NFL

Kelce, Schultz lead Week 6 fantasy football tight end rankings

By Alex Butler   |   Oct. 14, 2021 at 11:43 AM
Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz ranks No. 2 at his position in my Week 6 fantasy football rankings. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) is the top player in my Week 6 fantasy football rankings. File Photo by Kyle Rivas/UPI Cincinnati Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah (L) breaks away from Green Bay Packers defender Chandon Sullivan (C) during the first half of play Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Photo by John Sommers II/UPI Los Angeles Chargers tight end Jared Cook is No. 8 in my Week 6 fantasy football rankings. File Photo by Jon SooHoo/UPI Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens (L) is my No. 3 fantasy football tight end for Week 6. File Photo by David Tulis/UPI

MIAMI, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Travis Kelce, Dalton Schultz, Mark Andrews, Darren Waller and Hunter Henry lead my Week 6 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2021.

Zach Ertz, Noah Fant, Jared Cook, T.J. Hockenson and Tyler Higbee round out my Top 10 options for Week 6. Ricky Seals-Jones and Anthony Firkser are among my top tight end streamers.

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Kyle Pitts, George Kittle and Juwan Johnson are among the players who should be out of your starting lineup, as their teams serve Week 6 byes.

The top-tier tight ends should not leave your lineup if you are in a league that requires starting the position.

Look for players with great matchups on a weekly basis if you didn't draft an elite option. I recommend starting a tight end who will be the first or second target in their respective offense.

Here are some of my favorite players in this week's Top 20 rankings:

TOP SHELF

Travis Kelce is the best tight end in the NFL and my top play at his position for Week 6 of the fantasy football season. The Kansas City Chiefs star trails only Darren Waller in targets amongst tight ends, but totaled two more catches than Waller through five games.

Kelce scored for the fourth time this season in the Chiefs' Week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills. I expect him to be even more active this week when the Chiefs battle the Washington Football Team.

The Chiefs lost three of their last four games and need to get back on track. Look for Patrick Mahomes to target his top weapon against his defense, which allowed the 13th most receiving yards to the position through the first five weeks.

I expect at least 100 yards and a score from the All-Pro pass catcher.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz lands at No. 2 in my Week 6 rankings. Schultz caught at least six passes in four of his five starts this season, including in each of the last three games. He was targeted eight times in each of his last two appearances.

Look for that trend to continue in Week 6, when the Cowboys face the New England Patriots. The Patriots are one of the best teams at defending tight ends, but I expect them to focus more on stopping the Cowboys running game and outside receiving threats.

Schultz is a great bet for at least six catches again this week in what should be a Cowboys win Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

SNEAKY PLAYS

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry caught touchdown passes in each of his last two games. He brought in a season-high six catches for 75 yards in Week 5.

The Patriots host the Dallas Cowboys, who allowed the seventh-most receiving yards and eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends through five weeks. I expect Henry to be rookie quarterback Mac Jones' top target against this aggressive defense.

Look for Henry to catch at least six passes for 50 yards and score Sunday in Foxborough.

Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee is my No. 10 option for Week 6. Like Henry, Higbee should only be in your lineup if you are in a league that requires starting tight ends.

The Rams face the New York Giants on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J. The Giants allowed the seventh-most fantasy points and tied for allowing the most touchdowns (four) to tight ends through five games.

The Giants also allowed either 79 yards or a touchdown to a tight end in each of those games.

Higbee enters this matchup with touchdown catches in two of his last three starts. Look for his third touchdown of the season in this matchup. He is a TE1 in leagues with at least 10 teams.

LONGSHOTS

Washington Football Team tight end Ricky Seals-Jones caught a season-high five passes for 41 yards in Week 5. He should continue to be involved in the offensive game plan in Week 6, when Washington hosts the Kansas City Chiefs.

Washington should trail in this matchup and be forced to throw. The Chiefs allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends to start the season, including a league-high 466 yards to the position.

They also allowed 117 yards and a touchdown to Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox in Week 5.

Seals-Jones should end up as a Top 14 play this week. I expect my No. 14 tight end to catch at least five passes for 75 yards. He also should get a few chances to score.

The Tennessee Titans offense is still a bit injured, which should lead to more looks for tight end Anthony Firkser. He got at least four targets in each of his three starts this season. He didn't score a touchdown in any of those games, but should get several opportunities when the Titans host the Buffalo Bills.

The Titans should trail in this game and I expect quarterback Ryan Tannehill to pepper Firkser with targets. He is a boom-or-bust play and is No. 16 in my Week 6 rankings.

Week 6 fantasy football tight end rankings

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at WAS

2. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys at NE

3. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens vs. LAC

4. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders at DEN

5. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots vs DAL

6. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles vs. TB

7. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos vs. LVR

8. Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers at BAL

9. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions vs. CIN

10. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams at NYG

11. Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins at JAX

12. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills at TEN

13. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns vs. ARI

14. Ricky Seals-Jones, Washington Football Team vs. KC

15. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers at CHI

16. Anthony Firkser, Tennessee Titans vs. BUF

17. Evan Engram, New York Giants vs. LAR

18. Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts vs. HOU

19. Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at PHI

20. C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals at DET