Fantasy Football: Week 9 Tight End Rankings

MIAMI, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- No Rob Gronkowksi. No Tyler Eifert. No Jordan Reed.

And those are just the 'Big Three' tight ends missing a weekend of football because of a Week 9 bye. If you own one of them, you likely have an insurance policy due to their injury history.

In the event that you didn't prepare for that scenario, or have other pass-catchers missing out this week, I have ranked my top 20 tight ends below. You can also view my add/drops for the week and more positional rankings in the links below.

TOP SHELF

Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph faces the Detroit Lions. Rudolph has at least five receptions in four of his last five games. I expect him to end his three game scoring drought against a unit that has allowed a league-high seven scores to tight ends. Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten battles a Cleveland Browns defense allowing most fantasy points to the position. Witten scored his first touchdown of the season last week and I expect the presence of Dez Bryant to open things up for the veteran. The Browns have also allowed six scores to the position.

SNEAKY PLAYS

Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle battles the Green Bay Packers in a matchup with serious shootout potential. The Packers have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to tight ends and Doyle has scored touchdowns in two of his last three games. He also has 15 catches in his previous three matchups. Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate has a good matchup Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are the fifth worst team against fantasy tight ends and have allowed five scores to the position. Brate scored his third touchdown of the season last week and has risen in the pecking order for Jameis Winston, following injuries to Vincent Jackson and the Buccaneers' pass-catching running backs.

LONGSHOTS

Los Angeles Rams tight end Lance Kendricks faces the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have allowed allowed six scores to tight ends and are tied with the Browns for allowing the most fantasy points to the position. Kendricks, who had 12 catches in his last two games heading into his Week 8 bye, looks like a boom-or-bust play and a fringe start in deep leagues. San Francisco 49ers tight end Vance McDonald should get a lot of looks from Colin Kaepernick against the New Orleans Saints. The Saints aren't terrible against tight ends, but I expect Green to see a healthy amount of targets. Only employ his services if you are desperate and in a deep league. Green is worth a look if your starter is on a bye, but he is better in PPR formats.