Giants

Johnson has totaled 25 targets over his last four games. He's just 16 of them and tallied 75+ yards or a TD in three of four outings. Johnson ranks ninth among TEs in expected PPR points per game and 13th in actual points per game over that span. QB Jameis Winston adds some volatility to Johnson's Week 11 outlook, but consider him an upgrade over QB Russell Wilson. The Packers rank 16th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs.

13. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Schultz had his best game of the season last week with Davis Mills under center. In that game, Schultz had season-best showings in route rate (82%) and target share (26%). Mills has already been announced as Houston's starter this week. The Titans have allowed 14.6 PPR points per game to TEs in their last four games, so view Schultz as a quality fantasy TE1 in Week 11.

14. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders

Ertz has posted lines of 3-38, 2-21, 4-16, and 4-54 in four starts with Marcus Mariota. He’ll retain some low-end streaming appeal against a Miami defense that’s thin on talent. They’ve also allowed the third-most yards to enemy TEs.

15. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Andrews has three TDs in QB Lamar Jackson's two games back from his hamstring injury. But he's totaled just eight targets, five catches, and 36 yards in those two outings. The floor remains low here. And the ceiling is capped this week with the Ravens implied for an abnormally low 23.5 points against the Browns' eighth-ranked TE defense.

16. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Henry played on Thursday night.

17. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

Loveland tallied a solid 4-55 receiving line last week but dipped to just four targets with Cole Kmet back. That level of usage makes him a riskier play in a crowded Chicago offense that has leaned run over five games since the bye.

18. Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers

Musgrave caught just three balls for 23 yards in an absolute dud from the Packers offense last week. He ran a route on 81% of pass plays, though, which is the same range TE Tucker Kraft had been in. That keeps Musgrave squarely on the fantasy radar, although we'd still like to see a productive game before getting him in starting lineups. The Giants have surprisingly been a slightly negative matchup for opposing TEs, ranking 13th in adjusted fantasy points allowed.

19. Mason Taylor, New York Jets

Taylor played on Thursday night.

20. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers TEs as a unit should do well against the worst TE defense in the league in the Bengals, but it’s hard to know which one to trust. Freiermuth emerged last time these teams met, going 5-111-2. The Steelers had 4 TE TDs in that game. Freiermuth has sat behind Jonnu Smith in routes run, but Freiermuth does have 3 TDs in the last 4 games. He could be a desperation start in hopes of a TD.

21. Evan Engram, Denver Broncos

Engram went 2-12-0 last week and hasn’t gone above 42 yards in a game this season. He simply isn’t being utilized as the weapon touted in the preseason. Bench Engram this week against a Chiefs defense that has remained strong against TEs.

22. Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers TEs as a unit should do well against the worst TE defense in the league in the Bengals, but it’s hard to know which one to trust. Smith went 3-28-1 in the last game against the Bengals but was out-shined by Pat Freiermuth, who went 5-111-2. The Steelers had 4 TE TDs in that game. Smith is running more routes than Freiermuth, but remains underutilized in the red zone. He is a desperation start this week.

23. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Even with J.J. McCarthy vaulting to 42 pass attempts last week against the Ravens -- vs. his average of 22 per game entering that contest -- Hockenson drew just two looks and finished the game with 2 catches for 8 yards. That marks four games of 15 yards or less with McCarthy this year (in the QB’s four appearances).

24. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

Njoku has scored in two straight and three of his last four. But his targets have steadily declined over that stretch from 9 to 6 to 5 to 2. And he's been under a 60% route rate in three straight. Njoku is a flimsy Week 11 fantasy start with the Browns implied for only 16 points vs. the Ravens.

25. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

Likely has drawn four targets from QB Lamar Jackson in both of the last two weeks, posting 3-60-0 and 2-17-0 receiving lines. He'll likely have a few big games the rest of the way, but Week 11 isn't likely to be one of them. Likely gets the Browns' eighth-ranked TE defense, and his Ravens are implied for an unusually low 23.5 points.

Next Up

Week 11 Wide Receiver Preview: Does Jameis Winston Make Wan'Dale Robinson a Must Start?

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Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.