Week 17 Tight End Projections, Updated Rankings: Trey McBride Poised for Bounce Back

Week 17 tight end projections and updated rankings are here, with Trey McBride set up for a prime bounce-back spot in a championship-defining matchup.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) against the Jacksonville Jaguars at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Last week, George Kittle (7/115/1) was the only tight end to score over 20.00 fantasy points in PPR formats, and he left the game early with an ankle injury. Eight tight ends scored between 15.00 and 19.50 fantasy points, giving the position a consistency factor for Week 16.

2025 Best Fantasy Football Tight Ends

After 16 weeks, here are the top 12 tight ends by scoring average in PPR formats:

• Trey McBride (18.59)
• Brock Bowers (14.71)
• Tucker Kraft (14.65)
• Kyle Pitts (13.03)
• Jake Ferguson (12.07)
• Travis Kelce (12.03)
• Sam LaPorta (11.88)
• Harold Fannin (11.76)
• Dallas Goedert (11.68)
• Tyler Warren (11.44)
• Dalton Schultz (10.77)
• Juwan Johnson (10.69)

Week 16 Tight End Bust

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) on the field during warm ups prior to a game against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

The Falcons were the first defense to contain McBride in Week 16, leading to a season-low in catches (4) and receiving yards (27) on eight targets. His step back in production came after his best showing (12/134/2) in 2025.

Runner Up: Travis Kelce (1.60 fantasy points) has been in the bust category twice over the last three weeks. He caught only one of his four targets for six yards. The Chiefs play the Broncos at home this week, which may be Kelce's last home game of his career.

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.

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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 17 Fantasy Football Tight End Projections Preview

Here’s a look at our opening Week 17 top 12 tight ends projections:

Shawn Childs

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

Many times this year, a bust player has rebounded with an impact game. The stars for this equation couldn’t align better for McBride this week. He faced the worst tight end defense in the league, while coming off a disappointing showing. When at his best, McBride has scored over 20.00 fantasy points in six games, highlighted by his Week 15 success (37.40 fantasy points). He has a floor of five catches in 14 of his 15 starts while gaining over 100 yards in three contests.

Shawn Childs

The Bengals allowed over 29.00 fantasy points to tight ends in five contests. They allow 13.0 yards per catch, with 15 touchdowns. Cincinnati is last in tight end defense (331.20 fantasy points).

• Cleveland Browns (10/100)
• Minnesota Vikings (6/61/2)
• Detroit Lions (7/101/2)
• Pittsburgh Steelers (11/141/4)
• Chicago Bears (7/128/2)
• New England Patriots (10/154/1)
• Baltimore Ravens (10/159)
• Buffalo Bills (11/137/2)

The Cardinals’ tight ends have 142 catches for 1,396 yards and 10 touchdowns this year on 192 targets, resulting in 341.40 fantasy points. McBride accounts for 81.66% of Arizona production at this position. His great matchup points to nine catches for 117 yards and one touchdown in Week 17.

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Click HERE to view our full Week 17 Fantasy Football Tight End Projections!