Fantasy Football Week 12 Tight End Rankings: Logan Thomas, Pat Freiermuth options in post-Mark Andrews world

There are no bye weeks to contend with in Week 12, but that doesn’t mean some of you aren’t looking for replacement tight ends this week. Mark Andrews’ season-ending ankle injury last week has left at least one manager in every league scrambling to fill a gigantic hole in their lineup.

Of course, there’s really no replacing a player like Andrews, especially not at this point in the season. Earlier on, you might have had the emergence of Dalton Kincaid and Trey McBride to pivot to, but coming out of Week 11, the options are not nearly as attractive these days.

If you lost Andrews, the first thing you should do is check to see if Kyle Pitts was dropped in your league – he’s down to 82% rostered coming off the bye week. Pitts has been a disappointment yet again, but there still aren’t many tight ends with comparable upside if the Falcons can get their passing game going. The usage has been disappointing lately – five targets in four straight games entering the bye – but there’s still at least theoretical upside here, something few other options at the position have. 

David Njoku is also down to 81% rostered, and would actually be a priority over Pitts in all leagues if available. You could also look for Logan Thomas (73%) coming off an eight-target game for the Commanders, and Pat Freiermuth (53%) also has some theoretical upside, though he played just 53% of the snaps and had one target in his return from IR, so there’s no guarantees there, either. 

If you can afford to be patient, you could also add Darren Waller (56%). He’s still on IR for one more game, and can’t return until Week 14 at the earliest as a result. However, if he is cleared for the Fantasy playoffs, Waller does figure to be a starting-caliber option even in a struggling Giants offense – he was on an 85-catch, 923-yard pace before the injury. 

Otherwise, you’re just rolling dice. Jonnu Smith (37%) has had his moments, and is actually having a better season than Pitts, but has been even more inconsistent. Michael Mayer (23%) continues to show flashes, but hasn’t put it all together yet as a rookie. Donald Parham (18%) is worth considering as a streamer if Gerald Everett has to miss Week 12 with his chest injury, as he had four catches for 57 yards Sunday and has been a red zone weapon for the Chargers. 

There’s no obvious replacement for Andrews, but you might be able to piece it together for the next few weeks with some of these options. None of them are ideal, but that’s the unfortunate situation you find yourself in. 

Here are my rankings for Week 12 at the tight end position: 

Week 12 Tight End Rankings

1. Travis Kelce @LV
2. TJ Hockenson vs. CHI
3. Dalton Kincaid @PHI
4. George Kittle @SEA
5. Trey McBride vs. LAR
6. Sam LaPorta vs. GB
7. Evan Engram @HOU
8. David Njoku @DEN
9. Dalton Schultz vs. JAX
10. Taysom Hill @ATL
11. Kyle Pitts vs. NO
12. Logan Thomas @DAL
13. Cole Kmet @MIN
14. Jake Ferguson vs. WAS
15. Jonnu Smith vs. NO
16. Isaiah Likely @LAC
17. Cade Otton @IND
18. Hunter Henry @NYG
19. Tyler Higbee @ARI
20. Luke Musgrave @DET
21. Donald Parham vs. BAL
22. Pat Freiermuth @CIN
23. Tyler Conklin vs. MIA
24. Tanner Hudson vs. PIT