Fantasy football Week 8 TE preview: Colston Loveland, Kyle Pitts rise as bye weeks shake up rankings

George Kittle and Isaiah Likely are on bye, but Colston Loveland and Kyle Pitts are back inside the circle of trust

Oct 28, 2026 at 10:06 am ET • 2 min read

I'm not going to say it is a bad week at tight end but it is certainly a different week at tight end. Part of that is because George Kittle, Isaiah Likely, Juwan Johnson, and Dalton Schultz are on bye. Kittle and Likely have been two of the best at the position, while Schultz and Johnson are intermittent streamers at the very least. Another reason it looks so different from the last few weeks is that we are finally starting to trust Colston Loveland and Kyle Pitts again, while Pat Freiermuth and Tyler Higbee have fallen outside the circle of trust.

One thing that remains constant is that it is hard to have any idea what to do with Harold Fannin. Fannin has two games this season with 15 or more Fantasy points and three games with fewer than five. There is not much rhyme or reason to it. He has scored double-digit Fantasy points in all but one of their wins, which may be something, but the target share has been nearly as unpredictable as the Fantasy production. This week, he faces the Steelers for the second time this season, and even that game is an enigma. He only caught three of five targets for 27 yards, but he scored a touchdown, so it was a fine day in Fantasy. That's kind of what we expect this week. Fannin is not a top-12 guy, and he is not someone you need to run away from. He's someone that you start if you don't want to use another roster spot on a tight end, or don't already have someone better.

QB | RB | WR | TE

Here's everything else you need to know about tight end in Week 8:

Week 8 TE Preview

TE Preview

Numbers to Know

• 19 -- Colston Loveland has seen 19 targets in his last two games. This is what we were hoping for to start the year. Even in a bad matchup, you can start him.
• 4 -- Kyle Pitts has scored four touchdowns in seven games. Last year, he set his career high in touchdowns with five.
• 2.37 -- Dalton Kincaid's 2.37 yards per route run ranks second to George Kittle. Kincaid is a borderline TE1 coming off his bye.
• 8 -- Sam LaPorta's eight targets inside the 10-yard line rank second behind Trey McBride. Don't be discouraged by Week 7.
• 22.5% -- Brenton Strange has a 22.5% target share since Week 4. That's tied with Parker Washington for the best mark on the Jaguars.
• 88.9% -- Chigoziem Okonkwo had an 88.9% route share in Week 6, which was a season high. He could be a good streamer with Terry McLaurin out.

TE Preview

Waiver Wire Targets

Week 8 Streamers (TE Preview)

JAC Jacksonville • #85 Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs IND JAC -9.5 O/U 46.5 OPP VS TE 20th TE RNK 12th ROSTERED 60% YTD Stats REC 26 TAR 33 REYDS 279 TD 1 FPTS/G 10 Strange had at least seven targets in three straight games before the Jaguars' Week 7 bye. He's been productive with those targets, averaging 8.5 yards per target. If this role sticks, he's not just a streamer; he's a starting tight end for the rest of the season. For now, be happy if you can replace George Kittle or Isaiah Likely with him.

WAS Washington • #85 Age: 27 • Experience: 5 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs PHI WAS -5.5 O/U 40.5 OPP VS TE 7th TE RNK 11th ROSTERED 15% YTD Stats REC 15 TAR 20 REYDS 150 TD 0 FPTS/G 7.5 Okonkwo ran nearly 90% of the routes for the Commanders in Week 6 and tied Stefon Diggs with a team-best 20% target share. There is no obvious number two target in this offense with Terry McLaurin out for the year and Okonkwo is as good a bet as anyone. He's only played more than 70% of the offensive snaps in two games this season and he has scored double-digit Fantasy points in both.

TE Preview

DFS Plays

Top DFS Play

Projections powered by Sportsline

ATL Atlanta • #8
Age: 26 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP @ TB TB -2.5 O/U 45.5	OPP VS TE 25th	PROJ PTS 10.2	TE RNK 4th

YTD Stats
REC 20	TAR 27	REYDS 191	TD 4	FPTS/G 9

Pitts price hasn't quite caught up to his recent uptick in performance. Also, his track record against Todd Bowles' Tampa Bay defense is incredible. Pitts had 11 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns the last time he faced Tampa Bay. He has scored at least 12 Fantasy points in each of his last five games against them.

Contrarian DFS Play

Projections powered by Sportsline

NE New England • #82
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie

Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP @ MIA NE -7 O/U 44.5	OPP VS TE 30th	PROJ PTS 7.6	TE RNK 20th

YTD Stats
REC 12	TAR 16	REYDS 168	TD 2	FPTS/G 6.8

If you're going to punt the tight end position, why not do so with an exciting rookie who has averaged 10.5 yards per target so far this season? Raridon has 12 targets in his last three games and the Patriots have one of the highest implied totals on the slate, which gives him a better chance to get into the end zone.

TE Preview

Heath's Projections

My full set of Week 8 Fantasy football projections for every position is now available here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 8. Projected stats for all starting tight ends are updated throughout the week, so check back before you set your lineup for the latest information.