The tight end position is close to making a full recovery after being extremely thin for most of the season. With many of the banged-up players now returning, the position is deeper, and that makes fantasy football rankings a bit easier to navigate. In our Week 9 PPR rankings, the usual TE suspects still lead the charge as always, but an influx of younger talent has added some solid depth to the top tier. With six teams on bye this week, some streamers will still be needed and start 'em, sit 'em decisions for certain TE owners could be tough, but there is finally enough depth to sustain solid play at this point in the season.
Greg Olsen appears to be back -- he has caught a TD in each of the past two games -- so he cracks the top-five for us this week. Additionally, O.J. Howard has a great matchup against the Panthers, so he could end up having a big outing. Further down the ranks, there are plenty more players getting enough volume to stay relevant, including Kyle Rudolph (vs. Lions) and Trey Burton (@ Bills).
Week 9 Standard Rankings:
Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker
Cook's return from bye brings back one of the high-volume producers at the position, so he cracks the top 10 in our rankings. With Rob Gronkowski also back after a one-week hiatus (though not posting Gronk-like numbers yet), this may be the strongest that TE has been since the very start of the season.
In terms of streamers, Jeff Heuerman leads the charge this week in a solid matchup with the Texans. Heuerman had five targets last week, and while he only had one catch, it was for a TD. He could break double-digits if things go right for him. Elsewhere, Chris Herndon (Jets) and Mark Andrews (Ravens) are a couple of rookie TEs who could pay off if you need to take a risk at the position.
Reminder: Check back for updates during the week. And for more analysis on each player, check out our standard TE rankings for Week 9. For even more fantasy insight, check out "How You'll Lose in Week 9".
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver
Week 9 Fantasy Football PPR Rankings: TEs
These rankings are for PPR leagues
| 1 | Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ Browns |
| 2 | Rob Gronkowski, Patriots vs. Packers |
| 3 | Greg Olsen, Panthers vs. Buccaneers |
| 4 | Jared Cook, Raiders @ 49ers |
| 5 | O.J. Howard, Buccaneers @ Panthers |
| 6 | George Kittle, 49ers vs. Raiders |
| 7 | Jordan Reed, Redskins vs. Falcons |
| 8 | Kyle Rudolph, Vikings vs. Lions |
| 9 | David Njoku, Browns vs. Chiefs |
| 10 | Trey Burton, Bears @ Bills |
| MORE FANTASY: Rankings | DFS | |
| 11 | Jimmy Graham, Packers @ Patriots |
| 12 | Vance McDonald, Steelers @ Ravens |
| 13 | Jeff Heuerman, Broncos vs. Texans |
| 14 | Austin Hooper, Falcons @ Redskins |
| 15 | Ben Watson, Saints vs. Rams |
| 16 | Chris Herndon, Jets @ Dolphins |
| 17 | Mark Andrews, Ravens vs. Steelers |
| 18 | Cameron Brate, Buccaneers @ Panthers |
| 19 | Ed Dickson, Seahawks vs. Chargers |
| 20 | Jordan Thomas, Texans @ Broncos |
| 21 | Vernon Davis, Redskins vs. Falcons |
| 22 | Gerald Everett, Rams @ Saints |
| 23 | Michael Roberts, Lions @ Vikings |
| 24 | Hayden Hurst, Ravens vs. Steelers |
| 25 | Mike Gesicki, Dolphins vs. Jets |
| 26 | Charles Clay, Bills vs. Bears |
| 27 | Jesse James, Steelers @ Ravens |
| 28 | Antonio Gates, Chargers @ Seahawks |