George Kittle is the biggest name missing from our rankings because of bye weeks, but Pat Freiermuth, Greg Dulcich, and maybe even Dalton Schultz also carry some fantasy cache. That’s not even counting David Njoku, who’s also on bye but missed last week because of an ankle injury.

Fortunately, most of the top TEs are still in action this week. Perhaps even more important, all of the top TE matchups are still in action, as the Giants are the only idle team in the top 15 in terms of fantasy points per game (FPPG) allowed to the position. As you can imagine, there are plenty of intriguing sleepers this week.

WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Topping that list is Evan Engram (vs. Raiders in Week 9), who sees regular targets and now gets a matchup against a Raiders’ defense allowing the third-most FPPG to TEs. Juwan Johnson (vs. Ravens), Hunter Henry (vs. Colts), Robert Tonyan (@ Lions), and Will Dissly (@ Cardinals) are also in good spots and can be streamed in 10- or 12-team leagues. Unfortunately, most of the other top matchups either go to highly owned studs (Zach Ertz vs. Seahawks, Gerald Everett @ Falcons, Tyler Higbee @ Buccaneers) or someone you might not start in a 14-team league (Austin Hooper/Geoff Swaim @ Chiefs)

WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:QBs | RBs | WRs | D/STs | Kickers

Going a bit deeper, Cole Kmet (vs. Dolphins), Logan Thomas (vs. Vikings), and Noah Fant (@ Cardinals) also have top-12 matchups, but they’ve been even more disappointing than the players listed above. Still, in deep leagues, you might have no better options. Thomas is by far the riskiest after his zero-target performance in Week 8, but assuming he has a clean bill of health, he should be decent in Week 9.

WEEK 9 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em

On the flip side, we’re a bit leery of T.J. Hockenson (@ Commanders), Dawson Knox (@ Jets), Hayden Hurst (vs. Panthers), and Cade Otton (vs. Rams). Knox simply hasn’t shown a high-enough ceiling this year for us to trust him in even a neutral matchup, and Hockenson could see fewer snaps than usual with his new team. Kyle Pitts (vs. Chargers) is in a similar spot, but we can’t help but continue to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his skill set and Atlanta’s lack of other receiving threats.

WEEK 9 DFS: Best stacks | Best values

Ultimately, though, it will come down to whether the players above manage to get into the end zone. Any TE can do that in any given week, but the matchup numbers tell us who’s more likely to pad their stats with some catches and yards in addition to scoring. As long as a TE is getting a decent number of targets, he should be able to take advantage of favorable matchups. However, even with that said, virtually every TE after the top tier is a risk…and in a week like this, you’re gonna have to roll the dice with someone.

WEEK 9 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel

We’ll be updating these standard TE rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes and analysis.

Week 9 fantasy TE rankings for standard leagues

Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring

Rank    Player 1    Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. Titans 2    Zach Ertz, Cardinals vs. Seahawks 3    Gerald Everett, Chargers @ Falcons 4    Tyler Higbee, Rams @ Buccaneers 5    Dallas Goedert, Eagles @ Texans 6    Darren Waller, Raiders @ Jaguars 7    Evan Engram, Jaguars vs. Raiders 8    Kyle Pitts, Falcons vs. Chargers 9    Isaiah Likely, Ravens @ Saints 10    Hunter Henry, Patriots vs. Colts 11    Taysom Hill, Saints vs. Ravens 12    Juwan Johnson, Saints vs. Ravens 13    Robert Tonyan, Packers @ Lions 14    T.J. Hockenson, Vikings @ Commanders 15    Will Dissly, Seahawks @ Cardinals 16    Hayden Hurst, Bengals vs. Panthers 17    Cole Kmet, Bears vs. Dolphins 18    Logan Thomas, Commanders vs. Vikings 19    Dawson Knox, Bills @ Jets 20    Noah Fant, Seahawks @ Cardinals 21    Tyler Conklin, Jets vs. Bills 22    Cade Otton, Buccaneers vs. Rams 23    Mike Gesicki, Dolphins @ Bears 24    Brock Wright, Lions vs. Packers 25    Kylen Granson, Colts @ Patriots

Week 9 TE fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks

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