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Week 8 Tight End Preview: Should You ACTUALLY Start Dalton Schultz?

Top Fantasy TEs for Week 8

Let's break down the key usage notes and matchups that are driving our Week 8 TE Rankings.

1. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

Warren sits third among TEs in both expected and actual PPR points per game through seven weeks. He gets a Titans defense this weekend that ranks seventh in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs. But they've allowed a 5-50-1 line to Michael Mayer and 44 yards and a score to Patriots TEs over the last two weeks. And with the Colts rocking a huge 30.75-point implied total, Warren packs plenty of TD upside.

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle let you down with zero catches on two targets if you played him in his first game back from the hamstring injury last week. But the playing time was there. Only Jauan Jennings ran more routes (26-24). And the matchup was negative. The Falcons rank No. 1 in defensive DVOA and toughest on TE scoring by a decent margin, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Houston presents another difficult matchup but has been tougher on WRs than TEs and is negative for every position. Kittle has a shot to be an important target in a game the 49ers enter as road underdogs.

3. Tucker Kraft, Packers

Kraft had his most targets of the season with 10 this past week, going 5-58-1. He has lived off TDs (like most TEs), but is an integral part of the offense. Kraft’s 9 yards per catch is among the best in the league. He is a must-start TE this week.

4. Jake Ferguson, Cowboys

Denver has allowed only 1 WR score all season. With CeeDee Lamb battling with ace CB Patrick Surtain, Ferguson figures to remain a go-to option in Denver. The 26-year-old has reached 7 targets (and 7 catches) in five of his past six outings.

5. Dallas Goedert, Eagles

Goedert has finished two of his past three games with just 3 catches. But in between came a huge 9-110-1 against the Giants -- this week’s matchup -- and he garnered 20 targets across the two games before last week. Goedert’s upside red-zone role also makes him one of the most attractive plays in this six-team bye week.

6. Dalton Kincaid, Bills

Kincaid missed last week with an oblique injury, but he has been a consistent TE. Kincaid has scored a TD in three of his five games this season. In his last game, he didn’t score a TD but did have 6 catches for 108 yards. He excels as a Cover-3 breaker, and that is the Panthers preferred defense. This could be a smash spot for Kincaid.

7. Harold Fannin Jr., Browns

Without David Njoku last week, Harold Fannin put up impressive usage numbers. He led the Browns in snaps (44), targets (5), catches (4), and yards (36). Fannin has out-produced Njoku for the season, so even if Njoku returns, Fannin is the stronger fantasy option. This week, he's on the TE1 radar, but we'll need to verify Njoku's status. 

8. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Schultz’s season-best 9-98 receiving line against the Seahawks last week marked his fourth straight game with 5+ catches. He figures to remain important in a game that will miss Houston’s top two WRs. The 49ers missing LB Fred Warner will dramatically improve the matchup for Hosuton’s TE.

9. Kyle Pitts, Falcons

Atlanta should be able to control Sunday’s game on the ground, as they face a slumping Miami defense with a red-hot Bijan Robinson. Still, Pitts has quietly hit 4 catches in all but one game. And his scoring potential rises with Atlanta implied for a healthy 26 points. Keep him active as a low-end TE1.

10. Cade Otton, Buccaneers

Otton went 7-65-0 with a season high 9 targets. He’s had double-digit PPR points in each of the last three weeks with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans sidelined. The Saints have struggled against TEs, allowing 7.4 yards per target, 19th in the league. This is a good spot to start Otton. 

11. Travis Kelce, Chiefs 

In Weeks 1-6, Kelce averaged 32.1 routes and 5.4 targets per game. However, when Rashee Rice returned last week, Kelce only ran 29 routes and drew 3 targets. The blowout nature of that game factored in as Andy Reid pulled his starters in the fourth quarter. The Commanders have been average defending TEs, so this looks like an average spot for Kelce. That makes him a mid-to-low-end TE1 with a safe floor in Week 8. 

12. Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers

Gadsden's 164 yards last week were the 4th most by a rookie TE in NFL history. It was also his second straight game with 7 catches and a route rate north of 75%. He's a legitimate part of this high-volume Chargers passing game. Next up for Gadsden is Minnesota's 16th-ranked TE defense. The Vikings limited TE Dallas Goedert to just 18 yards last week but coughed up 80 yards and two TDs to Browns TEs in Week 5.

13. Mason Taylor, New York Jets

Taylor's usage remained strong last week: An 84% route rate and 15% target share. QB Tyrod Taylor -- assuming he gets the nod -- would be a passing upgrade over QB Justin Fields. And this Taylor gets a smash matchup against the Bengals, who rank dead last in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs. Cincinnati has allowed a TE to tally 12+ PPR points in five of seven games.

14. Mark Andrews, Ravens

Lamar Jackson couldn't come back sooner. In two starts without Jackson, Andrews averaged a paltry 3 catches and 23 yards. Andrews' 18% target share still ranks second on the team, and Chicago allows the 10th-most fantasy points to TEs this season. View Andrews in his usual high-end TE2 range, but his ceiling is significantly higher with Jackson under center. 

15. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Hockenson has averaged 6.5 targets, 5.3 catches, 42 yards, and 0.25 TDs in QB Carson Wentz's four starts. He's caught at least four balls in every game, laying a decent floor in PPR leagues. But he's cracked the top-15 TEs in fantasy points just once. Next up is a Chargers defense sitting sixth in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs.

16. Hunter Henry, Patriots

Henry is cooling off after a fast start. He hasn't scored double-digit fantasy points in three consecutive games and hasn't topped 50 yards since Week 3. He still ranks second on the Patriots with an 18% target share, but has a subpar Week 8 matchup against a Cleveland defense that ranks 13th against TEs. 

17. Zach Ertz, Commanders

Ertz has averaged 11.8 PPR points per game in games started by Jayden Daniels, but only averaged 5.5 PPR points in Weeks 3-4 with Marcus Mariota under center. Additionally, Kansas City only allows 7.8 PPR points per game to TEs, which is the third-lowest mark in the league. That makes Ertz, who is a top-10 TE season-to-date, a risky start in Week 8. 

18. Colston Loveland, Bears

Baltimore's defense has struggled against the pass all season. That includes tight ends, who are scoring 15.2 PPR points per game against the Ravens, which is the eighth-most. Loveland hasn't done much, but his usage is slowly creeping up. Loveland has earned a 13% target share from Weeks 3-7. Considering the advantageous matchup, that's enough volume to put Loveland on the TE2/streaming radar on a week with six teams on bye. 

19. Theo Johnson, Giants

Johnson has gotten a bit lucky to score 4 TDs across Jaxson Dart’s four starts. But he has also seen 5+ targets in three of those games. The first meeting with Philadelphia included just a 2-27 receiving line on four targets, though. And Philly’s speedy, coverage-adept LBs present a difficult challenge for the Giants TE.

20. Evan Engram, Broncos

Following a slow start, Engram racked up 4+ catches in four straight matchups. An inconsistent Bo Nix adds risk here. But you have to love a matchup with a Dallas squad allowing a bloated 29.4 points per game.

21. Juwan Johnson, Saints

Johnson bounced back with a 5-79-0 line last week. He continues to be on the field with a 75.7% snap rate in the previous three weeks. Taysom Hill is still being utilized as a rusher near the goal line, so it does undercut Johnson’s upside in the red zone. The Buccaneers have also been league average against TEs, so Johnson is more of a TE2 this week.   

22. Jonnu Smith, Steelers

Pat Freiermuth was the star last week, but Smith did have a TD. Steelers TEs have a 36% target rate -- the highest in the league -- but it is being split three or, sometimes, four ways. Smith may be usable with all the bye weeks, but he hasn’t topped 28 yards in a game this season. Consider him a TD-dependent option. 

23. Isaiah Likely, Ravens

Likely is running a route on 64% of his snaps, but has yet to do much with those routes in his 3 games. Likely has only earned 3 targets and accumulated 18 receiving yards on the season. The return of Lamar Jackson and a good matchup against a Chicago team that allows the 10th-most fantasy points to TEs puts Likely on the streaming radar in a week with six teams on bye. 

24. Noah Fant, Cincinnati Bengals

With TEs Mike Gesicki AND Tanner Hudson out last week, Fant registered a season-high 76% route rate. It was his first time above 50% all season. Gesicki remains out for Week 8, but there's a good chance Hudson will be back from his concussion. That'd likely mean a hit to Fant's route rate. Despite the plus matchup vs. the Jets' 23rd-ranked TE defense, Fant remains a desperation fantasy start.

25. Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans

Okonkwo continues to lose routes to rookie TE Gunnar Helm and was goose-egged on two targets last week. Even in a plus matchup against the Colts' 29th-ranked TE defense, Okonkwo can't be trusted in fantasy lineups.

Next Up

Week 8 Matchups That Matter: Can We Trust The Broncos Offense?

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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.