Fantasy Football Rankings - Tight Ends (TE) Week 18 Early Updates

December 30, 2025

Fantasy football rankings - tight ends (TE) Week 18 rankings early edition for 2025. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football TE rankings.

Tight end start-sit calls never get any easier, especially in Week 18 when many teams could pull starters early. We're here to assist with our Week 18 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2025. Below, find out where TEs on the start-sit bubble like Kyle Pitts Sr., Michael Mayer, Dallas Goedert, Colby Parkinson, AJ Barner, Jake Tonges, and more stand for the Week 18 NFL slate.

Our tight end fantasy football rankings for Week 18 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important TE 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.

Be sure to bookmark our fantasy football rankings portal and check back regularly for updates. Most importantly, our free mobile app is a must-have - download it and configure your push notifications. We deliver all the top NFL news, injuries, and fantasy analysis 24x7 with our free push notification alerts... all for free!

Week 18 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

Bookmark our PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and standard (non-PPR) rankings 

Week 18 Tight End Rankings Outlooks

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz has been a solid PPR contributor this season, and he can be a great plug-and-play option in Week 18 if he's available on the waiver wire. Schultz and the rest of the Texans' starters will be playing in their Week 18 game against the Colts, according to coach DeMeco Ryans, since the team still has a chance to win the division.

Schultz has a team-high 78 catches on the season for 704 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He had three catches for 19 yards in the team's win over the Chargers, giving him at least three catches in 14 of his 16 games this season. Two of his touchdowns have come in the last three weeks as well, making him a strong option to play at tight end if you need a solution at the position for the season finale.

Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland had one of his best games of the season in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers, recording six catches for 94 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. With Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (foot) sidelined by a foot injury, Loveland's role in the Chicago offense has grown in recent weeks. He's now recorded at least five targets in six straight games and logged three touchdown grabs in that stretch.

Additionally, Chicago wideout Luther Burden III (quad) suffered a quad injury in Week 17 that could put his status for Week 18 in question, further opening an opportunity for Loveland to climb the team's pass-catching pecking order. The Bears are locked into either the number two or number three seed in the NFC regardless of their result in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions, so they may be inclined to rest Odunze and Burden III to make sure both players are ready to go for the playoffs. In fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams, Loveland profiles as a player to target on the waiver wire.

Jake Tonges, San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers fourth-year player out of California, Jake Tonges, stepped in for the injured George Kittle (ankle) on Sunday Night Football and made the most of it. He earned himself an impressive nine targets, hauled in seven of them for 60 yards, and scored a touchdown. When given the opportunity in 2025, considering Kittle has now missed seven games this season, Tonges has made the most of it. On the season, he now has five touchdowns and 293 yards on 34 receptions.

The key thing to monitor here will clearly be the status of Kittle's ankle, as Tonges is the clear backup to the superstar. If Kittle remains out, Tonges will be in the low-end TE1 rankings in a crucial Week 18 matchup with the No. 1 seed for the NFC and the division on the line when the 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara.

Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders third-year tight end out of Notre Dame, Michael Mayer, stepped in for the injured Brock Bowers (knee) on Sunday and dominated, hauling in nine of his 10 targets for 89 yards. The 10 targets were the most on the team, with Tre Tucker with the second most at six targets. With Bowers landing on the Injured Reserve and set to miss the rest of the 2025 season, Mayer will have an opportunity to continue to showcase his skill set for one more game before the regular season is over.

Entering Week 18, Mayer will be in the low-end TE1 conversation against the Kansas City Chiefs, who also have had their fair share of injuries. The biggest question to monitor with Mayer would be whether Geno Smith (ankle) or Kenny Pickett will be throwing him passes. Regardless, Mayer should dominate target share, and because of that, find himself as a valuable fantasy asset in most 12-team or larger leagues.

Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo hauled in three catches for 55 yards and a touchdown on seven targets in his team's 34-26 Week 17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Okonkwo appears to be finding a nice rhythm with Titans quarterback Cameron Ward, as the veteran tight end has now scored touchdowns in back-to-back games. Across 16 games this season, Okonkwo has recorded 54 catches for 558 yards and two scores on 74 targets.

The 26-year-old has earned at least six targets from Ward in each of his team's last three games after hitting the six-target mark just three times in Tennessee's first 13 contests of the season. The Titans split tight end reps between Okonkwo and rookie Gunnar Helm, limiting the production upside of both players. However, Okonkwo has now earned 21 targets over the last three weeks, compared to just eight for Helm. Okonkwo could be worth a look for deep-league fantasy managers heading into his Week 18 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (groin) aggravated a pre-existing injury during Sunday's Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He exited mid-game and later told Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal that he will undergo additional testing on Monday. The results of those medical tests should determine Fannin's exact diagnosis and whether he'll be able to play in next weekend's regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.

While it's a relatively meaningless game for both eliminated teams, Fannin noted that he played through the injury to start in Week 17, so it's fair to speculate that he might try to do the same in Week 18. His availability this Sunday, albeit short-lived, was useful for the Browns in their quest to take down Pittsburgh. Fannin maintained a larger role with David Njoku (knee) still sidelined, catching two passes for 30 yards and a touchdown. If active in Week 18, he'll rank as a mid-range TE1 with high-end upside.

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