Week 17 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football: TE Updates Include Jonnu Smith, Chig Okonkwo, Tucker Kraft, Sam LaPorta, Jake Ferguson, Zach Ertz

December 28, 2024

RotoBaller's updated Week 17 tight end (TE) rankings for fantasy football in 2024. Read the weekend updates for our fantasy football TE rankings and win more.

Tight ends can make the difference between winning and losing a fantasy championship due to their volatility and matchup. Below, you'll see our NFL team's updated Week 17 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2024 to help you make tough start-or-sit decisions. The position as a whole always brings head-scratching decisions, so let us help!

Let's dig into the rankings to find out where key tight ends like Jonnu Smith, Chig Okonkwo, Tucker Kraft, Sam LaPorta, Jake Ferguson, and Zach Ertz stand, among other start 'em, sit 'em options.

Our tight end fantasy football rankings for Week 17 are put together by Nick Mariano, Scott Engel, Brandon Murchinson, and Andersen Pickard. In addition to our staff rankings, below you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football injury news for this week. There are always key injuries to keep track of, so be sure to check back until kickoff. 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 17 Tight End Fantasy Football News and Injuries

• David Njoku Ruled Out In Week 17
• Juwan Johnson Off The Injury Report For Week 17
• Jordan Akins Slated To Take Over As Starting TE In Week 17
• Cade Otton Ruled Out For Week 17
• Brenton Strange Cleared For Week 17, A Risky Start In Rematch Vs. Titans

Week 17 Tight Ends Rankings for Fantasy Football

Be sure to bookmark our weekly PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, Standard rankings.

Week 17 Tight End Outlooks For Fantasy Football

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions - Fantasy Football Outlook

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is a strong play in Week 17 when his team lines up against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. The second-year pro began the year dreadfully slow but has come around of late. LaPorta had not earned more than six targets in a game this season until Week 14 and has now done so each week since.

Additionally, he's recorded four or more receptions in all three games -- something he'd done just three times prior this season. He'll get a tough outing this week in a San Francisco defense that's allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends (9.1). Still, the Iowa alum has received more work recently and is the TE3 in PPR formats since Week 14. Fire him up as RotoBaller's PPR TE5 ahead of this week's slate of action.

- Alex Ciulla, RotoBaller

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers - Fantasy Football Outlook

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (hip) is off the injury report and is looking to keep up his solid season as the Packers head into Minnesota to face off with the Vikings in Week 17. Following two limited practice sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, Kraft was a full participant in Friday's practice and will be active against the Vikings, who have been a middle-of-the-road team this season in defending tight ends.

With two straight games under double-digit fantasy points, Kraft, the TE8 in fantasy on the season, looks to get back to being a solid receiving option for quarterback Jordan Love. With receiver Christian Watson (knee) questionable for Week 17, the passing game could condense a bit if Watson is out, so more targets could be available for Kraft. For fantasy purposes, Kraft is a low-end TE1 against the Vikings.

- Kevin Tompkins, RotoBaller

Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans - Fantasy Football Outlook

Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo enters Week 17 on his hottest stretch of the season and will look to keep things rolling against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Okonkwo has led his team in targets in each of the last two games, being the only player to reach double digits in both.

His 21 targets for 17 receptions and 140 yards have proven a real connection between him and quarterback Mason Rudolph. Last week against the Colts, Okonkwo was on the field for 85% of offensive snaps–his highest of the season. And here's the real kicker: he is only rostered in 26% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues.

For fantasy managers needing a TE, Okonkwo is a perfectly wrapped gift waiting to be snatched from off of the waiver wire. On Sunday, he faces a Jaguars defense, which allows the eighth-most points to tight ends in fantasy this season. He is a low-end TE1/high-end TE2 this week.

- Rick Maloney, RotoBaller

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