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Fantasy Football: Week 8 Tight End Rankings

By Alex Butler
Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham (88) catches a pass in front of defending Atlanta Falcons strong safety Kemal Ishmael (36) for 25 yards at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington on October 16, 2016. Graham caught six passes for 89 yards in the Seahawks 26-24 win over the Falcons. Photo by Jim Bryant/UPI
1 of 3 | Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham (88) catches a pass in front of defending Atlanta Falcons strong safety Kemal Ishmael (36) for 25 yards at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington on October 16, 2016. Graham caught six passes for 89 yards in the Seahawks 26-24 win over the Falcons. Photo by Jim Bryant/UPI | License Photo

MIAMI, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Don't overlook your tight end slot when analyzing your Week 8 fantasy football lineup.

Studs like Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham are starting to heat up once again and are obvious must-starts, but you can also find lower-tier pass-catchers off of the waiver wire if you need to replace your usual tight end because of the Week 8 bye.

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I have ranked my top 20 tight ends for the week below. You can also view my add/drops for the week and more positional rankings in the links below.

TOP SHELF

Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham battles the New Orleans Saints this Sunday on the road. The Saints have been middle-of-the-pack against tight ends, allowing just two scores to the position. But I still like Graham's chances for solid production. Quarterback Russell Wilson has started to look for Graham more often heading into midseason. Graham has at least five receptions in each of his last four games. The Saints have allowed touchdowns to tight ends in two of its last three games. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is another top-5 play for me against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends and allowed touchdowns to the position in its previous two contests.

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SNEAKY PLAYS

Zach Ertz should excel in a divisional road battle against the rival Dallas Cowboys. The Philadelphia Eagles tight end welcomes a matchup against a secondary allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends. Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert will see an increase in snaps and production this week against the Washington Redskins. The Redskins aren't terrible against tight ends, but I expect quarterback Andy Dalton to heavily target Eifert as he returns from an ankle injury. Dalton's eye for Eifert in the red zone is the main factor in my high ranking for the Pro Bowl pass-catcher.

LONGSHOTS

Houston Texans tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz is a TE1 for me this week against the Detroit Lions. The Lions have allowed a league-high six touchdowns to the position through seven games. With DeAndre Hopkins struggling, I see Brock Osweiler keeping Fiedorowicz heavily involved in the passing attack. Cameron Brate and Jameis Winston are forging a bond with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I expect the kinship to continue against the Oakland Raiders, a unit allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. Brate also has a solid shot at getting into the end zone against a Raiders secondary that has already surrendered four touchdowns to tight ends.

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RANK NAME TEAM OPPONENT
1 Rob Gronkowski New England Patriots at Buffalo
2 Jimmy Graham Seattle Seahawks at New Orleans
3 Delanie Walker Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville
4 Travis Kelce Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis
5 Jordan Reed Washington Redskins at Cincinnati
6 Zach Ertz Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas
7 Tyler Eifert Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington
8 Gary Barnidge Cleveland Browns vs. New York Jets
9 Greg Olsen Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona
10 Julius Thomas Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee
11 Jacob Tamme Atlanta Falcons vs. Green Bay
12 C.J. Fiedorowicz Houston Texans vs. Detroit
13 Cameron Brate Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland
14 Charles Clay Buffalo Bills vs. New England
15 Antonio Gates San Diego Chargers at Denver
16 Jack Doyle Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City
17 Coby Fleener New Orleans Saints vs. Seattle
18 Jason Witten Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia
19 Martellus Bennett New England Patriots at Buffalo
20 Zach Miller Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota
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