Top Fantasy Football TE Rankings (Weeks 6, 7, 8, 9) - Tight End Streamers and Starts (2026)

October 16, 2026

John's best fantasy football tight end streamers and TE rankings for Weeks 6, 7, 8, 9 in 2026. NFL tight end streamers and starts based on strength of schedule.

Streaming tight ends in fantasy football occasionally lands you gems that you can start for the rest of the season. More often, though, it's necessary. It's tough to predict TE performance before the season.

Even highly drafted options like Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland have been extremely disappointing this season. He broke out last season and his efficiency metrics popped in every way imaginable.

But NFL passing offenses are fickle. Even the most talented pass-catchers in the league have cold stretches from time to time. So, let's dive into the top tight end streamers for the next four weeks in fantasy football!

TE Strength of Schedule: Weeks 6-9

This piece will cover three different tiers of streamers you can consider. While all TEs in this article will be worth stashing and hanging on to or potentially starting, depending on your need at the position, the tiers are based on the immediacy of the need. Additionally, there will be a fourth tier for players to avoid.

We'll also only look at tight ends who are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo fantasy football leagues. You can see a breakdown of the four tiers below.

• “Temporary” Streamer: TE facing a weak defense in Week 6
• “Part-Time” Streamer: TE with multiple soft matchups in the next four weeks
• “Recruit” Streamer: TE with a favorable upcoming schedule that makes him ideal to stash 
• “Fool’s Gold” Streamer: TE who theoretically seems viable for fantasy, but can be ignored

Week 6 TE Streamers

 Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams (Part-Time Streamer)

• Week 6 Opponent: Arizona Cardinals
• Yahoo Rostership: 8%
• Over-Under: 51.5
• Line: LAR -12.5

The Los Angeles Rams are coming off a tough last-minute loss to the Buffalo Bills in overtime in Week 5. Los Angeles is just 2-3 now, with multiple close losses in games it had a shot at winning.

Now, the Rams get to play at home against one of the worst teams in the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals. They just got blown out in Week 5 by the Detroit Lions by a score of 45-21. The Rams will be out for revenge and have the luxury of stomping the doormat of their division yet again.

Matthew Stafford finds Tyler Higbee for a big first down!

@BUFvsLAR on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/qgW6X90MGK

— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2026

The injury to second-year TE Terrance Ferguson (ankle), which landed him on injured reserve, has helped Higbee step into a huge role. 23 targets for him in the last three games have made him one of the best TEs in fantasy football.

And he's rostered in just 8 percent of Yahoo leagues. That number should be far higher. As long as Ferguson can't play, Higbee is a legitimate every-week must-start in fantasy football. The Rams have a way of making their heavily involved pass-catchers dynamite for fantasy.

Higbee also has more favorable matchups after the Cardinals, such as the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders in Week 7 and Week 9, respectively. He should be locked into starting lineups for a while.

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Temporary Streamer)

• Week 6 Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
• Yahoo Rostership: 3%
• Over-Under: 39.5
• Line: PIT -2.5

Otton doesn't have a great strength of schedule beyond Week 6, but the Steelers have been bottom-10 at slowing down opposing tight ends in fantasy football, so they're a solid matchup. The Bucs offense hasn't been very productive this season, unfortunately.

With starting quarterback Baker Mayfield (thumb) still on the sidelines with a thumb injury, undrafted free-agent signing Jalon Daniels has filled in at signal-caller. He actually didn't play terribly in Week 5, though that was against the Dallas Cowboys defense, which is one of the worst in the league.

This catch by Cade Otton 😮

CLEvsTB on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/CJC0SvSh0o

— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Otton was targeted 10 times in his last two games, which is more than can be said for many NFL TEs. He's still somewhat involved in the offense, and if you're looking for a player who doesn't drop a goose egg on you, he's a solid option for this week.

Kenyon Sadiq*, New York Jets (Recruit Streamer)

• Week 6 Opponent: New England Patriots 
• Yahoo Rostership: %32
• Over-Under: 43.5
• Line: NE -7.5

Sadiq is still recovering from a concussion he suffered in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns, which is why there's an asterisk next to his name here. If he's able to go in Week 6, he's a solid streamer, though the matchup isn't amazing.

However, each of his next three matchups is favorable, as the Miami Dolphins in Week 7, Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8, and Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 all rank in the bottom eight in DraftKings fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends.

Kenyon Sadiq is the Week 3 @Pepsi Rookie of the Week ✈️ https://t.co/UiGJ1qQxTJ

— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2026

Sadiq was the Jets' first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and had a breakout game in Week 3 before failing to catch any of his targets in Week 4. In the easy upcoming matchups, though, he should have an easier time getting open and should be more involved in the offense.

Theo Johnson, New York Giants (Temporary Streamer)

• Week 6 Opponent: New Orleans Saints
• Yahoo Rostership: 0% 
• Over-Under: 45.5
• Line: NO -1.5

Johnson isn't the starting tight end for the Giants, but he has been somewhat involved over the last two weeks with quarterback Jameis Winston filling in for the injured Jaxson Dart (knee), who's out for the season.

Obviously, Giants TE1 Isaiah Likely is a must-start for the rest of the season, considering his involvement in the offense and his touchdown upside. But Johnson could get in the mix a bit more against a softer New Orleans Saints defense.

I swear to god this man Theo Johnson will catch the passes that nobody else would grab and then drop an easy pass with nobody around him lmao https://t.co/udPPHzI8zh

— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) October 11, 2026

Johnson is a talented TE in most areas of his game, but struggles with drops. He plays, at times, as if he slathered his gloves in Vaseline before the game. When he's able to snag passes, he looks pretty good, though.

And the Saints have allowed slightly more than NFL average fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. Winston is one of the most productive passers in the NFL as a starter, and he's totaled 576 passing yards and six touchdowns in his last two games. He's a sneaky option for those in deeper 14-team TE-premium leagues.

Recruit TE Streamers for Week 7

If you have Week 6 already figured out, let's look ahead at some tight end options that you could start in Week 7:

•  AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks (11% rostership on Yahoo) - Week 7 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
•  Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers (15% rostership on Yahoo) - Week 7 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Chiefs are one surprise team on this list, as they typically have a solid defense. But they've been vulnerable to TEs this season as their linebacker corps has uncharacteristically been struggling in coverage. Much of the blame falls on LB Nick Bolton.

The Bucs, meanwhile, have had a bad pass defense for many seasons now, so it's not a surprise that they're a good team to stream TEs against.  

Fool’s Gold TE Streamer to Avoid

Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

• Week 6 Opponent: Houston Texans
• Yahoo Rostership: 43%

Strange has been one of the better TEs in fantasy football over the past three weeks. I am NOT advocating against picking him up and stashing him. He is a top waiver priority. However, he'll be facing the Houston Texans defense in Week 6, which is not an ideal matchup for tight ends.

The Texans defense hasn't been as good this season as it was in recent years, but that could change quickly, as head coach DeMeco Ryans took over play-calling duties, taking them away from defensive coordinator Matt Burke.

From The Insiders on @nflnetwork: The #Jaguars face this #Texans defense without starting LT Anton Harrison, who is having knee surgery. https://t.co/xAQ5u6GZwo

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 14, 2026

The Jaguars will also be missing a key offensive lineman -- the one who would have stood directly across from star Texans pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. The ingredients are in place for a Houston upset win. But even if that doesn't happen, Strange is a risky start.

He should be left on the bench this week for teams that have other options, though tight end options aren't abundant in fantasy football. One of the other streamers on this list, like Higbee, is a far better start, and he's not heavily rostered.

TE Streaming Action Plan

• Week 6: Stream Tyler Higbee versus the Cardinals
• Week 7: Stream AJ Barner versus the Chiefs 
• Week 8: Stream Kenyon Sadiq versus the Raiders
• Week 9: Stream Kenyon Sadiq versus the Chiefs

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