Updated Fantasy Football TE Rankings Week 4: Who to start, best sleepers at tight end

Another week down, and it's been another disappointing week from the so-called elite tight ends. Sam LaPorta (in one half) and Trey McBride both went for a hair over five PPR points. Mark Andrews turned into a ghost once again and was completely absent from the box score.

A handful of the mid-tier starters at tight end had strong weeks. Dallas Goedert took advantage of the absence of A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith (left early in the 4th), turning 11 targets into 10 receptions for 170 yards. Jake Ferguson played a key role in the Cowboys' comeback effort and finished with 15.5 PPR points.

If your "elite TE" didn't perform to your expectations, take a deep breath and regroup because a new week is upon us. The slate is wiped clean and Week 4 presents a whole new set of circumstances.

Be sure to check back in here often as our rankings will be updated regularly as we prepare for Week 4!

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Fantasy TE Rankings Week 4: Who to start, sit at tight end

Rankings based on PPR scoring. These rankings were updated on Sept. 29 and will be updated throughout the week, so check back often. 

Players who played on Thursday are listed in italics.

Who are the best fantasy TEs for Week 4?

It's the usual suspects at the top of our Week 4 tight end rankings. 60 percent of our top-5 is made up of the young, emerging crop of tight end talent. Trey McBride is an offensive focal point in Arizona and should have a strong outing against a pitiful Washington defense (he did depart in the 4th to be evaluated for a concussion, so check back for status updates). Sam LaPorta has been off to a rough start this season, but the lack of production elsewhere at the position makes it hard to knock him down much further (he went down at the half with an ankle injury, so we'll monitor his status as well). Finally, Brock Bowers has lived up to the hype and moves like a wide receiver that (sometimes) lines up as a tight end. This trio will have the position in good hands for the foreseeable future.

George Kittle and Travis Kelce have been holding down the position for years now. The changing of the guard is coming soon, but in the year 2024, both are still high-end fantasy options. Kittle should take on a significant role in Deebo Samuel's absence and is primed for a big week against New England if he can return from his hamstring injury. Kelce is in a similar boat to LaPorta - neither has produced at a high level yet this year, but it's hard to move on just yet. Kelce should be started in every league this week.

Who are the best fantasy TE waiver pickups for Week 4?

Cole Kmet finally escaped the clutches of Shane Waldron. Kmet was involved in a heinous time timeshare with Gerald Everett to begin the year. Things finally shifted in Kmet's favor last week and he played 81 percent of snaps, leading to 11 targets. Caleb Williams also proved that he can sustain fantasy-relevant pass catchers, throwing for 363 yards on Sunday. If Kmet maintains this role and Williams finds his groove, Kmet could be a legitimate fantasy option moving forward.

Tyler Conklin is another player who emerged in Week 3 after staying relatively quiet in the first few weeks of the year. Conklin hauled in five of his six targets for a team-leading 93 yards. Aaron Rodgers has breathed life into the Jets' offense and is capable of generating production from players other than Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. Conklin will be that third option in some weeks, making him an option for teams who are desperate for TE production.

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Who are the best fantasy TE sleepers for Week 4?

Zach Ertz has played a steady role in the Washington offense to open the year. Prior to Monday Night Football, Ertz is the Commanders' leading receiver while running a route on 72 percent of Jayden Daniels' dropbacks. No matter how badly you may want Ertz to pass the torch to Benn Sinnott, this is Ertz's job to lose. Ertz is the TE8 through two weeks and will likely continue to provide top-12 production until something changes with Washington's TE rotation.

The aforementioned Tyler Conklin is a strong sleeper option this week. He has been a full-time player throughout the season and proved last week that he is capable of delivering when his name is called. There's a good chance that Conklin and the other complementary pass catchers in New York will be leaned on in Week 4. Garrett Wilson will draw coverage from lockdown corner Pat Surtain. We just saw Cade Otton go for a respectable 11.7 PPR points against the Broncos after Surtain erased Mike Evans. If Wilson falls to a similar fate, Conklin could see a steady dose of targets from Rodgers.

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What are the biggest TE injuries for Week 4?

The last few weeks have been brutal at tight end. Beginning with the injuries from previous weeks, David Njoku has now missed two straight games with an ankle injury. Njoku did start to see some practice time this week, but he was ruled out again on Friday. Since he did get in some practice this week, a return next week is likely. 

Evan Engram has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has also led to a two-week absence. Engram was unable to practice this week and was ruled out on Friday. Brenton Strange will start in his absence, but he's not a recommended season-long play. 

Two rather significant injuries occurred during Week 3 action. Sam LaPorta left the Lions' game with an ankle injury; Dan Campbell confirmed that it was an ankle sprain in his postgame presser, and then it was confirmed Monday that it was a low ankle sprain rather than a high ankle sprain. While that's good news overall, there's still a decent chance he sits for one week, so we pulled him from the rankings until we hear otherwise. He did get in some practice time on Friday, but he's still being listed as questionable. We still lean towards him resting, but if he does suit up, we'll add him back into the rankings, so check back for more updates. 

Trey McBride left late in the Cardinals' Week 3 loss to the Lions after sustaining a helmet-to-helmet hit. It was confirmed on Monday that he did enter the concussion protocol, and then on Friday he was indeed ruled out. Elijah Higgins moves into our rankings as a result, but he's not a recommended starter in season-long leagues, but he could have some value in DFS GPPs.