Looking for an edge at tight end in Week 12? With injuries and disappointing early performances thinning out the position, hungry fantasy football managers need to hit the waiver wire for upside and volume. If stability and upside are what’s needed, these are the tight ends who could tip the scales in Week 12 fantasy matchups.
These rankings were last updated at 7:00 AM ET on Sunday, November 23, 2025.
Week 12 Fantasy TE Rankings
1) Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals (vs. JAX)
2) Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders (vs. CLE)
3) George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers (vs. CAR)
4) Tyler Warren | Indianapolis Colts (at KC)
5) Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. IND)
6) Dallas Goedert | Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL)
7) Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys (vs. PHI)
8) Hunter Henry | New England Patriots (at CIN)
9) Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens (vs. NYJ)
10) Theo Johnson | New York Giants (at DET)
11) Kyle Pitts Sr. | Atlanta Falcons (at NO)
12) Colston Loveland | Chicago Bears (vs. PIT)
13) Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at LAR)
14) Harold Fannin Jr. | Cleveland Browns (at LV)
15) Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans (vs. BUF)
16) Juwan Johnson | New Orleans Saints (vs. ATL)
17) AJ Barner | Seattle Seahawks (at TEN)
18) Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers (at CHI)
19) Noah Fant | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. NE)
20) T.J. Hockenson | Minnesota Vikings (at GB)
21) David Njoku | Cleveland Browns (at LV)
22) Mason Taylor | New York Jets (at BAL)
23) Terrance Ferguson | Los Angeles Rams (vs. TB)
24) Dawson Knox | Buffalo Bills (at HOU)
25) Isaiah Likely | Baltimore Ravens (vs. NYJ)
Theo Johnson, TE, New York Giants
Theo Johnson has caught the eye at times this season, and he is no longer an overlooked piece of the New York Giants’ passing game. The former Penn State standout has averaged 9.2 PPR points per game this season, and 11.3 since Week 4. That makes him the TE13 over that stretch, and his consistent red-zone usage is a big reason for that.
Heading into Sunday, only 12 players had more red-zone targets than Johnson (10) this season, and the tight end had at least twice as many as any of his teammates. However, while many would have expected Johnson to have a better game with Jameis Winston airing it out on Sunday, his four targets were tied for his second-fewest of the year.
Jaxson Dart will hope to be cleared to start again in Week 12, with a daunting matchup with the Lions awaiting the Giants. New York then faces the New England Patriots in Week 13, and there is a strong chance of pass-friendly game scripts in both games.
The Giants then go on bye in Week 14 before facing a miserable Washington Commanders defense. Johnson has been on waivers for much of the year and may even still be there in many leagues. He has five touchdowns in his last seven games with Dart, and could well be a top-10 fantasy tight end for the rest of the season.
Should You Start or Sit Kelce in Week 12?
Part of my Travis Kelce fade this offseason was looking through the past production and realizing that the Chiefs go his direction only when they need to.
When seeding is on the line, as we are in the playoffs, GOAT Kelce comes to play, but he’s otherwise been managed in an effort to make sure that he’s physically capable of being there during the winter months.
Well, it’s getting late early for 5-5 Kansas City, and that’s forced their hand. The future Hall of Famer recorded season highs last week in catches (nine), targets (13), and yards (91) against the Broncos, a production path that I kind of think sticks moving forward.
Kelce has a 20+ yard catch in four straight games, and he’s marrying the big play ability with the safety blanket role. In Week 11, 11 of his targets and all of his catches came shy of the chains, another trend I suspect will continue as the Chiefs try to grind out a winning streak to qualify for the postseason.
I can’t imagine Chiefs fans like how this season has gone up to this point, but fantasy managers have to be happy with the future projection. Kelce is a solid Tier 2 tight end moving forward and is one of two top-5 players at the position that will take the field in this matchup on Sunday.
Should You Start or Sit Warren in Week 12?
Tyler Warren posted the highest target share of his season in Week 10 against the Falcons prior to the bye (38.5%), and he continues to prove himself to be an elite asset in all formats.
The dominance of Jonathan Taylor has zapped some of the upside from the rookie’s profile (held without an end zone target in eight of 10 games), but much like Trey McBride of previous seasons, his target-earning talent transcends a position that requires touchdowns from most.
It’s reasonable to fear some natural regression on the part of Daniel Jones, but with a 5.9 aDOT (3.6 over his past two games), Warren is positioned to sustain his status as a Tier 1 player at the position even if that concern comes to light.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Cheat Sheet.