Tight end PPR rankings for Week 13 fantasy football

Final injury report

Irv Smith Jr. is out against the Jaguars. Kyle Rudolph is set to see an uptick in work.

Jonnu Smith is out. Anthony Firkser and Geoff Swaim are set to back him up, but Firkser has been the main backup to Smith this season, that is until recently. This is a difficult situation to navigate, but Firkser is the player to take a risk on.

Zach Ertz and Hayden Hurst were left off of the final injury report and will play.

Out: Jonnu Smith (knee), Irv Smith. Jr (back)
Doubtful: N/A
Questionable: Ryan Izzo (hamstring, hand)

Thursday injury report

Jonnu Smith didn’t practice again on Thursday. He’ll need to get some work in on Friday to have a chance to play.

Irv Smith missed his second practice and looks doubtful for this week with a back injury.

Hayden Hurst didn’t practice on Thursday. It is a downgrade from his limited practice on Wednesday, but this could be a maintenance day.

Zach Ertz got another limited practice in on Thursday. He has a shot at returning this week.

DNP: Jonnu Smith (knee), Irv Smith Jr. (back), Hayden Hurst (ankle), Marcedes Lewis (knee)
Limited: Zach Ertz (ankle), Dan Arnold (knee), Ryan Izzo (hamstring, hand)
Full: Adam Shaheen (foot), MyCole Pruitt (knee), Hunter Bryant (concussion)

Wednesday injury report

Zach Ertz returned to practice and will try to prove he’s ready to come off IR this week.

Irv Smith doesn’t practice on Wednesday due to a back injury. He’s gone from a groin injury to a back injury and isn’t off to a good start this week. Kyle Rudolph would again get a bump if Smith can’t go.

Jonnu Smith missed practice on Wednesday. He’ll need to get back to be able to play this week.

Hayden Hurst was limited with a knee injury. He should still be on track to play against the Saints.

DNP: Irv Smith (back), Jonnu Smith (knee)
Limited: Marcedes Lewis (knee), Zach Ertz (ankle), Hayden Hurst (ankle), Ryan Izzo (hamstring, hand),
Full: Hunter Bryant (concussion), MyCole Pruitt (knee), Adam Shaheen (foot)

Week 12 was a good week for some familiar tight ends, as Rob Gronkowski, Evan Engram and Dallas Goedert all finished in the Top 4. Goedert led the way and had his second big game in a row. It’s too bad an injury kept him out four games this season, as he has shown he’s the superior player to Zach Ertz at this point in their careers.

Robert Tonyan ended up as the second-best PPR tight end with his second touchdown in as many weeks. Injuries have also slowed him down, but it looks like he’s healthy and becoming one of Aaron Rodgers favorite targets as we move toward the fantasy playoffs, of which the Packers gets some good matchups.

Injury news

Mark Andrews is currently on the Covid-19 list and will need to be cleared to play. He does have until Tuesday to be cleared, so there is a chance.

Irv Smith Jr. missed last week with groin and back injuries, so will need to show he is able to go in practice this week before facing the Jaguars in a good matchup. If he can’t go, Kyle Rudolph would again get a good bump in work.

Bye weeks

The Bucs and the Panthers are on a bye in Week 13.

Streaming options

Jordan Akins, Texans

Akins had a strong game in Week 11 and followed it up with a dud where he dropped two end zone passes in Week 12. I don’t think those drops will hurt him too much moving forward, as the Texans just lost Will Fuller and Randall Cobb for the season and released Kenny Stills, leaving Brandin Cooks, Keke Coutee and Akins as top targets. His matchup with the Colts isn’t great, but I love his opportunity.

Trey Burton, Colts

The Colts have plenty of tight ends and running backs and receivers who see targets, but it appears that Burton has carved out a decent workload. We can’t count on any one Colts receiver to go off each week, but Burton is someone who looks like he’ll be safe with continued touchdown upside each week. The Texans just lost a starter in the defensive backfield and were already weak against the pass, so Burton should be in a good situation for Week 13.