Week 18 Tight End Projections, Updated Rankings: Harold Fannin Jr. Leads The Way

Week 18 fantasy football tight end projections and updated rankings highlight Harold Fannin Jr. as the top option, with matchup-driven PPR analysis for the final week of the season.

Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (44) runs onto the field carrying a team flag before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Huntington Bank Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Over the past three weeks, three tight ends offered the most significant advantage in fantasy scoring. Kyle Pitts failed to make an impact in Week 17 (2/16 on three targets), but his massive game (11/166/3) in Week 15 created enough of an edge for him to be the top player in the fantasy postseason in PPR formats.

• Kyle Pitts (67.90)
• Trey McBride (64.70)
• George Kittle (45.30 – two games)

Trey McBride continued on his upward fantasy march in Week 17 (10/76/1 on 13 targets), but game managers expected a more competitive game from the Cardinals’ offense. His late touchdown created a winning day, giving McBride seven games with over 20.00 fantasy points over his last 11 starts. 

George Kittle didn’t suit up against the Bears, but he did have fantasy teams in Week 15 (8/88/1) and Week 16 (7/115/1). His replacement, Jake Tonges (7/60/1), was the third-best tight end last week.

Trey McBride (23.60) and Colston Loveland (21.40) were the only two tight ends to score over 20.00 fantasy points (PPR) in Week 17.

Best Fantasy Football Tight Ends in 2025

After 17 weeks, here are the top 12 tight ends by scoring average in PPR formats:

• Trey McBride (18.90)
• George Kitte (17.10 – 9 games)
• Brock Bowers (14.71 – 12 games)
• Tucker Kraft (14.65 – 8 games)
• Kyle Pitts (12.44)
• Dallas Goedert (12.34 – 15 games)
• Sam LaPorta (11.88 – 9 games)
• Travis Kelce (11.81)
• Jake Ferguson (11.79)
• Harold Fannin (11.71)
• Tyler Warren (11.31)
• Juwan Johnson (10.86)

Week 17 Tight End Bust

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (8) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

The magical ride for Pitts had to come to an end. He scored only 3.60 fantasy points last week, but still ranks second in fantasy points (199.00) for the year in PPR formats. Trey McBride holds a 103.40-point gap over Pitts while almost doubling the value of the 12th-ranked tight end (153.90).

Runner Up: Jake Ferguson (7.60 fantasy points) scored last week, but he left the game with only 29% of the Cowboys’ snaps. He scored under 9.00 fantasy points in four of his past five starts.

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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 18 Fantasy Football Tight End Projections Preview

Here’s a look at our opening Week 18 top 12 tight ends projections:

Shawn Childs

Harrold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

I have Harold Fannin rated as the top tight end in Week 18 due to his matchup against the worst tight end defense in the league. Unfortunately, I don’t have much confidence that he'll suit up against the Bengals. He’s scored in four of his last five matchups, highlighted by an impact showing in Week 14 (8/114/1). The Browns had him on the field for 12 plays last week, but Fannin still helped fantasy teams by catching his two targets for 30 yards and one touchdown.

Shawn Childs

The highlighted green line above shows that Cincinnati has the worst tight end defense in the NFL across every stat category. Nine teams have scored more than 20.00 fantasy points in PRR format from their tight ends.

If Fannin doesn’t play, the Browns don’t have a viable backup tight end to beat the Bengals’ defense. I don’t expect them to play David Njoku. Last week, Cleveland gave Blake Whiteheart (62%), Brenden Bates (48%), and Sal Cannella (35%) tight end snaps.

Click HERE to view our full Week 18 Tight End Projections & Rankings!