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Week 12 is in the books and rosters are beginning to take shape. Here are the top tight ends for Week 13.

For a tiered breakdown of each fantasy football position, click below:

Quarterback Rankings: Week 13
Running Back Rankings: Week 13
Wide Receiver Rankings: Week 13
Tight End Rankings: Week 13

TIER 1: Best of the best

1. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Opponent: at Ravens
2019 Stats: 52 Receptions, 670 Receiving YDS, 3 Receiving TD, 138.8 PTS, 2019 TE6
Previous Ranking: 1

2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Opponent: vs. Raiders
2019 Stats: 63 Receptions, 833 Receiving YDS, 4 Receiving TD, 170.3 PTS, 2019 TE1
Previous Ranking: BYE

TIER 2: High-end TE1's

3. Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders
Opponent: at Chiefs
2019 Stats: 59 Receptions, 707 Receiving YDS, 3 Receiving TD, 148.2 PTS, 2019 TE5
Previous Ranking: 3

4. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
Opponent: at Dolphins
2019 Stats: 67 Receptions, 712 Receiving YDS, 3 Receiving TD, 156.2 PTS, 2019 TE2
Previous Ranking: 6

5. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers
Opponent: at Broncos
2019 Stats: 39 Receptions, 487 Receiving YDS, 3 Receiving TD, 101.1 PTS, 2019 TE9
Previous Ranking: BYE

6. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
Opponent: vs. Redskins
2019 Stats: 45 Receptions, 530 Receiving YDS, 2 Receiving TD, 110 PTS, 2019 TE7
Previous Ranking: 7

7. Jacob Hollister, Seattle Seahawks
Opponent: vs. Vikings
2019 Stats: 19 Receptions, 159 Receiving YDS, 3 Receiving TD, 48.7 PTS, 2019 TE36
Previous Ranking: 7

8. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Opponent: vs. Bills
2019 Stats: 42 Receptions, 376 Receiving YDS, 2 Receiving TD, 89.6 PTS, 2019 TE13
Previous Ranking: 8

TIER 3: Low-end TE1's 

9. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens  
Opponent: vs. 49ers
2019 Stats: 50 Receptions, 643 Receiving YDS, 6 Receiving TD, 148.3 PTS, 2019 TE4
Previous Ranking: 2

10. Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints
Opponent: vs. Falcons
2019 Stats: 29 Receptions, 374 Receiving YDS, 4 Receiving TD, 90.4 PTS, 2019 TE11
Previous Ranking: 10

For a tiered breakdown of each fantasy football position, click below:

Quarterback Rankings: Week 13
Running Back Rankings: Week 13
Wide Receiver Rankings: Week 13
Tight End Rankings: Week 13

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When Bill Callahan was asked on Thursday if he's noticed any major differences between Preston Smith the Redskin and Preston Smith the Packer, the interim coach responded that Smith looks "pretty similar" these days.

His stats, however, suggest otherwise. 

The 27-year-old already has 10.5 sacks through Green Bay's 12 games. His career high in four campaigns with Washington was eight. So he's surpassed his best sack production already and still has a quarter of the way to go, and is also on pace to easily set new bests in tackles, solo tackles, tackles for loss and QB hits.

That leap in production has caused many to wonder if Smith was properly used or coached while he was with the Burgundy and Gold. Callahan didn't necessarily dismiss that idea entirely, though he also made sure to note that perhaps Smith has developed on his own.

"Everybody matures, gets older, stronger, has new experiences, new position coaches, system and with that I think players evolve," Callahan said. "You just don't know what can make a spark in a player's career, whether it's a position coach, a coordinator, a system, new place, whatever it may be."

It's certainly possible Smith has "matured" personally. However, it's not like there's such thing in the NFL as "the fifth-year leap." While guys certainly learn and make tweaks to their game every offseason, the massively improved play from Smith indicates he's on a defense now that uses him in a much more effective way. 

Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur wouldn't comment on why Smith has thrived more with the Packers than he did with the Redskins, opting instead to simply point out that Smith's impact has been "tremendous." Callahan, meanwhile, explained that Smith is rushing from both sides more, and he also seems to have more "freedom to take the inside rush if it's there."

This Sunday, Dwayne Haskins and his offense will get to see Smith in person at Lambeau Field. Unfortunately, 2019 hasn't been fun for the Redskins when it comes to facing well-known ex-Redskins.

In Week 1, DeSean Jackson completely changed the flow of the opener for the Eagles and scored twice. In Week 3, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix picked off two passes and returned one for six as a Bear. And in Week 11, Jamison Crowder caught eight passes and found the end zone when the Jets visited FedEx Field.

Now, the point of this isn't to claim that the organization blew it by not re-signing Smith in March. He was paid quite a bit of cash by the Packers, and after four years of solid but not superb results, Washington was content not to match the contract Smith eventually got. They felt like he had reached his ceiling in D.C. and they were fine with moving on.

So, when the Redskins watch Smith in Week 14, they shouldn't feel remorse for that. But they should look at him and then look at themselves, wondering if they're employing the right people and running the right systems to get the most out of their players. 

The franchise can claim all they want that Smith is "pretty similar" to what he was as a Redskin. The reality is that he's better. A lot better. He's surely evolved some, yet the more prominent thing here is that the Redskins often refuse to.

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The reboot is almost here. 

The second edition of the XFL, the infamous football league brought to you by WWE founder Vince McMahon for a memorable, combustible one-year run in 2001, begins play in February. It is a second chance for the league and for the players who’ve joined, including former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones.

Jones is the quarterback for the DC Defenders, Washington’s newest pro franchise that will play its home games at D.C. United’s Audi Field. The first game isn’t until February 8 after the NFL’s season concludes with the Super Bowl, but the organization opened its offseason camp at the University of Maryland’s Cole Field House indoor facility on Thursday. The debut is just over two months away. 

“I love it. It’s pretty cool to be part of something that’s going to be a first, a historical moment of the return [of the XFL] and to be in [the D.C.] area,” Jones said. “Hopefully not just me, but this team can leave a lasting impression.”

It remains to be seen how much of an impact the Defenders will make on a crowded winter sports scene with the NHL’s Capitals and NBA’s Wizards playing and the World Series champion Nationals starting their title defense just across the street from Audi Field in April just as the XFL plays its final two games and its two playoff rounds. 

Jones, of course, led Ohio State to the national championship in 2014 when he came off the bench to replace two injured starters and led the Buckeyes to wins in the Big 10 championship game and two more in the college football playoffs. He started seven games in 2015 as a redshirt junior, but lost his job and turned pro after that season. 

Part of the appeal of the XFL is to get another shot at an NFL opportunity. Jones was drafted in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills in 2016 and made his debut in a game late that season. He was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018 and spent that year on the practice squad. Jones was with the Seattle Seahawks this summer and again cut from the practice squad in September.  

“My focus is strictly on the XFL and the DC Defenders, nothing more, nothing less,” Jones said. “I do have long-term goals and aspirations, but all of them consist of being a better player and teammate to this franchise and this organization.”

Pep Hamilton is the head coach and general manager of the Defenders. Quarterback at Howard in the early 1990s, Hamilton has spent 10 years coaching in the NFL and was most recently the assistant head coach and passing game coordinator at Michigan. 

That drew a laugh from Jones, who was going back and forth with Hamilton to set up a meeting after the Defenders’ roster was announced. Hamilton still has a home in Ann Arbor so that’s where Jones, the ultimate Ohio State guy, had to go. 

“Right around the corner from the University,” Jones cracked. “So I had to drive past the Big House every freakin’ time I’d go up there. Monday through Wednesday I’d have to go past there.”

Jones laughed and said he was driving through campus one day and saw some players he recognized wearing Michigan gear. He yelled out the car window “O-H!” and sped past them cackling. Every workout Jones makes sure he has his Ohio State cleats on and Hamilton wears his Michigan shoes. 

Jones, Hamilton and the rest are all on the same team now, though, and it will take lots of repetitions throughout the offseason for players from colleges all over the country to come together and form a cohesive group. There isn’t much time. Walk throughs and team meetings began this week and continue into next week. Then come OTAs next weekend and finally a two-day minicamp on Dec. 16-17. 

“This is going to be interesting,” Jones said. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I sense a great buzz. We did a couple of appearances and some meet-and-greets with the fans and I was shocked by the response that we got and how excited people are around the city. It’s football all year round.” 

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