Conference Championship Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings: Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Dalton Kincaid and More

Let’s go ahead and tackle the final offensive position ranking story for the conference championship round.

We’ve gone over quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers already, so just the tight end spot remains.

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Conference Championship Matchups

For the Washington, Philadelphia game, the Eagles’ tight ends have a pretty average matchup ahead, while the Commanders’ TEs have the toughest test of the week (and one of the toughest matchups from the regular season).

In the Buffalo, Kansas City showdown, the Chiefs’ tight ends have a pretty average matchup, while the Bills’ TEs have a favorable test (and one of the better matchups from the regular season). 

Tight End Rankings

1. Travis Kelce

Of course, it’s old reliable Travis Kelce leading the way. He simply takes his game to another level in the postseason, and might finish as the top fantasy pass catcher this week - he led the way last week.

Kelce went for 117 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions and eight targets last week. In the regular season meeting against Buffalo, Kelce had just eight yards on two grabs and four targets.

I wouldn’t read too much into the regular season meeting, and expect Kelce to put up a line closer to last week’s marks. It’s an average fantasy matchup, but I’d be pretty surprised if Kelce wasn’t the top KC pass catcher this week.

He should be targeted early and often, and that’s why I also think he’s got a great chance of being the No. 1 fantasy pass catcher this week overall. He’s a no-doubt starter in playoff fantasy leagues, and you should also try to get him into your DFS lineups, even if he’s a bit more pricey.

2. Dallas Goedert

Goedert has been a steady performer so far this postseason.

Last week, he had 56 yards on four catches and targets. In the Wild Card Round, Goedert had 47 yards and a touchdown on four catches and six targets. He’s been the top pass catcher for the Eagles, and I think that continues again this week.

In the regular season against Washington, Goedert only played in the first meeting in week 11. He had a good showing, tallying 61 yards on five grabs and targets.

I expect Goedert to keep delivering solid results this weekend. He’s got a safe floor, and maybe could outperform Kelce, but that would probably mean Kelce really underperformed, or Goedert scored a time or two.

3. Zach Ertz

Ertz has been pretty involved this postseason, but it hasn't amounted to really great numbers.

He had 23 yards on two catches and four targets in the Wild Card Round. Ertz caught all five of his targets for 28 yards and a touchdown last week.

He had mixed results against the Eagles during the regular season. He caught a 12-yard pass across two targets in the second matchup. Ertz had 47 yards and a touchdown on six grabs and seven targets in the first meeting.

His inconsistent results this season make Ertz a somewhat risky play this weekend, but at a weak position and being down to four teams left, Ertz is one of the better options. He could be a fairly cheap DFS option, and if he scores again, you’ll be more than thrilled with that.

4. Dalton Kincaid

Kincaid is my No. 4 tight end for this week, and I might have him ranked too high. 

So far in the postseason, he has 58 yards on four catches and five targets. He only had an 11-yard catch across two targets last week. He’s on the field plenty, but simply not putting up many numbers. 

Kincaid did not play against Kansas City in the regular season. The only reason I really have Kincaid in my No. 4 slot is because of the favorable matchup.

He’s a risky play given his lack of fantasy success this season (both postseason and regular season). I’m trusting the matchup a bit here and hoping he’s more involved than he has been the past two weeks.

5. Noah Gray

Give me Gray for my fifth slot.

He had three catches and targets last week, but it all led to just 13 yards. 

Gray was a popular fantasy option in the middle of the season when he was scoring touchdowns left and right - one of those games came against Buffalo. He had two touchdowns, but just 23 yards, on four catches and five targets in that contest.

Gray has some decent fantasy upside because of his ability to find the end zone, but with pretty low numbers overall (he had over 50 yards just three times this season), he’s a risky play. You could roll the dice to see if he can find the end zone again, but there’s certainly better options out there, and the guys ranked behind him could end up passing him too.

6. Dawson Knox

Like Kincaid, Knox has only been slightly involved so far this postseason.

Knox has 38 yards on three catches and five targets through two games. He caught a pass for no yards across two targets last week.

With Kincaid out for the regular season game against Kansas City, Knox went for 40 yards on four catches and six targets. If Kincaid were to miss this week’s game, I’d slide Knox all the way up to my No. 4 slot (and maybe slide him past Ertz too), but if Kincaid plays, I don’t see Knox posting nearly as good a game.

Khalil Shakir is really the only somewhat consistent pass catcher in Buffalo this postseason, so there’s always a chance a guy like Knox could step up and deliver good fantasy results, but I don’t think that’s enough to start him often this weekend.

7. John Bates

Bates only has three targets this postseason, but he’s been playing a decent amount of snaps, and that at least puts him on the fantasy radar.

Bates had a 20-yard catch across two targets last week. He didn’t catch his only target in the Wild Card Round. Bates had over one catch on one occasion this season, and has just nine catches for 104 yards overall.

His two-catch game came against the Eagles (because why not), but the grabs only went for 17 yards. Bates didn’t catch his only target in the team’s second matchup.

I doubt Bates does too much this weekend, but I’m here to rank all the viable fantasy options, and with the amount of snaps he’s been playing, he at least deserves to be mentioned.

8. Grant Calcaterra

I thought Calcaterra had the chance to put up some decent numbers this postseason with a lack of pass catchers on the team. That hasn’t happened, and Goedert has been healthy and good, so Calcaterra has just been a backup who plays just here and there (he played 22 snaps last week).

In two postseason games, Calcaterra has a four-yard catch on his only target. He produced a little when Goedert was out with injuries, but has just 302 yards and a touchdown on 25 grabs and 31 targets for the season, and he’s under 50 combined yards across the past five games. 

Another reason why I have Calcaterra ranked last is because he didn’t even have a target across two games against Washington this regular season. Throw that on top of an already weak Philly passing game, and Calcaterra is just not a great fantasy option.