Week 16 Tight End Projections, Updated Rankings: Colston Loveland Moves Up

Kyle Pitts (11/166/3) was a slate buster in Week 15, which was better than his previous five games combined (19/249) in fantasy points (43.90). His success lifted him to third in fantasy scoring (176.60) in PPR formats. He is now within reach of gaining over 1,000 receiving yards while already setting career highs in catches (73). The missed time by Drake London and the change to Kirk Cousins at quarterback was a windfall for his improved opportunity.

The groundwork for Trey McBride over his last nine games (76/796/9 on 98 targets – 23.29 fantasy points) puts him in the 2026 conversation to be the number one fantasy selection, based on his advantage at the tight end position (close to 100 fantasy points after 14 games). McBride was outscored by Kyle Pitts (45.60 to 37.40) last week.

Surprisingly, the tight end position had strength in Week 15, leading to five other players scoring over 20.00 fantasy points.

Darren Waller (25.60)
Dallas Goedert (25.00)
Colby Parkinson (24.50)
George Kittle (22.80)
Dalton Schultz (21.60)

Best 2025 Fantasy Football Tight Ends

After 15 weeks, here are the top 12 tight ends by scoring average in PPR formats:

Trey McBride (19.44)
Brock Bowers (14.75)
Tucker Kraft (14.65)
Travis Kelce (12.77)
Kyle Pitts (12.62)
Jake Ferguson (12.58)
Dallas Goedert (12.55)
Sam LaPorta (11.88)
Tyler Warren (11.83)
Harold Fannin (11.21)
Dalton Schultz (10.50)
Juwan Johnson (10.24)

Week 15 Tight End Bust

Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys

Over his last seven games, Ferguson has given away his early-season gains, which parallel the return of CeeDee Lamb. Last week, he posted his second bust game (2/16) of the season. His scoreless streak sits at four games.

Runner Up: Hunter Henry caught only one of his three targets last week, resulting in 18 receiving yards. His only poor showing came in Week 2 (1.90 fantasy points), which also came against a division opponent.

Each week, I’ll release my depth charts and projections on Wednesday, with a neutral eye informed by hints from previous results or in-season injuries. These statistics represent baseline outlooks, with their potential already factored in. Touchdowns create impact scores and winning fantasy days, especially in non-PPR formats. Who scores them each week is the Holy Grail that the fantasy market searches for weekly.

My projections will be ranked in a way that won’t resemble the weekly consensus. My man, Matt Brandon, is in charge of finding a balance between my player outlooks and the public view of each week's rankings.

Week 16 Fantasy Football Tight End Projections Preview

Here’s a look at our opening Week 16 top 12 tight ends projections:

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

At this point in the season, McBride is a massive edge at tight end, highlighted by him outscoring all wide receivers over the past nine games. Only Christian McCaffrey and Jahmyr Gibbs have been better players than McBride over this span at the running back position. His success has been driven by the rise of Jacoby Brissett (25.32 FPPG) over the past nine contests, and Arizona throwing the ball 42.9 times per game over this span.

2025 Fantasy Football Tight End Points Allowed — Shawn Childs

The Falcons have the second-best tight end defense (108.80 fantasy points). They’ve allowed only two touchdowns, with a high catch rate (68.1%), helped by a favorable tight end schedule.

Tyler Warren (8/99)

McBride has a floor of five catches in each game this year, while scoring over 20.00 fantasy points in six of his last nine starts.

Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

The Bears should be without Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet this week, suggesting a better role for Loveland against the Packers. He’s had a floor of four catches in seven of his last seven games while working in a split role. He has four touchdowns over this span, with one impact showing (6/118/2).

The Packers are about league average in defending tight ends (174.40 fantasy points), but they allow only 7.7 yards per catch. This low rate could be tied to the tight end position having to assist on many pass-blocking plays against Micah Parsons. With Green Bay losing its best pass rusher, the Bears’ rookie tight end may have a better opportunity to make plays in Week 16.

Zach Ertz (6/64/1)
Trey McBride (10/74/2)

Loveland is a viable waiver wire this week for fantasy teams looking for an upgrade. I have him projected to score 13.15 fantasy points this week in PPR formats.

Click HERE to view our full Week 16 Fantasy Football Tight End Projections!