Ellis Johnson

Sitting as the TE3 coming off his bye week, it has been a great year for the veteran TE. Now, with a bye week to fully integrate J.J. McCarthy into the offense, we could see some more great games for the breakout TE. Before their bye week, we saw a dominant run game by the Giants, scoring four rushing TDs against the Texans. This week, they face another difficult defense in the Eagles. With Joe Milton commanding the Eagles, who knows if McCarthy will need to keep up on the scoreboard. Either way, Likely is a top target on this team and should see plenty of volume regardless of game script. That said, the Eagles are holding TEs to the third-fewest fantasy points per game. This keeps Likely as a top option, but may limit his ceiling in a difficult matchup.

The Lions managed to crack the Brian Flores code and hand the Vikings their first loss. Unfortunately, the code only had LaPorta going for 33 yards on three receptions. Thankfully, they take on the Dolphins this week, who are bleeding fantasy points at the TE position. Averaging the third-most fantasy points at the position, LaPorta has a good chance to bounce back this week. It will always be volatile with ARSB, Williams, and Gibbs in the mix; however, that also means this offense will have a lot of scoring chances. LaPorta is a solid TE1, with as high of a touchdown upside as any TE this week.

We have a QB change in the desert. Not only do we have Gardner Minshew taking over the team, but we also have Jacoby Brissett being shipped off to Baltimore. With Minshew under center in the fourth quarter, we saw McBride catch four passes, including a 14-yard touchdown strike with two minutes left in the game. We know that McBride is elite, and Minshew is good enough to keep this team's fantasy players afloat. There is always uncertainty with a new QB, and especially against the Seahawks defense, this could be a tough one for the star TE. The Seahawks are allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to the TE position, and Minshew could struggle. McBride remains a top option, but it may be tough for him to have a huge game this week for fantasy.

George Kittle has turned back the clock and is once again a fantasy force at the position. With five of his last six games inside the top 10 at the position and three of his last six inside the top five, he is right in the mix with Bowers, McBride, and Likely atop the position. This week, he faces the Raiders, who are allowing the third most passing touchdowns and the fourth most fantasy points to the position. The 49ers have had to stew on their loss to the Falcons for two weeks and will be ready to put on a show at home against Vegas. Kittle is in line for a big game, and an argument could be made for ranking him as the TE1 overall this week.

This has been an incredible season for Bowers. With Kirk Cousins on pace for 40 touchdowns, Bowers has taken full advantage, scoring five times in six games. He also has eight or more targets in each game and has yet to have fewer than 70 yards. He is the perfect mix of a usage floor and touchdown upside. This week, they have the tough task against a rested 49ers team that will be out for blood after dropping their first game before the bye week. The 49ers are allowing the sixth fewest points per game and the eighth fewest fantasy points to the TE position. With a floor of five catches for 70 yards, he remains atop the TE rankings. However, this may be a tough matchup for him to have a high-ceiling game.

Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars are rolling. Not only has their defense taken a step forward, but they have also found an explosive back in Bhayshul Tuten. After facing an abysmal Colts team, they now face Joey Fagnano and the Ravens on Thursday Night. We saw last week that this team can win by only completing five passes to the WR position. In a game that is primed for another blowout, this may be a similar outing. These matchups are tough to predict as Baltimore is allowing the 12th most passing yards per game, but the sixth most rushing touchdowns. Lawrence remains a QB1, but the game script will determine whether he is a top-six player or finishes outside of the top 12. If you have a second option like Malik Willis in a better matchup, I would pivot.

Jared Goff is once again having a solid fantasy season. With one game with fewer than 15 fantasy points and two games above 25 points, he has been exactly what you hoped for this offseason. Attached to a potent offense and a mediocre defense, he is set up to continue performing for fantasy. This week, he takes on the Dolphins who are allowing the fifth most fantasy points to the position. It is expected to rain for this game, but unless it is a similar storm to what we saw in Tampa Bay, Goff is a top six QB in my rankings this week.

I guess Super Bowl hangovers only last three weeks. After failing to finish inside the top 25 in the first three weeks, Maye has yet to finish outside the top seven in each of his last five games. With at least two touchdowns in each game and three rushing scores across that stretch, he is back near the top of fantasy ranks. This week, he faces the Packers who are allowing the eighth fewest passing yards and fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs. It's an interesting matchup between these teams, but Maye has been red hot. Even in a tough game, I have him ranked only behind Joe Burrow and Josh Allen.