Fixing Your Dynasty Team, Tight End Edition

Photo: USA Today Sports

Fixing the tight end position is more difficult than fixing other positions. Outside of the couple of elite players, there is a big compression of the position. Paying for minimal upgrades in this range of the position can be a waste of resources, so you should resist the temptation. There are two fixes to the tight end position, either target tight ends with high volume or target elite profiles.

The Layout of the Tight End Position

There is not much difference outside of the elite of the couple elite tight ends. Last year, Mark Andrews finished as TE1 in PPR, scoring with 17.5 points per game, which was 3.2 points more than Rob Gronkowski who was TE3 in points per game. By way of comparison, the difference between Gronkowski and Taysom Hill, the TE12, was 4.2 points per game.

This year the difference is greater. Travis Kelce is TE1, with 20.5 points per game, while Dallas Goedert has 12.8 points per game as TE3. The difference between TE3 and Dalton Schultz at TE12, is 4.1 points per game.

This is a consistent feature of the tight end position. The elites stand out, while the rest of the position compresses together.

This creates two easy lessons for the tight end position.

First, do not play for non-elite profiles. The compression of the tight end position makes the difference between TE6 and TE 15 not worth paying for. At present, the difference is 3.3 points: Zach Ertz is TE6 at 11.2 points per game, while Tyler Higbee is TE15 at 7.9 points per game.

In 2021, the difference was only 2.4 points per game: Darren Waller was TE6 at 12.1 points per game, while Hunter Henry was TE15 at 9.7 points per game.

This is a place in the position rife with unpredictable variance and unlikely to move the direction of your season. When looking in the middle of the position, aim for tight ends that run a lot of routes. Evan Engram and a healthy Hayden Hurst are good examples of high-volume tight ends.