CINCINNATI, Oct. 25 (UPI) — Tucker Kraft is among my four must-start fantasy football tight ends for Week 8.
Brock Bowers leads my Top 20 tight end rankings, which are listed below. My Week 8 quarterback, running back and wide receiver rankings also are available. These positional rankings will be updated based on developments, including injuries. My top free agent targets for Week 8 are available here.
David Njoku, Cade Otton and Dalton Schultz join Kraft as my must-start options. Travis Kelce and Evan Engram join Bowers, Njoku and Kraft in the Top 5 of my weekly rankings.
Those with stock in Dallas Goedert, Will Dissly and Dalton Kincaid should monitor their injury status before plugging them into starting lineups. Players from Thursday’s Los Angeles Rams-Minnesota Vikings game were removed from my rankings.
David Njoku
Njoku is a Top 10 fantasy football tight end, in terms of fantasy points per game. He totaled the second-most fantasy points in Week 7, when he caught 10 passes for 76 yards and a score in a Cleveland Browns loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
His 14 targets in Week 7 tied Brock Bowers for the most in the NFL. That target total came in his first game this season playing without wide receiver Amari Cooper, who was traded to the Buffalo Bills.
This week, the Browns are set to host the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North divisional matchup. The Ravens, who haven’t allowed a touchdown to a tight end, surrendered the second-most receiving yards (76.6) per game to the position through seven weeks. They also just allowed eight catches and 100 yards to Cade Otton in Week 7.
Njoku is my No. 2 option and an elite play for the rest of the season.
Tucker Kraft
Kraft, my No. 5 option, was a Top 5 tight end, in terms of fantasy points per game, through the first seven weeks of 2024. He averaged the third-most points among tight ends over the last four weeks.
Kraft found the end zone in three of his last four appearances. He also was targeted 22 times over that span. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw multiple touchdown passes in each of his first five games this season, with four of those tosses finding Kraft.
This week, the Packers will face a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that allowed the sixth-most fantasy points and 10th-most receiving yards per game to the position so far this season.
They also allowed at least 90 yards and/or a touchdown catch to the position in each of their last three games. Look for Kraft to haul in at least six catches for 75 yards. He also should get several opportunities to find the end zone.
Cade Otton
Otton totaled the fifth-most fantasy points among tight ends last week, when he logged 100 yards on eight catches — both career-high totals — in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Buccaneers pass catcher received increased targets late in that matchup due to the injury departures of wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Evans and Godwin, who is out for the season, will both be out in Week 8, when the Buccaneers battle the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.
The Falcons have yet to allow a receiving touchdown to a tight end. They allowed 23 receiving yards per game to tight ends through their first four games, but surrendered 52 yards per game over the last three weeks.
I expect Otton to log his second career 100-yard game. He is my No. 6 option.
Dalton Schultz
Schultz is my No. 10 tight end for Week 8. The Houston Texans playmaker has yet to find the end zone this season, but is set to face an Indianapolis Colts defense that just surrendered 96 yards and a touchdown to Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith.
The Colts also allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends through seven weeks. Schultz is probably a touchdown-or-bust play, but should get enough targets in the red zone to warrant a streaming start.
Week 8 fantasy football tight end rankings
1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders vs. KC
2. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns vs. BAL
3. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at LV
4. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. GB
5. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers at JAX
6. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. ATL
7. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers vs. DAL
8. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys at SF
9. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals at MIA
10. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans vs. IND
11. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens at CLE
12. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons at TB
13. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions vs. TEN
14. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears at WAS
15. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills at SEA
16. Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins vs. ARI
17. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots vs. NYJ
18. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. NYG
19. Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers at DEN
20. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints at LAC
