2023 Fantasy Football: Week 8 Tight End Rankings (Saturday Update!)

National Tight Ends Day fell in Week 7, and the position’s heavy hitters celebrated, with Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Darren Waller, Dallas Goedert, T.J. Hockenson, and George Kittle all having strong finishes. Most have favorable matchups this week and should continue to put up big numbers again. All rank as top-eight options in my Week 8 tight end rankings.

Injuries to monitor for Week 8

• Pat Freiermuth was placed on the IR last week with a hamstring injury and will miss at least four weeks. Connor Heyward will likely benefit and is worth keeping an eye on. Heyward had three targets in Week 7 and a 96% route participation rate. He needs more targets to be fantasy-relevant, but the volume is encouraging to see.
• Luke Musgrave is questionable after suffering an ankle injury in Week 7. He’ll likely be a game-time decision.
• Gerald Everett is dealing with a hip injury, and his availability for Week 8 is uncertain. The timing is unfortunate, as Everett has scored a touchdown in back-to-back weeks. Donald Parham Jr. could be a sneaky play if Everett can’t suit up this week.
• Zach Ertz landed on the IR with a quad injury, leaving Trey McBride as the Cardinals’ lead tight end. McBride was already surpassing Ertz in targets and receiving yards in the last two weeks, and his volume should continue to rise while Ertz is out.
• Dawson Knox was placed on the IR following wrist surgery. Dalton Kincaid will be the Bills’ primary tight end and is a top-10 option in Knox’s absence.
• Juwan Johnson is expected to return in Week 8 following a calf injury that has sidelined him since Week 4. His return makes Taysom Hill’s fantasy value murky.

Tight End Notes

• Now that Houston’s bye week is over, you can safely insert Dalton Schultz back into your lineups. Since Week 4, Schultz has ranked as the TE3, scoring in each of his last three games and averaging 6.7 targets and 56 yards during that span. While Schultz gets a tougher-than-not matchup against Carolina in Week 8, his recent production is hard to ignore. Schultz ranks as a back-end TE1 for me in Week 8.
• Dalton Kincaid finally made a splash in the tight end rankings last week. He posted season-highs in targets and yards, hauling in all eight of his targets for a team-high 75 yards. Up next is a tough Thursday night matchup against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay hasn’t given up a touchdown to tight ends this season and allows the 10th-fewest receiving yards to the position. While Week 8 might not be a week for Kincaid to shine, brighter days should be coming. He’ll operate as the Bills’ top tight end with Dawson Knox sidelined following wrist surgery. Additionally, Kincaid faces Cincinnati, Denver, and the New York Jets in the next three weeks — all bottom-five defenses against tight ends.
• Michael Mayer could make some noise this week. He gets a plus matchup against a leaky Detroit defense that has given up the most fantasy points to tight ends through seven weeks. They’ve also allowed the second-most touchdowns to the position and the third-most receptions and receiving yards. Mayer was unable to build off his Week 6 performance, but I like his odds this week. Mayer is a top-tier TE2 who could sneak into TE1 territory in Week 8.
• Cole Kmet has crashed hard in the two weeks without Justin Fields under center. Kmet was shut out in Week 7 and caught two of his three targets in Week 6 for a total of nine yards. Yeesh. That’s a far cry from his Week 4 and Week 5 production, where he combined for 127 yards and three scores. Unfortunately, Fields is doubtful in Week 8 with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. Until Fields returns, Kmet can’t be trusted and falls outside my top 12 this week — despite a decent matchup against the Chargers.

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Week 8 Tight End Rankings

Note: Ranks based on half-PPR scoring