Fantasy football: Gesicki, Smith among 4 must-start Week 10 tight ends

MIAMI, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Mike Gesicki and Jonnu Smith are among my four must-start fantasy football tight ends for Week 10.

Travis Kelce leads my Top-20 tight end rankings, which are listed below. My Week 10 quarterback, running back and wide receiver rankings also are available. These positional rankings will be updated based on developments, including injuries. My top free agent targets for Week 10 are available here.

Taysom Hill and T.J. Hockenson join Njoku as my must-start options. George Kittle, Evan Engram and Cade Otton join Kelce and Hockenson in the Top 5 of my weekly rankings.

Those with stock in Kyle Pitts and other injured tight ends should monitor their status before plugging them into starting lineups. David Njoku, Brock Bowers, Noah Fant and Tucker Kraft should be benched, as the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers are on bye.

T.J. Hockenson

Hockenson was one of the top tight ends in fantasy football last season, but missed the Minnesota Vikings' first seven games of 2024 while recovery from a knee injury. He returned to haul in three catches for 27 yards in Week 9.

I'm expecting much more explosive performances from Hockenson down the stretch, as his usage increases. This week, the Vikings will face a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends through nine weeks.

Hockenson should reel in at least five catches for 60 yards and could catch one of quarterback Sam Darnold's multiple scoring tosses in this matchup. He is my No. 4 play.

Taysom Hill

The New Orleans Saints continue to use Hill in many ways -- as a pass catcher, runner and passer. The versatile playmaker rushed five times for 19 yards and a score in Week 9. He threw three passes and ran for 20 yards in Week 8.

This week, the Saints will face an Atlanta Falcons defense that Hill scored twice against in Week 4. The Falcons also allowed 52.1 receiving yards per game so far to tight ends. They surrendered at least 65 yards to a tight end in each of their last three games.

Look for Hill to be active as a runner in the red zone as well as a pass catching threat in the middle of the field. He is my No. 7 option based on his touchdown scoring potential.

Mike Gesicki

Gesicki is my No. 10 tight end for Week 10. The Cincinnati Bengals pass catcher received 15 targets between his Week 8 and Week 9 appearances, his most over a two-game stretch so far this season.

He turned his six Week 9 looks into five catches for a season-high 100 yards and two scores. I expect the Bengals to use Gesicki again during their primetime matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday in Baltimore.

The Ravens allowed the third-most receiving yards (67.6) per game to tight ends through nine weeks. Bengals star Joe Burrow is playing as well as any quarterback in the league and I expect that trend to continue in what should be a high-scoring AFC North divisional matchup.

Gesicki will likely benefit from the Ravens' focus on Bengals star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase. I expect him to turn his opportunities into a TE1 performance.

Jonnu Smith

Smith shouldn't be started on a weekly basis, but his matchup is too good to ignore in Week 10. The Miami Dolphins veteran caught just nine passes through the first four weeks of the season. He caught 21 passes over his most recent four games.

He will now face a Los Angeles Rams defense that allowed the sixth-most fantasy points and receiving yards (59.3) per game to opposing tight ends through nine weeks.

Opposing defenses continue to double cover Dolphins outside threats Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, which has opened up Smith for targets from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. That trend should continue for Smith, my No. 12 option for Week 10. He is a low-end starter in leagues that require starting tight ends.

Week 10 fantasy football tight end rankings

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs vs. DEN

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers at TB

3. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. MIN

4. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings at JAX

5. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. SF

6. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals vs. NYJ

7. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints vs. ATL

8. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens vs. CIN

9. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills at IND

10. Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals at BAL

11. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons at NO

12. Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins at LAR

13. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys vs. PHI

14. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions at HOU

15. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots at CHI

16. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders vs. PIT

17. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears vs. NE

18. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers at WAS

19. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles at DAL

20. Tyler Conklin, New York Jets at ARI