Week 12 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings: Trust Colston Loveland, Not Kyle Pitts

Week 12 fantasy football tight end rankings are here, highlighting Colston Loveland’s rise and why Kyle Pitts belongs on the bench.

Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) makes a catch over New York Giants cornerback Cordale Flott (28) during the second half at Soldier Field. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The tight end position in 2025 has been just as wild and unpredictable as ever. Brock Bowers entered the season as the consensus TE1, but outside of his Week 9 three-touchdown outburst, he’s mostly underwhelmed, sitting just inside the top 10 for the year. 

Injuries have added fuel to the chaos. Tucker Kraft’s breakout campaign came to a screeching halt with a torn ACL, George Kittle missed a month with a hamstring issue (though he’s found the end zone three times in his last two games), and now Sam LaPorta and Dalton Kincaid are looking at multi-week absences.

Amid the uncertainty, Tyler Warren has quietly emerged as the season’s breakout star at tight end. He’s hauled in 50 receptions for 617 yards and three touchdowns, vaulting himself to TE4 in PPR formats, just behind Trey McBride, Jake Ferguson, and the ever-dominant Travis Kelce. Warren has turned volume into fantasy gold, and savvy managers are taking notice.

Tight end remains the thinnest, most unpredictable skill position in fantasy football. With four teams on bye in Week 12—the Dolphins, Broncos, Commanders, and Chargers—managers will need to get creative on the waiver wire. Luckily, there are a handful of viable one-week streaming options for those scrambling in the absence of Evan Engram, Zach Ertz, or Oronde Gadsden II.

Before we break down this week’s rankings, let’s take a closer look at the tight end leaderboard after 11 weeks of action and see who’s heating up, who’s cooling off, and who could make the difference in your fantasy playoffs.

The Top Fantasy Football Tight Ends In 2025

Let’s take a look at the top 12 tight ends after the first 11 games of the season.

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
2. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
3. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
4. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
5. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers (*INJURED RESERVE)
6. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
7. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
8. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions (*INJURED RESERVE)
9. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
10. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
11. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
12. Theo Johnson, New York Giants

With Week 12 kicking off Thursday night as the Buffalo Bills take on the Houston Texans, let’s take a look at the best and worst tight ends of the week.

Colston Loveland Enters Top 10 Tight Ends in Week 12

Since returning from injury, Loveland has been nothing short of electric and reliable. He’s seen at least four targets in each of his last five games and commands a 16% target share over that span. In the past three games alone, Loveland has hauled in 13 catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns, and he’s averaging 13.7 yards per reception on the season. The Bears have won seven of their last eight games, and their surge aligns perfectly with Loveland being phased into a featured role in the offense.

Week 12 presents a juicy matchup. The Bears host the Steelers, and Pittsburgh’s secondary is a far cry from the historically stout defenses of years past. They’ve allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends and rank dead last in passing yards surrendered. Meanwhile, Chicago is targeting its tight ends on 23% of red-zone opportunities. With Loveland trending up, he’s poised to see far more action than Cole Kmet down the stretch.

We already got a taste of his upside in Week 9, when Loveland stole the spotlight with six catches for 118 yards and two scores, including the game-winner. While a repeat of that explosion isn’t guaranteed, he’s very much in the TE1 conversation. If you’re looking for a reliable, high-upside tight end down the stretch, Loveland should be near the top of your Week 12 radar—and likely your lineups for weeks to come.

Can Fantasy Managers Trust Kyle Pitts With Drake London & Michael Penix Jr. Sidelined?

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Kyle Pitts has been a massive disappointment outside of his rookie season. The hype never matched the production, and frankly, there’s no reason to expect it to change. He’s a near-constant letdown with a low ceiling and an even lower floor. One touchdown all year. Not a single game over 70 yards. Last week, he finished with just two catches for 14 yards. Week 10? Two catches for 38. Consistency is not in the Pitts playbook.

Some fantasy managers might think that with Drake London sidelined, Pitts steps into a bigger role. Don’t hold your breath. The Falcons’ offense still runs through Bijan Robinson, and with Michael Penix Jr. on Injured Reserve, Atlanta will lean on a run-heavy attack behind a questionable passing game.

Week 12 doesn’t offer a reprieve. The Saints are strong against tight ends, ranking in the top half of the NFL at limiting the position. Pitts belongs on the bench. Only the truly desperate should consider firing him up in Week 12. 

Hunter Henry Back In TE1 Conversation

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) walks out of the player's tunnel before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Hunter Henry has quietly carved out a key role in one of the NFL’s top offenses. The Patriots rank 7th in passing yards, and Henry commands a solid 18% target share. But what makes him particularly sneaky valuable is his efficiency—12.4 yards per reception. Through 11 games, the veteran has racked up 34 catches on 53 targets for 422 yards and four touchdowns. That’s steady production worth about 9.1 fantasy points per game, landing him at TE13 in PPR formats. He’s not the most flashy player but he’s certainly been dependable. 

Enter Week 12, and the matchup could not possibly be more juicy. The Cincinnati Bengals have been historically bad against tight ends. Dead last in defensive rankings versus the position, they’ve surrendered 66 catches, 808 yards, and an eye-popping 12 touchdowns. No other defense comes close. In fact, no other defense has allowed more than seven scores to the position group. That’s quite the difference. Cincinnati’s linebackers can’t keep up, and their coverage is a sieve. This is prime opportunity for Henry to shine.

Add in a favorable game script—the Patriots are favored by more than a touchdown—and Henry’s chances of finding the end zone climb even higher. He’s seen at least four targets in four of his last five games, and in the one game he didn’t, he still scored on his lone reception.

Henry will never be the top dog in this offense with Stefon Diggs commanding attention and TreVeyon Henderson flashing in the run game after his three-touchdown breakout performance against the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. But in Week 12, Henry is a rock-solid, high-floor option who could easily finish among the top five tight ends. Safe, reliable, and matchup-proof—exactly the type of tight end fantasy managers want in their lineups.

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Let’s examine where the rest of the NFL’s tight ends stack up in our Week 12 rankings.

Week 12 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings