Week 6 Fantasy Football Quarterback and Tight End Rankings: Studs, Sleepers, and Must-Starts (Ep. 1762)

Summary

FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast: Week 6 QB & TE Rankings – Studs, Sleepers, and Must-Starts

Episode 1762 | October 9, 2025
Host: Chris Welsh
Analysts: Pat Fitzmaurice & Andrew Erickson

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into Week 6 fantasy football quarterback (QB) and tight end (TE) rankings, spotlighting studs, sleepers, and key start/sit decisions. With major shakeups at quarterback—like Joe Flacco's surprise starting gig in Cincinnati—and notable movement in tight end value, the analysts break down the top 12 at each position, highlight risers and fallers, and debate players who could make (or break) your fantasy matchup.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Rankings and QB Shakeup

• Opening banter introduces the episode’s focus (QBs & TEs) and highlights Andrew Erickson’s #1 world ranking for TE projections.
• Quick news hits:
  • No Kyler Murray at practice.
  • Joe Flacco traded to the Bengals, is projected to start.
• Playful acknowledgment of tight end “guru” Erickson:
  • “He can tell you down to the half yard how many yards Jake Tonjas is going to have this week.” (Pat, 01:29)
  • Tucker Kraft is humorously nominated as TE1 of the week, showing off the podcast's lighthearted, analytical tone.

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2. Quarterback Rankings: Top 12 & Key Debates

Full Top-12 QBs This Week:

1. Josh Allen
2. Jalen Hurts
3. Jaden Daniels
4. Patrick Mahomes
5. Drake Maye
6. Justin Herbert
7. Dak Prescott
8. Baker Mayfield
9. Caleb Williams
10. Jordan Love
11. Matthew Stafford
12. Daniel Jones
    (03:52)

Dak Prescott – Differing Perspectives

• Erickson bullish, at QB7:
  “Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott are at the top [in] multiple offensive categories ... you just can't pass up a matchup against Carolina Panthers.” (Andrew, 04:25)
• Fitzmaurice cautious, at QB12:
  “I just, I wonder how many more of these ceiling games ... without CeeDee Lamb and without a couple of starting offensive linemen.” (Pat, 05:30)

Caleb Williams – A Ranking Swing

• Pat high (QB7), Erickson initially low (QB15):
  • Pat highlights Caleb’s 8 TDs in 4 games, “puts him at quarterback six in that category... coming out of the bye, you know Ben Johnson’s going to have some pretty good scripted stuff.” (Pat, 06:27)
  • Erickson admits he’s adjusting, “This is the wrong ranking of Caleb Williams, so I’m going to be moving him up.” (Andrew, 07:08)

Daniel Jones – The Case for and against Top 10

• Erickson positive, at QB9:
  “They put him in a system where he has protection [and] playmakers ... you look at Dan Jones here, he’s top 10 in points per game.” (Andrew, 08:11)
• Pat more skeptical, at QB13:
  “Jones has scored 15.8, 12.4 and 16.7 fantasy points [last three games] … a 21-point win and a 34-point win … he also had three TD runs in his first two games; he has none over the last three.” (Pat, 09:30)

Deeper QB Plays

• Sam Darnold (ECR 16) debated:
  • Erickson: “Felt better about starting him last week...think I’d rather start the 49ers QB over Sam Darnold [this week].” (Andrew, 11:16–12:26)
  • Pat: Fade based on volume, “Seattle’s running the ball in half of their offensive snaps. Darnold is only averaging 26.8 pass attempts per game.” (Pat, 12:47)

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3. Tight End Rankings: Chasing Touchdowns

Top-12 TEs This Week:

1. Trey McBride
2. Tyler Warren
3. Jake Ferguson
4. Tucker Kraft
5. Sam LaPorta
6. Hunter Henry
7. Dalton Kincaid
8. Darren Waller
9. Travis Kelce
10. Kyle Pitts
11. Dallas Goedert
12. David Njoku
    (13:24)

Darren Waller – Still Worth the Start?

• Erickson: “If you've been riding the Darren Waller wave, just keep riding till the wheels fall off ... he's catching TDs, but playing a limited role, not a 100% snap share.” (Andrew, 14:01)
• Pat: “Once you get beyond the top five tight ends ... you’re shooting touchdown odds. I always like Waller’s odds, but [against Derwin James] we’re probably not getting a 6 for 80 day.” (Pat, 14:55)

David Njoku – Emerging with Dylan Gabriel

• Pat: “Brown’s tight ends combined for 13 targets last week ... Njoku seemed to be Dylan Gabriel’s favorite security blanket.” (Pat, 15:39)
• Erickson: “You could just tell Dylan Gabriel ... was much more comfortable short ... get them to the tight ends. Njoku’s kind of a streaky producer.” (Andrew, 16:16)
• Both analysts lean “start” for Njoku in a plus matchup against the Steelers.

Mason Taylor – High Volume, Maybe Low Conversion

• Pat: “14 catches and 19 targets over the last two weeks ... but targets are coming from Justin Fields ... tough matchup.” (Pat, 18:13)
• Erickson: “Could be a comically Mason Taylor stat: 20 targets, 6 catches or something for like 30 yards. Still, in PPR, you have to start a tight end getting that volume.” (Andrew, 19:10)

Deep Sleeper: Theo Johnson

• Erickson, bullish: “He is the number one read for Jackson Dart in the red zone ... real touchdown equity and with Darius Slayton out, only so many guys left for targets.” (Andrew, 21:09)
• Pat: “He is the first read for Jackson Dart in the red zone ... Nine catches, three touchdowns the last two weeks.” (Pat, 22:08)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We are not worthy. We are not worthy of Erickson.” – Chris Welsh (01:41)
• Pat’s quip about the Packers facing Joe Flacco again: “All this Joe Flacco in my life, it’s fantastic.” (01:29)
• Erickson, tongue-in-cheek: “Tucker Craft should be tight end one this week, and I don’t know why he’s not.” (01:53)
• On Caleb Williams’ outlook: “I think Caleb’s gonna have a good game this week.” – Pat Fitzmaurice (06:50)
• “You’re shooting touchdown odds here, and I always like Waller’s odds of a touchdown.” – Pat Fitzmaurice (14:55)
• “Mason Taylor ... could be a comically [bad] stat line ... but if you’re gonna give me 12-plus targets ... you have to start that tight end [in PPR].” – Andrew Erickson (19:10)
• The dynamic of shifting on Caleb Williams live: “This is the wrong ranking ... I’m going to be moving him up ... Fitz makes a lot of good points here.” – Andrew Erickson (07:08)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Quarterback Rankings Discussion: 03:52–13:24

  • Dak Prescott debate: 04:25–06:05
  • Caleb Williams argument: 06:05–07:53
  • Daniel Jones analysis: 07:53–10:30
  • Sam Darnold and other deep QBs: 10:59–13:24

• Tight End Rankings Discussion: 13:24–22:56

  • Darren Waller trust levels: 14:01–15:16
  • David Njoku outlook: 15:39–17:44
  • Mason Taylor’s volume versus outcome: 18:13–20:32
  • Theo Johnson as a sleeper: 21:09–22:56

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Summary

This episode is a highly actionable breakdown of Week 6 quarterback and tight end rankings, packed with debate, self-corrections, and an entertaining tone. The hosts provide strong statistical context, match-up analysis, and player utilization notes, with special attention to shifting winds at the QB position (Joe Flacco, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold) and how tight end landscapes are being reshaped by new quarterbacks, injuries, and exploitable defenses.

Useful for fantasy managers seeking nuanced advice, especially at the thinner positions, and for those deciding between fringy QB/TE options versus chasing upside or floor.

For a complete and updated list of all rankings:
Check FantasyPros' latest rankings

Transcript

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

This is an I heart podcast.

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[Chris Welsh]

What's up, friends? And welcome in to Fantasy Pros. This is the fantasy football podcast. We've got quarterbacks and we've got tight ends and we've got ranks. It's week six quarterback and tight end ranks. I'm Chris Welsh, that is Pat Fitzmaurice and Andrew Erickson, my big top rankers. Did you know that Andrew Erickson is number one in the world in tight end ranks? He's the greatest tight end ranker. So no pressure. We're gonna have to put it on here. We got some quarterback shakeups this week. No Kyler Murray in practice early on. Joe Flacco traded to the Bengals and looks like he's starting. We got stuff. We got stuff to talk about and we're gonna get to it on the quarterback and tight end rankings. Gentlemen, how are we doing? How are we doing? Fitzy, how are you doing? Green Bay Packers. Joe Flacco is a new quarterback. What's the word?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, we get our second game against Joe Flacco this week. As a Green Bay packers fan, how's that second in what, a span of. Of three weeks? So that's kind of.

[Chris Welsh]

You're blessed.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah.

[Chris Welsh]

You're blessed, my friend.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

All this Joe Flacco in my life, it's fantastic. But, like, I'm doing great doing a tight end show with Andrew Erickson, who's so accurate on tight ends, he can tell you down to the half yard how many yards Jake Tonjas is going to have this week.

[Chris Welsh]

We are not worthy. We are not worthy of Erickson. By the way, Erickson just traded Darren Waller in a league, so make sure you get out while you quickly can. Ericks. What, what is the good word? Spread us on tight end greatness.

[Andrew Erickson]

Tucker Craft should be tight end one this week, and I don't know why he's not.

[Chris Welsh]

Okay, well, perfect. We're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about the top 12 at each position. Tucker Craft guess what? Tucker Craft's not even number two or number three. What's going on in the world. Don't I mean Bengals against is the.

[Andrew Erickson]

Gift that keeps on giving, especially guys after the catch and that's that's all Tucker. He's fully healthy off the bi week guys. Tucker Crafts isn't his back.

[Chris Welsh]

And there we go, quarterbacks and tight.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Ends and with Matt lafleur to scheme scheme things up in a bye week. So but then again, Panthers have been pretty trashy against tight ends too. And Jake Ferguson is coming to town.

[Andrew Erickson]

Erickson who's Jake Ferguson in real life? Tucker, who are you taking?

[Chris Welsh]

Tucker Craft.

[Andrew Erickson]

That's the right answer.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, it's easily Tucker Kraft all right, let's get into the ranks here, but we've got some giveaway opportunities. If you want a chance to win one of the most unique pieces of NF gear out there, the large NFLPA Wall Smack, courtesy of our friends over at Trophy Smack, the number one destination for epic fantasy football hardware, then this is your shot, my friend. Their oversized, officially licensed NFLPA Wall Smack are bold statement pieces that are perfect for your fan cave, office or living room wall. It's not just decor, it's a way to rep your favorite players in style. To enter, all you got to do is subscribe to the Fantasy Pro's YouTube channel right now and drop a comment below on any any of the videos. That's it. You're set. We'll be announcing a winner right here on the channel, so make sure to turn on notifications so you don't miss out on your prize.

[Andrew Erickson]

Get it today.

[Chris Welsh]

Also want to remind everybody fantasypros.com rankings if you would like to a follow along B. You want to check throughout the week as more rankers submit their ranks that we're going to have adjustments and changes. Kyler Murray situation is probably a little bit fluid. Go to fantasypros.com rankings for each positional one. You can click on each ranker if you want or you can just check out the entire ECR fantasypros.com.

[Andrew Erickson]

All right.

[Chris Welsh]

Let'S get the big board up for quarterbacks. Our top 12 for this week. We've got Josh Allen at one, Jalen Hurts at two, Jaden Daniels, Patrick Mahomes. Drake May just continues to hold that top ish spot. Top seven. Justin Herbert is comes in at six, Dak Prescott at seven, Baker Mayfield, Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford and Daniel Jones. Let's talk about Dak Prescott number seven. You guys are a little bit broken up here. Fitzy is at 12 and Erickson, you've got him. So Erickson, let's talk a little positive about Dak Prescott this week.

[Andrew Erickson]

Well, I think that Dak Prescott is arguably playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. If you look across multiple offensive categories, I mean Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott are at the top. And the fact that he's been able to do it without CEV Lamb, that he's doing it down multiple offensive linemen, it's just a testament to how well he is playing. And you just can't pass up a matchup against Carolina Panthers. I know we talked about the running back show that maybe their run defense isn't as bad as it's been in the years past. Well, if Dallas is going to score 28 points or whatever their implied team total is, it's either going to be on the ground with Javante or through the air with Dak Prescott. So I continue to want to bet against the Carolina Panthers defense. So if it's Dak scoring all the touchdowns, then he's obviously going to be a high score in fantasy. So that's why I'm aggressive on him. Dallas has the second highest implied team total on this slate behind only the Green Bay Packers.

[Chris Welsh]

Pitchy, a little bit more pessimistic at 12, just especially compared to the range. You still have him as a QB one, but there's probably some, you know, some big decisions you're willing to make, especially if you look at the back end of some of these quarterbacks. You know, Jordan Love, Daniel Jones, like Dak Prescott for probably the most part is falling behind a lot of these guys.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Credit to Dak Prescott for what he has been able to do without CD Lamb. 319 yards and three touchdowns against the Packers. 237 yards and four touchdowns against the jets. And we certainly don't fear the matchup against the Panthers this week. I just, I wonder how many more of these ceiling games we're going to get from Dak Prescott without CD Lam and without a couple of starting offensive linemen. That's, that's my only concern. Like he's still missing these guys, so I'm not expecting him to go nuclear every week, although he has so far without CD Lam.

[Chris Welsh]

One of the guys you've got a little bit higher and we can talk about is Caleb Williams. He is QB9 on ECR. So he's behind Dak in the full ECR. You've got him at 7, Erickson's got him at 15. So this is another big difference. Erickson does not have him as a starting quarterback. He is quite a bit lower than consensus. But you are heavy. Caleb over Dak this week fits 21.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Fantasy points per game for Caleb, which puts him at quarterback six in that category. He has eight touchdown passes in four games and he's adding value as a runner with 27 and a half rushing yards per game. And coming out of the buy, you know Ben Johnson is going to have some pretty good scripted stuff for Caleb Williams early in his game against the Commanders. I also feel like this might be a good game for the Bears to exercise some demons after losing on that Hail Mary to the Commanders last year. The Tyreek Stevenson deflection. I just, I think Caleb's gonna have a good game this week.

[Chris Welsh]

Erickson, you have him at 15. Why do you hate Caleb Williams?

[Andrew Erickson]

Because I'm wrong. This is the wrong ranking of Caleb Williams, so I'm going to be moving him up because Fitz makes a lot of good points here, so he'll inside my top 12 if not inside my top 10. My only hesitation is that the Bears and team total is not that high. It's 18th implied team total. They are underdogs on the road and Caleb Williams historically has played much better when he's at home than on the road. And I agree that there are some teams that need to be exercised when it comes to the Bears and the Commanders. What happened last year with the Hail Mary play and the Bears were going to win and then the entire season went spiraling after that, after that play. So I think that, yeah, you're going to be starting Caleb is more often than not and I have to make sure he's inside my top 12.

[Chris Welsh]

Daniel Jones, QB 12 on this list. Fitz, you've got him at 13, Erickson at 9. So you guys are kind of flipped again. Erickson, let's. I mean, I'm assuming you're going to have Daniel Jones still above Caleb, so maybe that gets Caleb to like 10 or 11. But Erickson, let's hear your positive takes on Daniel Jones at QB9.

[Andrew Erickson]

It's all been really good for Daniel Jones this year. They put him in a system where he has protection, he has good wide receivers and playmakers and this is what we get. We get a top 10 fantasy quarterback. You look at Dan Jones here, he's top 10 in points per game. The Colts have a massive implied team total for at home against the Arizona Cardinals. So I think the thing with Daniel Jones is, well, if Jonathan Taylor scores all the touchdowns, then that'll make Jones not a usable fantasy asset. Like that's how he beats you. So I feel good about the floor with Daniel Jones because he does offer a little bit as a rusher. The Colts offense continues to operate in a very efficient level. It's a good matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. However, I will admit that I think Caleb probably has a higher ceiling and probably even with the rushing is too because you could see that game going to shootout against the Washington Commanders. You know that's a top 10 matchup defensively. Whereas if the Colts just steamroll the Cardinals like they've steamrolled a lot of the other teams that they faced, maybe Daniel Jones is more of like two touchdowns, 200 passing yards maybe doesn't run as much. So yeah, I'm continuing to capitulate on my Caleb Williams original rank because it was wrong and moving him up my rankings.

[Chris Welsh]

I believe in the wide receiver show you had Michael Pittman pretty high. You're still pretty fine. You're like right around consensus on Daniel Jones. So what's your take on Indiana Jones this week?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, so I was maybe a little lower than consensus on Pittman.

[Chris Welsh]

Well, it was Erickson.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah. So it's just Daniel Jones is a really hard guy to rank this week and he has played undeniably well so far this season. He went absolutely bonkers in fantasy the first two weeks, but over his last three games, Jones has scored 15.8, 12.4 and 16.7 fantasy points. He's QB27 in fantasy points per game over that stretch. Now in in fairness, the Colts had a 21 point win and a 34 point win over their last three games and Jones threw fewer than 30 passes in each of those games because they were winning so big. He also had three touchdown runs in his first two games. He has none over the last three and so the fantasy points have dried up a little bit. I don't dislike Jones this week. The matchup against the Cardinals isn't bad at all. They're still pretty banged up in the secondary. I just don't really see Jones as a top 10 quarterback this week. I think he's more of a marginal starter in a 12 team league.

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[Chris Welsh]

A deeper quarterback play if you guys are looking at it. Sam Darnold comes in at 16 on ECR. You guys have the flip again. Fitzy, you're a couple spots lower. Erickson, you're a couple spots higher. He's got the Jaguars. Great game last week. Erickson almost pushing QB1. What do you think about Darnold this week?

[Andrew Erickson]

On the positive, I think that I really like what I saw with him last week, but the spot was excellent for him against Tampa Bay. Banged up secondary. Now the Jaguars aren't this impenetrable defense. They are still a top 10 matchup for quarterbacks and a lot of their advanced metrics are related to the turnovers that they've been generating. They've just been generating turnovers at a crazy rate, which doesn't necessarily mean oh this team is so good. It's just, you know, you're going to see high EPA whenever a defense is generating a lot of interceptions and fumbles and things like that. So I think that he's probably more fine than a confident start. I felt better about starting him last week when I was higher on consensus with Sam Darnold because the Seahawks 16th highest implied team total and if Jacksonville can really hone in on like jsn then that does create problems. Where are we going to see another big game from AJ Barner? Like to really like vault Sam Darnold into top 10 fantasy territory? That's probably where I get a little bit hesitant just looking at my rankings. I think I'd rather start the 49ers quarterback that just that will face Tampa Bay, whether that's Mac Jones or Brock Purdy. I think I'd probably start one of those guys over Sam Darnold because I think that is a much better matchup than the Jaguars.

[Chris Welsh]

Fitz, you think Darnold is a clear fade coming off of that huge game? Because I think you're going to have a lot of questions about starting Darnold that this coming week and it'll be against that group of like the Fringier. It's probably not. It's not going to be against like Daniel Jones and them, but it's going to be pressing against maybe the 49ers quarterbacks and stuff like that. Do you think it's a good time to fade him this week?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

I'm just kind of looking at what the Seattle offense has been this season. Welsh they are the run heaviest team in the league right now. Seattle's running the ball in half of their offensive snaps and so Darnold is only averaging 26.8 pass attempts per game now. He's been really high efficiency and because they've been running the ball so much that helps. It makes the play action game work a little better. So wouldn't be surprised if Darnold out kicked where I have him ranked at QB19. But I just, I'm kind of betting against him based on the low passing volume he's had so far.

[Chris Welsh]

Let's go and check out our tight ends. This is the Andrew Erickson portion of the show. Top 12 tight ends. It starts with Trey McBride followed by Tyler Warren, Jake Ferguson, Tucker Kraft at four. Sam Laporta, Hunter Henry. That's your top six. Dalton Kincaid at seven. Darren Waller at eight. Travis Kelsey, Kyle's Pitts, Dallas Goddard and David and Joku. That's your top 12. Really the only standout there is Waller and it's just a quick blurb. Erickson, really quick. You trust Waller this week as a top, you know, 10 starting tight end? After his performance last week, I'm ranking him there.

[Andrew Erickson]

Do I trust him as much? I'm not entirely sure. Been running hot on touchdowns which is excellent. I do think that this particular matchup against the Chargers might not be the greatest for him because he's going to see a lot of Derwin James. Like that's a big concern when you're playing the Chargers and Darren Waller. We know at this point in his career it's not someone that's going to wiggle his way out of coverage like he's trying to out body guys. So if he can out physical Derwin James at the point of, you know, point of attack, I think that he can have a productive game. And again he's catching touchdowns left and right. So like that's really the. If he hits for you, it's because he scored a touchdown. He's still playing a limited role. I don't think we're ever going to see him play a 100% snap share. Just I don't think that's what you're going to see from a 33 year old tight end. But I think he's been too good to. If you've been riding the Darren Waller wave, I think you just keep riding till the wheels fall off because they, they will inevitably fall off at some point.

[Chris Welsh]

Fitzy Waller Top 10 tight end trust.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Or Susan I've got him in tight end 10 and Erickson said it pretty well. I think once you get beyond the top five tight ends or so it's just basically you're shooting a touchdown odds here and I always like Waller's odds of a touchdown but yeah, when he's going to be going against Derwin James a lot of the day we're probably not getting a 6 for 80 day out of Darren Waller.

[Chris Welsh]

So the top 12 tight ends, it's pretty chalky. So there's a couple names. There's one right at 12 we'll talk about and then a couple names right outside that I think are going to be some big questions. David and Joku tied in 12. Fitzyou've got him at 11, Erickson at 13. You guys are like there's like a little bit of a flip that happened. One has him as a tight end, the other doesn't. Fitzy, what do you think on David and Joku? You've got him as a starting tight end this week.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah. Brown's tight ends combined for 13 targets last week in Dylan Gabriel's first NFL start and Brown's wide receivers combined for 10 targets. So the tight ends had more targets than the wide receivers. And David Najoku seemed to be Dylan Gabriel's favorite security blanket. Nine targets, six catches, 67 yards and a touchdown. Like who would have imagined before the season that a switch from Joe Flacco to Dylan Gabriel might save David Njoku's.

[Chris Welsh]

Fantasy value with David with Dylan Gabriel as quarterback. Erickson, is it now in Joku over fan and moving forward?

[Andrew Erickson]

I say yes but then I'm fully ready to accept that won't be the case after we watch these games play out because it's just been so back and forth. You know when we get spanning and then it's in Joku and then the quarterbacks change. So but what else are we supposed to do? We have to use the information we have at available to us and last week it was in Joker was the guy. Now both Titans end up catching a touchdown but you could just tell that Dylan Gabriel in the way that they had the offense structure in the passing game was much more comfortable short the intermediate targets get them to the tight ends whereas like throwing to Isaiah Bond and Jerry Judy was just not. It was not working for Dylan Gabriel. I know you were watching Bond closely Welsh because you had the over last.

[Chris Welsh]

Play of the game. Last play of the game by the way. We got it.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Okay.

[Andrew Erickson]

We did get. I couldn't remember what the number was. I was like man we're also gonna be sweating this one. So glad you got the over there. But clearly he's favoring the the big bodied guys in the middle of the field so and Joku 96 of the snaps and the thing with Njoko that I always recall is he's kind of a streaky producer where he just goes on stretches of five to six games where he's just on fire and it's just because like hey there's a new quarterback in for the Browns because it seemed like there's a new quarterback for the Browns every month or so over the past couple years that Njoku's been on the team and then he just catches fire for a couple weeks. So I think might now might be the start of something really great for Njoku and the matchup against the Steelers is good top five matchup in terms of fantasy points allowed to tight ends this season. So if you still have in Joku and Joku's out there, I think he's a viable option this week and I think for now I am going to rank him over Fannin and then fully accept me wrong after this week plays out.

[Chris Welsh]

Mason Taylor has been pretty popular on our conversations. He comes in at ECR13 and both of you were lower than ACR off off of all this love. He's gotten a lot of targets that offense maybe a bit of question but also there's just a glut. There's just a glutted tight ends that are floating out there. Fitzy, let's start with you. You've got him at 15, a little bit more pessimistic but it feels like the narrative around Mason Taylor is way more exciting than the application of what people are doing with him and like starting him and pushing him higher.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

That's a really good way to describe it. Welsh like Taylor's 14 catches and 19 targets over the last two weeks and he is pretty clearly the number two pass catching option in the jets offense behind Garrett Wilson. But obviously that's not saying a lot with what the jets have at wide receiver after Garrett Wilson. The issue for me is that the targets are coming from Justin Fields, so Taylor is averaging 6.3 yards per target and 8.8 yards per catch and he's also got a pretty tough matchup. Denver is a lot of the eighth fewest fantasy points to tight end, so yeah, the volume looks nice. He's a good bet for more than five targets this week. I just don't know if that's going to equate to decent yardage numbers or a touchdown.

[Andrew Erickson]

Ericsson.

[Chris Welsh]

We were talking about Hassan Haskins versus Mason Taylor in a flex spot and a full ppr. You said Mason Taylor, but we don't have him as a starting tight end. What do you think about Taylor in his target share moving forward and getting him in your lineup?

[Andrew Erickson]

I really like the spot for him this week to see a ton of volume. Last week he had A team high 12 targets, nine for 67, six plus targets in three straight games. And this is a brutal matchup for Justin Fields against the Denver Broncos because the one guy that he can get the ball to as a receiver, like this is the worst matchup for him against Patrick Surtan. And the Broncos know this. So if they can shut down Garrett Wilson, like, how does the jets move the ball through the air? It's going to be Mason Taylor and the Broncos might be fine with that. And they'd be like, fine, give this guy 20 targets. We don't care. We'll tackle him short of the sticks. You'll punt every single time. So I think we look at a very comically Mason Taylor stat dime. That's like 20 targets, six catches or something for like 30 yards. Like something like, whoa. Like that's, that's what we got from Mason Taylor. But if you're gonna give me 12 plus targets, which I think is very much in play for Mason Taylor, I think you have to start that tight and just the floor that they're going to offer. Again, I think the upside is limited with Fields as the quarterback he had needs to score a touchdown and you know, it's possible that the jets don't score any touchdowns in London. So that, yeah, Mason Taylor, I think is a good start in ppr.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

That's the concern. Oh, I was just going to say, you know, who do they go to if Garrett Wilson is getting blanketed? Well, it's just, I mean, it's possible we get another three completion 27 yard game like Justin Fields had against Buffalo in week two.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, that's, that's the fear final tight end. We're going to talk about another New York tight end and he's super interesting as Mason Taylor is like a pseudo starter. Theo Johnson is not quite there. He's ECR 16 this week. You guys both have him higher and I think he is super sneaky. Dart loves him. He had the most in zone targets of any player last week in the receiving game, which was crazy. And Dart's going to continue doing that. Fitz, you got him at 14. Erickson, you got him at 11. So Erickson, you got him as a starting tight end this week. Dart's going to keep getting him the ball and I think that's what makes him super enticing.

[Andrew Erickson]

He is the number one read for Jackson Dart in the red zone. So if he got to touchdown, bang, you're set. You already got, you already won your tight end of the week if he just scores a touchdown. So unless the Giants get completely blanketed by the Philadelphia Eagles, they're playing at home, which I think works in their favor to just not get shut out. I think Theo Johnson has real touchdown equity and we've seen this since Jackson Dart took over. It wasn't just last week, it was the week before that. He was really involved and we just saw the tight ends more involved overall, not just Theo Johnson, Daniel Bellinger in the post, Malik Neighbors Giants passing game. So Gary Slayton is also going to miss this game. So eventually it becomes a war of attrition where there are only so many guys left that Jackson Dirk can throw the ball to. It's like, is it Theo Johnson or Wanda Robinson that's going to lead the team in targets? I mean, if it's going to be Theo Johnson, then I want to start that guy. I get the matchup's not great against the Philadelphia Eagles, but beggars can't be choosers when it comes to tight ends. I think Theo Johnson checks off enough boxes that even though the matchup is not pristine, I don't think it's a reason to just fade him.

[Chris Welsh]

Fitzy, what do you think about Theo Johnson?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, Erickson, your disrespect of the great Bo Collins has been noted. So yeah, Erickson said it well, like he is the first read for Jackson Dart in the red zone and that's a good thing because it's usually just one read for Jackson Dart and if it's not open, he takes off and runs. So pretty good chance of Theo Johnson being the first read for Jackson dart on any drop back since. Yeah, it's him and Wandell Robinson right now and yeah, Jalen Hyatt and Bo Collins. So 12 targets, nine catches, three touchdowns the last two weeks for Theo Johnson. So he's, he's getting used with Jackson Dart there and you know, tough matchup though. The Eagles have a lot of the fourth fewest fantasy points to tight ends.

[Chris Welsh]

Well, there's a lot more tight ends and quarterbacks that are ranked and you can check it out fantasybros.com rankings for all the positional ranks, all the way up until kickoff. We've got everybody that takes part in the ECR Ranks contest and it gets right up to it. So you can follow all the updates all week long. And we're here for you with tons of other great content for your start. And sit. So make sure you're locked into Fantasy Pros. Whether it's on the podcast, YouTube, Twitch, Discord, we're everywhere and we're here for you. I'm Chris Welsh, that's Pat Fitzmorrison and Andrew Erickson. And that is gonna do it for the week. Six ranks. Good luck and we will talk to you next time right here on Fantasy Pros.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

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[Andrew Erickson]

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[Pat Fitzmaurice]

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[Andrew Erickson]

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[Pat Fitzmaurice]

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[Andrew Erickson]

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[Pat Fitzmaurice]

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[Andrew Erickson]

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[Pat Fitzmaurice]

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