Fantasy Football Playoffs TE Rankings - Week 17

December 25, 2025

Fantasy football playoffs tight end rankings - Week 17 rankings for 2025. Who to start at tight end? Read the top-accuracy fantasy football playoffs rankings.

With Brock Bowers on the shelf, many fantasy managers are frantically searching for the top TE streamer. We're here to help you bring home the hardware with our fantasy football playoffs tight end rankings for Week 17. Below, you will see where key pass-catchers such as Kyle Pitts Sr., Harold Fannin Jr., Colston Loveland, Taysom Hill, Dalton Schultz, and more stand for the final week of fantasy football action. It's win-or-go-home time, so let's keep pushing forward!

Nick Mariano puts together our fantasy football playoffs rankings. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important 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!

Fantasy Football Playoffs TE Rankings (Week 17)

Fantasy Football Playoffs TE Rankings Outlooks

Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange hauled in five of seven targets for 93 yards and a touchdown in the 34-20 win over the Denver Broncos. Strange returned from a hip injury in Week 12 and hasn't looked back since, averaging 46 yards on 3.4 receptions and adding two touchdowns in the last five games.

The third-year tight end is having a career-best season, averaging 9.2 PPR fantasy points per game and on pace to finish as the TE18. With the Jaguars heating up, winning seven of their last eight and scoring over 25 points in each of those games, Strange will have opportunities to produce, especially in the red zone. There are plenty of options at the tight end position entering Week 17, but Strange could beat them all given the Jaguars' offensive firepower.

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill turned back the clock in Week 16, which might be his final game in the Superdome. Hill led the team in carries, with 12 for 42 yards, and added 36 receiving yards on four receptions. He wasn't done either, throwing a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Olave in the fourth quarter. The veteran playmaker scored 15.3 fantasy points in Week 16, and there's a legitimate reason he could improve his fantasy production in the final two weeks.

He dominated the carries with Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle) and Devin Neal (hamstring) inactive, outcarrying Audric Estime and Evan Hull combined, 12-5. The Saints' offense has been solid as well, averaging 24.3 points per game and winning three straight games. With a legitimate RB1 workload if Kamara is unable to return, Hill should be a must-start at the tight end position.

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle) was forced to make an early exit from Monday's win over the Indianapolis Colts. The good news is that Kittle appears to have avoided any serious issues. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Kittle suffered a mid-to-low ankle sprain during Monday's blowout victory at Indy.

His status for the Week 17 matchup against the Chicago Bears is up in the air right now. The 49ers will monitor Kittle during practice throughout the week before making a final decision. Fantasy managers will need to check back throughout the week for more updates on his status. Jake Tonges would be in line for increased playing time if Kittle is forced to miss any action, and he'd be in play as a TE2 streamer in deeper leagues if Kittle is unable to face Chicago on Sunday night.

Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. continued his recent stretch of success in Sunday's 26-19 win over the Cardinals, hauling in seven of nine targets for 57 yards and a touchdown. It was the fourth straight game with at least eight targets and at least six catches, and the 25-year-old has quickly vaulted himself into the position of second-ranked tight end for fantasy this year after recording four touchdowns in the last two weeks alone (five on the season). The 6-foot-6 pass catcher was able to perform in Week 16 despite the return of Drake London (knee), who played just 69 percent of the team's offensive snaps.

Pitts draws a home matchup against the Rams in what is most likely the championship round of the fantasy playoffs for most managers, a defense that is middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, although the Seahawks' AJ Barner just registered a 4-49-1 line in Week 16 against Los Angeles. With a solid role in the Atlanta offense, Pitts will surely be a TE1 in Week 17.

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller has caught 23 of 31 targets for 283 yards and six touchdowns in eight games this season. The veteran has been one of the best red-zone threats in the league, scoring on 19% of his targets, best among tight ends with at least 20 targets.

Despite playing just over half the season, the 33-year-old is one of only six tight ends with two or more games with multiple touchdowns. Miami's offense didn't look as fantasy-friendly with rookie Quinn Ewers in the lineup for Tua Tagovailoa in Week 16, but Waller finished second on the team in targets and is a weekly threat to find the end zone. In leagues where he is available, Waller offers streaming appeal in 12-team leagues for Week 17's matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee) has been placed on Injured Reserve, ending his 2025 season, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Pelissero notes that Bowers has been battling a lingering knee injury since Week 1, and the 2-13 Raiders are now focused on making sure their star tight end is fully healthy for 2026.

Across 12 games this season, the 23-year-old recorded 64 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 targets. With Bowers sidelined, Raiders tight end Michael Mayer is likely in line for a spike in both playing time and target share. Across a two-game stretch in Weeks 6 and 7 with Bowers inactive, Mayer recorded six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. For fantasy managers now left scrambling to fill the tight end position, Mayer could be a solid streamer in Week 17 against the New York Giants.

You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.

Week 17 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Juwan Johnson, Dalton Schultz, Colston Loveland, Dallas Goedert, Taysom Hill, Hunter Henry, Jake Ferguson, Tyler Warren, Jake Tonges. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 17.

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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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 that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Week 17 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 17 (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 17 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 17 for players like Juwan Johnson, Dalton Schultz, Colston Loveland, Dallas Goedert, Taysom Hill, Hunter Henry, Jake Ferguson, Tyler Warren, Jake Tonges:

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