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Fantasy football rankings - updated tight end (TE) Week 9 rankings for 2025. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football TE PPR rankings.
Welcome back to our Week 9 fantasy lineups -- Brock Bowers, Sam LaPorta, and Trey McBride! Fantasy managers with those tight ends have easy lineup calls at TE this week, but many others will have to continue to make tough calls. We're here to help you decide who to start with our Week 9 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2025. In the full table of TE rankings below, fantasy managers will see where TEs on the start-sit bubble, like Oronde Gadsden, Dalton Kincaid, Zach Ertz, Juwan Johnson, AJ Barner, Colston Loveland, and more stand for the ninth slate of fantasy football.
Our tight end fantasy football rankings for Week 9 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find key fantasy football outlooks from our RotoBaller staff, as well as the "Who to Start?" tool. Also, be sure to check our fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Editor's Note: Stay on top of your draft prep with RotoBaller’s fantasy football rankings, featuring expert analysis, ADPs, and draft insights for both PPR and non-PPR leagues.
Week 9 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football
Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings
| TE Tier |
TE Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Trey McBride | TE | 12 |
| 1 | 2 | Tucker Kraft | TE | 36 |
| 2 | 3 | Tyler Warren | TE | 40 |
| 3 | 4 | George Kittle | TE | 45 |
| 3 | 5 | Oronde Gadsden II | TE | 57 |
| 3 | 6 | Brock Bowers | TE | 59 |
| 3 | 7 | Jake Ferguson | TE | 64 |
| 4 | 8 | Kyle Pitts | TE | 68 |
| 4 | 9 | Travis Kelce | TE | 72 |
| 5 | 10 | Sam LaPorta | TE | 77 |
| 6 | 11 | Dalton Kincaid | TE | 78 |
| 6 | 12 | Mark Andrews | TE | 83 |
| 6 | 13 | Zach Ertz | TE | 84 |
| 6 | 14 | Hunter Henry | TE | 97 |
| 7 | 15 | Juwan Johnson | TE | 98 |
| 7 | 16 | Colston Loveland | TE | 106 |
| 7 | 17 | Theo Johnson | TE | 108 |
| 7 | 18 | Evan Engram | TE | 109 |
| 8 | 19 | T.J. Hockenson | TE | 111 |
| 8 | 20 | Dalton Schultz | TE | 112 |
| 8 | 21 | Jonnu Smith | TE | 115 |
| 9 | 22 | Isaiah Likely | TE | 128 |
| 9 | 23 | AJ Barner | TE | 130 |
| 9 | 24 | Noah Fant | TE | 131 |
| 10 | 25 | Cole Kmet | TE | 134 |
| 10 | 26 | Pat Freiermuth | TE | 138 |
| 10 | 27 | Gunnar Helm | TE | 145 |
| 10 | 28 | Chig Okonkwo | TE | 160 |
| 11 | 29 | Ja'Tavion Sanders | TE | 161 |
| 12 | 30 | Tyler Higbee | TE | 162 |
| 13 | 31 | Hunter Long | TE | 164 |
| 13 | 32 | Daniel Bellinger | TE | 168 |
| 13 | 33 | Tanner Conner | TE | 169 |
| 13 | 34 | Noah Gray | TE | 171 |
| 13 | 35 | Austin Hooper | TE | 173 |
| 13 | 36 | Taysom Hill | TE | 177 |
| 13 | 37 | Elijah Arroyo | TE | 181 |
| 14 | 38 | Dawson Knox | TE | 182 |
| 14 | 39 | Tommy Tremble | TE | 184 |
| 14 | 40 | Michael Mayer | TE | 187 |
| 14 | 41 | Darnell Washington | TE | 188 |
| 14 | 42 | Tanner Hudson | TE | 194 |
| 14 | 43 | Terrance Ferguson | TE | 195 |
| 14 | 44 | Greg Dulcich | TE | 200 |
| 14 | 45 | Jake Tonges | TE | 203 |
| 14 | 46 | Josh Oliver | TE | 205 |
| 14 | 47 | Johnny Mundt | TE | 207 |
| 14 | 48 | Elijah Higgins | TE | 211 |
| 15 | 49 | Brock Wright | TE | 213 |
| 15 | 50 | Davis Allen | TE | 216 |
| 15 | 51 | Will Dissly | TE | 221 |
| 15 | 52 | Jackson Hawes | TE | 222 |
| 15 | 53 | Nate Adkins | TE | 223 |
| 15 | 54 | Colby Parkinson | TE | 227 |
| 15 | 55 | Luke Schoonmaker | TE | 228 |
| 15 | 56 | Charlie Kolar | TE | 233 |
| 15 | 57 | Mo Alie-Cox | TE | 237 |
| 15 | 58 | Luke Musgrave | TE | 241 |
| 15 | 59 | John Bates | TE | 242 |
| 16 | 60 | Drew Sample | TE | 244 |
| 16 | 61 | John FitzPatrick | TE | 245 |
| 16 | 62 | Durham Smythe | TE | 247 |
| 16 | 63 | Harrison Bryant | TE | 248 |
| 16 | 64 | Mitchell Evans | TE | 250 |
| 16 | 65 | Foster Moreau | TE | 251 |
| 16 | 66 | Connor Heyward | TE | 252 |
| 16 | 67 | Luke Farrell | TE | 255 |
| 16 | 68 | Adam Trautman | TE | 256 |
| 16 | 69 | Brevyn Spann-Ford | TE | 257 |
| 16 | 70 | Charlie Woerner | TE | 258 |
| 17 | 71 | Tyler Conklin | TE | 259 |
| 17 | 72 | Ben Sinnott | TE | 260 |
| 17 | 73 | Stephen Carlson | TE | 262 |
| 17 | 74 | Drew Ogletree | TE | 264 |
| 17 | 75 | Chris Manhertz | TE | 265 |
| 17 | 76 | Jack Stoll | TE | 268 |
| 17 | 77 | Reggie Gilliam | RB/TE | 291 |
Week 9 Tight End Rankings Outlooks
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz has seen six or more targets in three straight games since his no-catch performance in Week 5 against the Chargers. The veteran tight end continues to be a reliable threat in the red zone, leading the team with four receiving touchdowns. The 34-year-old will be happy to have second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels back as the starter, who he has been more productive with compared to backup Marcus Mariota.
Ertz has uncharacteristically had multiple costly drops this season. The veteran has already totaled five drops in only eight games this season, more than he had all of last year and one off of his career high of six back in 2021. Ertz will likely see a solid target share with top wideout Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) out, and it's a decent matchup against a Seattle defense that has allowed 47 receptions to opposing tight ends, tied for seventh most. Ertz is ranked as RotoBaller's TE13 in PPR formats for Sunday Night Football.
AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner is a solid play in Week 9 against the Washington Commanders. Barner has displayed a nose for the end zone on modest volume this season. He has only exceeded three targets on one occasion, but he has caught four touchdown passes in seven games. The Commanders are No. 25 against opposing tight ends in fantasy. Their linebacking core seems to have a lot of difficulty stopping the position.
With Barner's savvy in the red zone and run-after-catch ability, he could escape for a couple of big plays. Outside of the top five or so tight ends, the options are slim for fantasy. Barner presents an option with real upside and high touchdown probability in a good offense. He is still readily available on waivers, likely due to his low volume.
Additionally, Barner may have earned himself more volume coming out of the Seahawks' bye week in Week 8. It is likely difficult for the Seahawks' coaching staff to ignore what Barner has been able to do with the ball in his hands. If you need a start, Barner could be a legitimate top ten option this week.
Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden continued his red-zone success last week, catching all five of his targets for 77 yards and his second touchdown of the season. He has become a key part of the passing attack, but now faces a Tennessee Titans defense that has been among the toughest against tight ends this year, allowing only three touchdowns to the position.
While the Titans' struggles against the run may lead to another low-volume passing game (Gadsden only ran 29 routes last week), his size, speed, and proven chemistry with Herbert near the goal line keep him relevant. RotoBaller projects Gadsden as TE5 this week. He has proven himself a must-start and should be viewed as a solid low-end TE1.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Orondre Gadsden, Dalton Kincaid, Zach Ertz, Juwan Johnson, AJ Barner, Colston Loveland. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 9.
Week 9 Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, we've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 9 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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