Conference Championship Game Tight End Start/Sit: Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely

It’s a weekend of star tight ends. It might be even bigger than expected with the possible return of Mark Andrews for the Ravens. The other three starters (Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Sam LaPorta) were the top three fantasy tight ends in standard scoring and all in the top-five in PPR.

What a crew. Who else would you pick among the top tight ends? T.J. Hockenson or Evan Engram maybe. Darren Waller when he’s healthy. This is the best of the best playing this week.

Let’s run through each of the guys active this week, with the four mentioned above and Isaiah Likely, who is dependent on Andrews’ situation. Players are listed in the order I have them ranked, and the full rankings can be found at the bottom of the page.

 

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Like Brock Purdy among the four quarterbacks this week, Kittle is the only player at his position with a good matchup. Detroit allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to tight ends on the season. Almost by default, Kittle is the top tight end for fantasy purposes.

Nothing needs to be handed to him, though, as Kittle does plenty to back up his status. He led all tight ends in receiving yards and tied for second in touchdowns. The Lions allowed the eight-most receiving yards to the position.

There’s not much else to say; Kittle is the clear top option in all formats.

 

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

After a pedestrian season by his own superstar standards, Kelce has racked up 12 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the first two playoff games. Both touchdowns came last week in a hard-fought victory against the Bills. Kelce was the MVP of that game.

Buffalo allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends on the season; Kelce’s next opponent, the Ravens, gave up the seventh-most, so things don’t get much easier.

We’ve seen Kelce produce against tough defenses for years, and this will be one of his stiffest tests. He is back to acting like the number one receiver in Kansas City, which sets up well for a baseline of production. When at his best, Kelce wasn’t a tight end: He was a true top receiver.

His superstar past is what puts him second in my rankings ahead of LaPorta. I trust Kelce to have a big game and work with Mahomes to will his team to victory, even if the passing game is lean elsewhere.

 

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

LaPorta was a revelation for Detroit in his rookie season. He led all tight ends in fantasy points in both standard and PPR scoring. His 10 touchdowns were four more than anyone else at his position. It’s not a stretch to say the Lions wouldn’t be in the position they are in if not for LaPorta’s presence as a second option.

LaPorta suffered a knee injury in Week 18 and was questionable for the Wild Card Round. He played but caught just three passes for 12 yards; one of those catches was a touchdown.

Expecting that he wasn’t 100%, I ranked him lower last week than I would have otherwise. He had nine receptions, a PPR boon, but they went for just 65 yards. LaPorta seems to be healthy enough to produce, even if he doesn’t reach 100% until next season.

The matchup is the problem here, as the 49ers allowed the sixth-least fantasy points to tight ends this season. They have maybe the best linebacking crew in the league, led by unanimous All-Pro Fred Warner.

Given the uncertainty around the actual health of his knee and the tough matchup with San Francisco, I have trouble fully trusting LaPorta. I had him on the same level as Kelce originally, but I see him a notch below after a closer look.

 

Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

This is a tough one for multiple reasons. Let’s start with the easy part: Kansas City has one of the best defenses in the league and allowed the fifth-least fantasy points per game to tight ends. This is a bad matchup no matter who is on the field.

As far as who plays, Andrews taking the field would sour me on both players. Likely would lose snaps to Andrews, and we don’t know what to expect from the star coming off a serious injury. I don’t trust a player whose time could be limited and/or has a higher chance of reinjury.

If Andrews doesn’t play, Likely sees much more value, but I still have him below the other three tight ends this week. The tough matchup is enough to stay away, and the rest of the uncertainty just adds to it. Find a better option than the Baltimore tight ends.

 

Conference Championship Tight End Rankings

1. George Kittle

2. Travis Kelce

3. Sam LaPorta

4. Mark Andrews

5. Isaiah Likely