Top 10 Fantasy TE Seasons of 2016
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs had the number 1 fantasy tight end season of 2016, scoring 221 fantasy points across 16 games with a best single week of 33. Kyle Rudolph of the Minnesota Vikings took second at 209 points, and Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers finished third at 205. Kelce leading the position in both total points and best week makes his 2016 the standard against which the rest of the tight end field is measured.
Who were the top 10 fantasy tight ends of 2016?
The 2016 tight end class was crowded at the top, with three players finishing within striking distance of one another before the field leveled off. Every tight end in the top ten appeared in 16 games, so the ranking comes down to scoring rate and peak weeks rather than availability.
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Points | Points Per Game | Best Week | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 221 | 14 | 33 | | 2 | Kyle Rudolph | Minnesota Vikings | 16 | 209 | 13 | 29 | | 3 | Greg Olsen | Carolina Panthers | 16 | 205 | 13 | 27 | | 4 | Jimmy Graham | Seattle Seahawks | 16 | 189 | 12 | 30 | | 5 | Delanie Walker | Tennessee Titans | 16 | 188 | 12 | 27 | | 6 | Zach Ertz | Philadelphia Eagles | 16 | 184 | 11 | 39 | | 7 | Jordan Matthews | Philadelphia Eagles | 16 | 171 | 11 | 24 | | 8 | Cameron Brate | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 16 | 171 | 11 | 22 | | 9 | Dennis Pitta | Baltimore Ravens | 16 | 169 | 11 | 28 | | 10 | Jordan Reed | Washington Commanders | 16 | 169 | 11 | 32 |
How did Kelce pull away from Rudolph and Olsen?
The margin at the top was tight enough that a single big week could have reshuffled it. Kelce's 221 points edged Rudolph's 209, with Olsen another four back at 205. What distinguishes Kelce is the pairing of the highest points per game at the position, 14, with a best week of 33. Rudolph and Olsen matched each other at 13 points per game, and their best weeks of 29 and 27 kept both in weekly-winning range all season.
Jimmy Graham of the Seattle Seahawks and Delanie Walker of the Tennessee Titans formed the second tier, each at 12 points per game with totals of 189 and 188. Graham posted a best week of 30, while Walker's 27 matched Olsen's peak.
Why Zach Ertz's best week towers over the list
The most striking single number in the table belongs to Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles: a best week of 39, the largest of any tight end in 2016 and well clear of Kelce's 33. Yet Ertz finished sixth at 184 points because his season-long rate sat at 11 points per game. His case is the clearest example on the board of a player whose peak outshone his consistency.
The Philadelphia Eagles were also the only team with two tight ends in the top ten, as Jordan Matthews joined Ertz at 171 points. Matthews tied Cameron Brate of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on total points, and Brate's best week of 22 was the smallest peak among the ten. Pitta of the Baltimore Ravens and Reed of the Washington Commanders each totaled 169 points in 2016, and Reed's best week of 32 trailed only Ertz and Kelce at that mark.
What the 2016 tight end numbers say about the position
The drop from first to fourth is where the position thins out: Kelce's 221, Rudolph's 209 and Olsen's 205 sit ahead of Graham at 189, and from sixth place down the totals cluster between 184 and 169 with identical 11-point-per-game rates. In a season where five tight ends separated themselves, the difference between drafting the leader and drafting the middle of the board was roughly two points per game.
Peak weeks tell a different story than totals. Ertz and Reed posted two of the three biggest single weeks at the position despite finishing sixth and tenth, while Brate reached the top ten without a week above 22. Anyone weighing 2016 as a historical benchmark should hold both columns in view: Kelce won on volume and rate, but the wildest Sundays at the position belonged to others.
Common questions
Who scored the most fantasy points among tight ends in 2016?
- Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, with 221 fantasy points in 16 games. He also led the position at 14 points per game.
Which tight end had the biggest single fantasy week in 2016?
- Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles, with a best week of 39, the highest single-week score among all top 10 tight ends that season.
Did two tight ends from the same team make the 2016 top 10?
- Yes. Zach Ertz and Jordan Matthews of the Philadelphia Eagles both finished in the top ten, with 184 and 171 points respectively.
How many tight ends tied in the 2016 top 10?
- Two pairs: Jordan Matthews and Cameron Brate at 171 points, and Dennis Pitta and Jordan Reed at 169 points.
Was Kyle Rudolph or Greg Olsen the better 2016 fantasy tight end?
- Kyle Rudolph finished ahead on total points, 209 to 205, and both averaged 13 points per game, so Rudolph holds the edge on the season as a whole.