Tight end non-PPR rankings for Week 10 fantasy football

Final injury report

Out: TE John Lovett (knee)
Doubtful: N/A
Questionable: Ryan Izzo (hamstring), Maxx Williams (ankle), Robert Tonyan (ankle), Durham Smythe (concussion), T.J. Hockenson (toe)

Thursday injury report

We had some unexpected additions to the report on Thursday. T.J. Hockenson and Irv Smith were both DNPs and Robert Tonyan was limited after none of them were on the Wednesday injury report. They will be names to watch on Friday.

DNP: Marcedes Lewis (knee), T.J. Hockenson (toe), Irv Smith (groin), Cole Kmet (groin)

Limited: Ryan Izzo (hamstring), Robert Tonyan (ankle), Durham Smythe (concussion)

Full: Darren Waller (back), Austin Hooper (abdomen), Stephen Anderson (foot), Adam Shaheen (shoulder), Kaden Smith (concussion), Noah Fant (ankle)

Wednesday injury report

Noah Fant appears to be progressing toward playing on Sunday. For Thursday Night Football, Jack Doyle has been ruled out and Mo Ali-Cox is listed as questionable.

DNP: Maxx Williams (ankle)
Limited: Ryan Izzo (hamstring), Noah Fant (ankle), Marcedes Lewis (knee), Durham Smythe (concussion), Kaden Smith (concussion)
Full: Darren Waller (back), Austin Hooper (abdomen), John Lovett (knee), Adam Shaheen (shoulder)

Do these intros for the tight end position grow tiresome to read? Nine weeks in, I’m feeling like a broken record. Some players that ranked top-15 in standard leagues this week: Irv Smith Jr., Adam Trautman, Darrell Daniels, Josh Hill, Maxx Williams, Gabe Nabers, Tyler Kroft, Marcedes Lewis. Enough said.

Some of the more recently reliable performers that didn’t require an arm and leg as fantasy football draft capital in 2020 include Jimmy Graham, Evan Engram and TJ Hockenson.

Injury news

Tight ends had a relatively quiet week on the injury front. 49ers TE George Kittle was formally sent to the injured/reserve list, while Jordan Reed was activated to play on TNF against the Packers. Reed saw just two targets in this game, posting three yards to teammate Ross Dwelley’s 52.

The Broncos may have to worry about TE Noah Fant, who had reaggravated an ankle injury on a big play from Drew Lock. He eventually returned to the game, but this could be a story worth monitoring as the week plays out.

Browns TE Austin Hooper could be cleared to return for Week 10. Hooper had an appendectomy that has kept him out of the team’s last two contests, but the bye did give him some extra time to recover.

The Steelers placed several players on the COVID/reserve list Tuesday, including QB Ben Roethlisberger, after confirming that TE Vance McDonald tested positive for COVID-19. There were several players deemed as high-risk for exposure, Roethlisberger included, who do have the chance to suit up in Week 10 if tests continue to come back negative.

Week 10 byes

The Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets are on bye in Week 10. The biggest hit of the week will be Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, who leads all tight ends by a 42.9 point margin in standard scoring formats. Outside of Kelce, fantasy managers haven’t relied on Hayden Hurst, Dalton Schultz or Chris Herndon for a weekly start.

Streaming options

Jimmy Graham, Bears

It’s uncomfortable to talk about, but it needs to be addressed — Jimmy Graham is killing it in standard leagues in 2020. Who among us had him ranked in the top-seven TEs? Not I. Graham has had a floor of around 30 yards (not great... but I guess we’ll take it at the TE position at this point in the season) and ranks sixth in targets among TEs in the last three weeks. Graham also has five touchdowns to help his cause in standard leagues. Graham is a boom or bust play facing a Vikings defense that has allowed four 10+ fantasy point performances in 2020.

Ross Dwelley, 49ers

Jordan Reed was the tight end who made headlines with his return in Week 9, but it was Ross Dwelley who shined. Reed ran just nine total routes in his first game returning, while Dwelley posted 23 — more routes than Darren Waller, Jared Cook or Rob Gronkowski ran in the same week. This week, they face the Saints, who are allowing the seventh-most fantasy points and tied for the third-most touchdowns allowed to the tight end position.