2024 Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings: TE, K, DEF

Jonnu Smith prepares for TE1 scrutiny, Cade Otton returns to No. 2 status in Tampa, and Sam LaPorta attempts to gut out his shoulder injury against the Colts.

Other positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver

Updated 11/24 at 12:45 PM ET. I never adjusted Dallas Goedert for DeVonta Smith’s absence. A bad oversight. My apologies.

Week 12 Tight Ends

1	Brock Bowers	LV	vs. DEN
2	Travis Kelce	KC	at CAR
3	Trey McBride	ARI	at SEA
4	Cade Otton	TB	at NYG
5	George Kittle	SF	at GB
6	David Njoku	CLE	vs. PIT
7	Dallas Goedert	PHI	at LAR
8	T.J. Hockenson	MIN	at CHI
9	Hunter Henry	NE	at MIA
10	Jonnu Smith	MIA	vs. NE
11	Will Dissly	LAC	vs. BAL
12	Sam LaPorta	DET	at IND
13	Mark Andrews	BAL	at LAC
14	Zach Ertz	WAS	vs. DAL
15	Isaiah Likely	BAL	at LAC
16	Tucker Kraft	GB	vs. SF
17	Cole Kmet	CHI	vs. MIN
18	Dalton Schultz	HOU	vs. TEN
19	Pat Freiermuth	PIT	at CLE
20	Ja’Tavion Sanders	CAR	vs. KC
21	Theo Johnson	NYG	vs. TB
22	Noah Gray	KC	at CAR
23	Chig Okonkwo	TEN	at HOU
24	Luke Schoonmaker	DAL	at WAS
25	AJ Barner	SEA	vs. ARI
26	Davis Allen	LAR	vs. PHI

TE Notes: Brock Bowers has left the competition behind at tight end, and done so under two different play-calling regimes. Now the focal point for opposing defenses, Bowers will occasionally get taken away, but it’s not worth trying to predict when. … “Taken away” is what Travis Kelce was in Week 11. Even at age 35, that is easier said than done. Taking away opposing seam stretchers is something 30 other teams have been better at than the Panthers, with only Vegas permitting more weekly TE fantasy points. … George Kittle is supposedly due back from his hamstring strain. The 49ers’ offense isn’t running hot enough to consign Kittle to glorified blocker status right now. … Trey McBride isn’t spiking weeks, mainly because he is not scoring touchdowns. Like, any of them. Considering how pristine his floor has remained, end zone visits should be coming any month now.

David Njoku’s Week 12 comes down to “monitor the weather,” but even if we indeed get one of our patented November Lake Erie hurricanes, the seam will likely remain a safe harbor for Jameis Winston. … Cade Otton’s main Week 12 concern isn’t the return of Mike Evans, but a Giants defense for whatever reason permitting the fewest tight end fantasy points. Reasons we aren’t terribly worried? 1. The G-Men’s supposed seam dominance unlikely has much to do with the fact they are facing the second fewest weekly pass attempts because they are bad. 2. The Bucs cannot run. Otton’s floor remains sky high. … T.J. Hockenson has remained on a strict snap count since returning, taking the field for roughly 45-48 percent of the plays. There isn’t a ton of reason to expect that to change for Week 12. There’s also not much reason to move the also-rans behind Hock ahead, especially since he already re-demonstrated his upside in Week 10.

You might not think it makes sense Jonnu Smith is featuring over Jaylen Waddle. It still makes more sense than the Dolphins’ early-season decision not to feature Smith at all. With catch-and-run the emphasis more than ever in Miami, Smith’s recent usage feels sticky. … “Sticky” has applied to Will Dissly’s 6-7 weekly target counts since the Chargers went pass-heavier. That definitely feels like the baseline vs. a Ravens defense that can’t stop the pass. … There’s really not much left to say at this part of the board. The TE2 compiler seems to be a dead archetype this season. That leaves us big-play hunting. Dallas Goedert has a strong matchup in a high-totaled contest. Sam LaPorta has a plus setup. Mark Andrews’ matchup is not overly appealing, but the game total is. Isaiah Likely and Tucker Kraft could both be needed for big plays vs. tough defenses. None of them are safe. All of them are the best we’ve got outside the top 12 right now.

Week 12 Kickers

1	Jake Bates	DET	at IND
2	Ka’imi Fairbairn	HOU	vs TEN
3	Cameron Dicker	LAC	vs BAL
4	Jake Moody	SF	at GB
5	Wil Lutz	DEN	at LV
6	Chase McLaughlin	TB	at NYG
7	Chris Boswell	PIT	at CLE
8	Brandon McManus	GB	vs SF
9	Austin Seibert	WAS	vs DAL
10	John Parker Romo	MIN	at CHI
11	Spencer Shrader	KC	at CAR
12	Jason Myers	SEA	vs ARI
13	Jason Sanders	MIA	vs NE
14	Chad Ryland	ARI	at SEA
15	Justin Tucker	BAL	at LAC
16	Jake Elliott	PHI	at LAR
17	Matt Gay	IND	vs DET
18	Joshua Karty	LAR	vs PHI
19	Nick Folk	TEN	at HOU
20	Cairo Santos	CHI	vs MIN
21	Dustin Hopkins	CLE	vs PIT
22	Brandon Aubrey	DAL	at WAS
23	Daniel Carlson	LV	vs DEN
24	Joey Slye	NE	at MIA
25	Eddy Pineiro	CAR	vs KC
26	Graham Gano	NYG	vs TB

Week 12 Defense/Special Teams

1	Denver Broncos	DEN	at LV
2	Houston Texans	HOU	vs. TEN
3	Minnesota Vikings	MIN	at CHI
4	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT	at CLE
5	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB	at NYG
6	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	at CAR
7	Detroit Lions	DET	at IND
8	Washington Commanders	WAS	vs. DAL
9	Cleveland Browns	CLE	vs. PIT
10	New York Giants	NYG	vs. TB
11	Miami Dolphins	MIA	vs. NE
12	Chicago Bears	CHI	vs. MIN
13	Green Bay Packers	GB	vs. SF
14	Tennessee Titans	TEN	at HOU
15	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI	at LAR
16	San Francisco 49ers	SF	at GB
17	Arizona Cardinals	ARI	at SEA
18	Seattle Seahawks	SEA	vs. ARI
19	Los Angeles Chargers	LAC	vs. BAL
20	Los Angeles Rams	LAR	vs. PHI
21	Baltimore Ravens	BAL	at LAC
22	Dallas Cowboys	DAL	at WAS
23	New England Patriots	NE	at MIA
24	Indianapolis Colts	IND	vs. DET
25	Las Vegas Raiders	LV	vs. DEN
26	Carolina Panthers	CAR	vs. KC