Brock Bowers goes spiked week hunting in New York, Dalton Kincaid eyes up shootout game script with the Ravens, and Brenton Strange ponders making a run at TE1 status.

Week 8 Tight Ends

TE Notes: Catching 4-6 passes every week, Tucker Kraft seems like he badly wants to spike a week. I’m just not positive he can. Returning from a torn ACL, Kraft seems like a classic case where we will get an offseason report that the seam stretcher did not finally begin to feel like himself again until November or December. Well November is here Sunday. Hopefully it arrives a little early for Kraft on Thursday against the Panthers. … Colston Loveland has reanimated for real, finishing as the TE4 and TE3, respectively, over the past two weeks. That was always the most likely outcome, though he has a difficult matchup as he looks to turn in a “bounce back turkey.” The Seahawks not only have the league’s best pass defense by a considerable margin, they are also surrendering the third fewest tight end fantasy points. … Dalton Kincaid had something of a “bounce back” before the Bills’ Week 7 bye. “Bounce back” in this instance being a TE16 day, but we will take it. He’s hopefully ready for more in a Ravens matchup where the Bills should have to cut their passing game loose.

Sam LaPorta’s worst game of the season could not have come at a worse time for fantasy managers, as he now has the worst defensive matchup for a tight end. The Vikings’ elite pass defense is permitting the fewest tight end fantasy tallies. You don’t bench LaPorta for a variety of reasons — lack of legitimate alternatives chief amongst them — but it’s safe to say he is unlikely to carry the squad this week. … Every time I watch Travis Kelce I feel like it appears he’s done. Then every time I look up his average PPR points, he remains a solid TE1. The Broncos are not a great matchup, but they are more vulnerable up the seam than on the perimeter. Kelce will neither win nor lose weeks this Sunday. … Chig Okonkwo has been a TE1 by average PPR points since returning in Week 5. With Terry McLaurin on injured reserve, Okonkwo is going to be the Commanders’ No. 2 weapon more weeks than not. He has a volume-based fantasy floor that could mix in spiked weeks on the strength of pure compiling.

Kyle Pitts’ route rate continues to leave something to be desired. He has nevertheless caught five passes in three consecutive starts, and is facing little competition for the Falcons’ No. 2 weapon status. At some point, he’s going to need more pass-catching opportunities, but this is good enough for the time being. … A stubborn presence in the low-end TE1 ranks, T.J. Hockenson an A+ Week 8 matchup in a Lions defense surrendering the most tight end fantasy points. … The Rams can’t make up their mind at tight end. Then again, they don’t really have to. They have the luxury of throwing to whomever is open. Lately, that has been Colby Parkinson more often than Tyler Higbee. The duo is still close enough in routes that it can’t be considered a sticky trend. Neither is an awful play. Nor are they great. Parkinson, it must be noted, isn’t practicing with a rib injury. … Mason Taylor has moved considerably ahead of Kenyon Sadiq in the Jets’ tight end targets competition. Good for him, though there are likely to be no real winners here for the foreseeable future with Omar Cooper Jr. and Adonai Mitchell both back in Gang Green’s lineup.

Week 8 Kickers

Week 8 Defense/Special Teams