2024 Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: TE, K, DEF

Cade Otton aims to prove he belongs in the TE1 ranks, T.J. Hockeson makes his long-awaited return from his knee injury, and Tucker Kraft fights for looks in the Packers’ crowded skill group.

Other positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver

Updated 11/3 at 11:50 AM ET. Ticked Dalton Kincaid up with Amari Cooper out.

Week 9 Tight Ends

1	Travis Kelce	KC	vs TB
2	Trey McBride	ARI	vs CHI
3	Evan Engram	JAC	at PHI
4	Brock Bowers	LV	at CIN
5	David Njoku	CLE	vs LAC
6	Cade Otton	TB	at KC
7	Kyle Pitts	ATL	vs DAL
8	Jake Ferguson	DAL	vs HOU
9	Dalton Kincaid	BUF	vs MIA
10	Sam LaPorta	DET	at GB
11	Dalton Schultz	HOU	at NYJ
12	T.J. Hockenson	MIN	vs IND
13	Hunter Henry	NE	at TEN
14	Cole Kmet	CHI	at ARI
15	Taysom Hill	NO	at CAR
16	Tucker Kraft	GB	vs DET
17	Mark Andrews	BAL	vs DEN
18	Zach Ertz	WAS	at NYG
19	Isaiah Likely	BAL	vs DEN
20	Tyler Conklin	NYJ	vs HOU
21	Jonnu Smith	MIA	at BUF
22	Will Dissly	LAC	at CLE
23	Mike Gesicki	CIN	vs LV
24	Chig Okonkwo	TEN	vs NE
25	Brenton Strange	JAC	at PHI
26	Noah Gray	KC	vs TB
27	Colby Parkinson	LAR	at SEA
28	Ja’Tavion Sanders	CAR	vs NO
29	Juwan Johnson	NO	at CAR
30	Hayden Hurst	LAC	at CLE
31	Theo Johnson	NYG	vs WAS
32	Grant Calcaterra	PHI	vs JAC
33	Erick All	CIN	vs LV

TE Notes: With at least seven receptions for 70 yards in three of his past four appearances, Travis Kelce has re-established his floor, and it’s an elite one. Even with DeAndre Hopkins joining the Chiefs’ offense, Kelce projects for target share dominance for the foreseeable future. … Miraculously, unfathomably Trey McBride remains without a receiving score. Thank goodness he’s back to No. 2 overall in tight end receptions (42). … You don’t have to ask Trevor Lawrence twice to target Evan Engram, and he now has little choice with Gabe Davis (shoulder) and Brian Thomas Jr. (ribs) both in danger of joining Christian Kirk (collarbone) on the shelf. … Brock Bowers has 10 more receptions (52) than any other seam stretcher. So why is he not my runaway TE1 overall? Well, for starters, let’s be real: You’re not benching him. Beyond that, it’s just all about offensive environment. If we are going through the weekly rankings motions, Bowers’ situation isn’t yet foolproof enough to set-and-forget him at No. 1.

David Njoku was a surprising fourth in receiving for the Browns in Jameis Winston’s debut. The really good news? It still translated to 5/61/1. The Chargers are a tougher assignment for all involved than the Ravens were. … You could frankly make a case for Cade Otton at No. 1 overall. He’s exploded the box score both before and after Mike Evans and Chris Godwin’s injuries. He’s the only proven pair of hands for a Bucs team trying to knock off the two-time defending champion Chiefs. … It’s hard to shake the feeling that another Kyle Pitts rug pull is around the corner, but he’s facing a ruined Cowboys defense in the highest totaled game of the week. Not today, satan. … Jake Ferguson has quietly been one of 2024’s more surprising disappointments, but he’s still hanging around as the TE12 by average PPR points. With his floor mostly holding steady, it’s only a matter of time before the ceiling returns. … Jameson Williams missed one game and Sam LaPorta immediately provided TE9 overall returns.

Dalton Schultz has no ceiling to speak of, but with Stefon Diggs joining Nico Collins on the shelf, low-end TE1 returns are a reasonable expectation against a Jets defense missing C.J. Mosley. … Dalton Kincaid has more target competition than ever. Good thing the Bills suddenly have more 2024 passing volume than ever. Hopefully this rising attempts tide continues to lift Kincaid’s admittedly disappointing boat. … Speaking of attempts, the Vikings have not had them this season. That makes a returning T.J. Hockenson a TE1 wait-and-see despite a lovely Week 9 matchup. … Hunter Henry is the Jake Ferguson of Dalton Kincaids. … Taysom Hill miraculously avoided further injury in his Week 9 return. With Derek Carr’s expected return against the pathetic Panthers likely to improve the Saints’ overall offensive environment, Hill is a decent touchdown bet. … There is too much backup quarterback target competition for Tucker Kraft to fight his way into the TE1 mix this week. … Will Dissly’s 18 targets in two games demand mention, but the Chargers’ passing attack is likely to cool a bit vs. Cleveland.

Week 9 Kickers

1	Brandon Aubrey	DAL	vs HOU
2	Jake Bates	DET	at GB
3	Harrison Butker	KC	vs TB
4	Austin Seibert	WAS	at NYG
5	Justin Tucker	BAL	vs DEN
6	Younghoe Koo	ATL	vs DAL
7	Will Reichard	MIN	vs IND
8	Cameron Dicker	LAC	at CLE
9	Ka’imi Fairbairn	HOU	at NYJ
10	Brandon McManus	GB	vs DET
11	Tyler Bass	BUF	vs MIA
12	Chase McLaughlin	TB	at KC
13	Wil Lutz	DEN	at BAL
14	Evan McPherson	CIN	vs LV
15	Jason Myers	SEA	vs LAR
16	Matt Gay	IND	at MIN
17	Jake Elliott	PHI	vs JAC
18	Blake Grupe	NO	at CAR
19	Jason Sanders	MIA	at BUF
20	Joshua Karty	LAR	at SEA
21	Cairo Santos	CHI	at ARI
22	Dustin Hopkins	CLE	vs LAC
23	Cam Little	JAC	at PHI
24	Chad Ryland	ARI	vs CHI
25	Daniel Carlson	LV	at CIN
26	Nick Folk	TEN	vs NE
27	Joey Slye	NE	at TEN
28	Eddy Pineiro	CAR	vs NO
29	Jude McAtamney	NYG	vs WAS
30	Riley Patterson	NYJ	vs HOU

Week 9 Defense/Special Teams

1	New Orleans Saints	NO	at CAR
2	Minnesota Vikings	MIN	vs. IND
3	Baltimore Ravens	BAL	vs. DEN
4	Washington Commanders	WAS	at NYG
5	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN	vs. LV
6	Los Angeles Chargers	LAC	at CLE
7	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	vs. TB
8	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI	vs. JAC
9	Buffalo Bills	BUF	vs. MIA
10	Chicago Bears	CHI	at ARI
11	New York Jets	NYJ	vs. HOU
12	Tennessee Titans	TEN	vs. NE
13	Denver Broncos	DEN	at BAL
14	Houston Texans	HOU	at NYJ
15	Detroit Lions	DET	at GB
16	New England Patriots	NE	at TEN
17	Cleveland Browns	CLE	vs. LAC
18	Arizona Cardinals	ARI	vs. CHI
19	Seattle Seahawks	SEA	vs. LAR
20	Los Angeles Rams	LAR	at SEA
21	Atlanta Falcons	ATL	vs. DAL
22	New York Giants	NYG	vs. WAS
23	Green Bay Packers	GB	vs. DET
24	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB	at KC
25	Dallas Cowboys	DAL	at ATL
26	Indianapolis Colts	IND	at MIN
27	Carolina Panthers	CAR	vs. NO
28	Miami Dolphins	MIA	at BUF
29	Jacksonville Jaguars	JAC	at PHI
30	Las Vegas Raiders	LV	at CIN