Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings: TE, K, DEF

Logan Thomas aims to be a league winner vs. the Panthers while Noah Fants hopes to continue coming on late against the Chargers.  

Other positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver 

Updated 12/26 at 7:30 PM ET. Moved Austin Hooper up.       

Week 16 Tight Ends

TE Notes: Travis Kelce needs 60 yards to break George Kittle’s single-season tight end yardage record. Kelce has finished below 60 twice all year. … Speaking of Kittle, I will probably slot him in as the TE4 if he manages to return from his foot injury. So “low” because of both health and quarterback (C.J. Beathard) concerns. … Darren Waller has 11 more half PPR points than any other tight end over the past three weeks. He has 30 more than No. 3 Logan Thomas. … Back to balling over the past month, Mark Andrews has once again become impossible to leave outside of the top four. … T.J. Hockenson finally had a bad game. The Bucs would seem an unlikely spot to get back on track, but they quietly permit the seventh most tight end fantasy points. … All Robert Tonyan does is score. Few people better personify “boom or bust,” but Tonyan has managed to keep the bust at bay for well over a month. The Titans are a green light matchup. 

I came into the week expecting to have Logan Thomas lower, but the case is undeniable at this point. No matter who is under center for Washington, they won’t really be thinking outside the numbers or down the field. Thomas has 28 grabs over his past three games, reaching at least six each time out. … You can feel Noah Fant’s ceiling returning just as the season draws to a close. Hopefully Fant’s 2021 will be less injury marred. He’s a special player. … Hunter Henry is battling illness. There has not been any indication it is an actual concern. Coming back to life over the past two weeks, Henry could be needed for greater looks if Keenan Allen’s hamstring remains an issue. … Dallas Goedert has just eight grabs for 82 yards across Jalen Hurts’ two starts, but you could feel the ceiling to returning to Philly’s offense in Week 16. It goes without saying the Cowboys are a smash spot for all positions. 

Rob Gronkowski’s volume is not that of a true TE1, but he’s one of the only ones finding the end zone with any regularity of late. Gronk has become Robert Tonyan Sr. … The good news for Eric Ebron was that there was “no organ damage” following the big hit he absorbed Monday evening. This sport, man. Ebron had become a safe floor option, though it’s fair to wonder how much of that remains after his 2/30 Weeks 14 and 15 heading into a matchup with the Colts’ tough defense. … Evan Engram’s volume has thankfully remained. Don’t count on actual production if Daniel Jones (hamstring) doesn’t return. … Jordan Akins’ usage is finally creeping up. The Bengals allow the sixth most TE fantasy points. … With Tre’Quan Smith (ankle) joining Michael Thomas on the shelf, the Saints badly need Jared Cook against the Vikings’ Eric Kendricks-less defense. ... Even without Julio Jones in the lineup, Hayden Hurst’s usage has completely collapsed. It’s hard to believe he’s anywhere close to 100 percent health. … Coming off his best game, Tyler Higbee’s second best effort was against Seattle six weeks ago.    

Week 16 Kickers

Week 16 Defense/Special Teams