Undervalued Players: 7 Tight Ends to Target

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A fantasy draft is all about obtaining the most value with each selection. Value is available throughout a draft; grabbing it is one of the most important keys to a successful fantasy team. To point out this value, we asked our staff to identify players available in the top half of your draft who should outperform their draft position.

RELATED: See the 11 Undervalued Wide Receivers here >>>

Here are the tight ends who received the most votes:

• Mark Andrews, Baltimore
• Evan Engram, Jacksonville
• T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota
• George Kittle, San Francisco
• Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh

And here are all of the players with multiple mentions and the reasons why.

Undervalued Players Receiving 4 Votes

Mark Andrews, Baltimore

Chad Parsons: Andrews has finished as TE5 or better in adjusted point-per-game for five straight seasons. Andrews remains the WR1 for Baltimore despite additions of Round 1 traditional receivers in Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers in recent offseasons. Andrews is priced at his floor with straightforward outcomes to finish as TE1 or TE2 overall. Andrews' combination of elite seasons and age makes him the best blend of profile and age curve at the position until further notice.

Sigmund Bloom: Andrews' ADP only makes sense if you believe he will get hurt and miss a significant part of the season again. His ankle injury was serious, but Andrews was able to return by the end of the Ravens' season. As long as he doesn't show any lingering issues in camp, we should be looking at Andrews the same way we did going into last season when he was going 2-3 rounds earlier in fantasy drafts.

Drew Davenport: I know it's fun to go after the young tight ends this year, but pushing Andrews down to TE5 seems like an overreaction to a late-season injury to the Ravens' star. Andrews led Baltimore in targets in both 2021 and 2022 before the injury snapped his streak last year, though he was on pace to lead the team for the third straight season. He'll be 29 years old this year but that's still in the sweet spot where we can expect elite production for at least another year or two. Before going down last year in Week 11, Andrews was the TE3 through 10 weeks in total points and points per game. The Baltimore wide receiver corps is fine, but they aren't special to demand targets over Andrews. I'll be happy to take Andrews at a discount this summer if this lasts.

Sam Wagman: It's easy to forget that Andrews has finished three of the past five seasons as a top-four TE. His ankle injury from last season, while serious, is fully recovered from now, and even so, he averaged 14.56 PPG in nine games that he started and finished, a number that would rank TE3. The Ravens subtracted Odell Beckham Jr and only added a Day 3 WR this offseason, so Andrews could be poised for just as good a role as he has had in previous seasons.

Evan Engram, Jacksonville

Ryan Weisse: I'm not sure what Evan Engram has to do to get some respect from fantasy drafters, but I'll gladly sit back and take the value. In 2022, he finished the season red hot and ended up as the fifth-best fantasy tight end. Then, in 2023, he improved on just about every metric and was the second-best tight end in fantasy with 16 more targets than any other player at the position. The Jaguars lost Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones, replacing them with Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. That seems like a net-equal to me, and there is no reason to expect Engram to take a large step back in volume, yards, or scoring. He is likely a top-5 tight end again in 2024.

Dave Kluge: Evan Engram had a promising rookie season but never built off of the early-career success in New York. Although a trade to Jacksonville has unlocked his potential, previously scorned fantasy managers are keeping his ADP at a reasonable price. Engram was the TE5 in 2022 and the TE2 last year, averaging 12.0 PPR points per game over the last two seasons. He led all tight ends in targets last year, securing his role as Trevor Lawrence's safety blanket underneath. His target volume sets up a safe floor and a high ceiling, something you rarely get from a fantasy tight end.

Bob Harris: Last year's TE2, Engram was also TE5 in 2022, his first season in Jacksonville. Those finishes have come thanks in large part to volume. Specifically, he drew 98 targets in 2022 and a league-high (for the position) 143 targets last year. According to PlayerProfiler.com, Jacksonville has the fifth-most vacated targets in the NFL. Even if he doesn't duplicate last year's 23.8 percent target share, Engram would be a value this year at his 2022 target rate. It's reasonable to expect positive scoring regression after he finished with four touchdowns last year. Worth noting, Engram was most effective when it mattered most in 2023, delivering TE1 numbers from Weeks 12-18.

Gary Davenport: Last year, no tight end in the NFL was targeted more times than the 143 Engram received. His 114 catches also led the position. Engram was third among tight ends in receiving yards and only Sam LaPorta had more PPR fantasy points. His fantasy situation isn’t considerably worse than a year ago. And yet the 29-year-old is being selected well outside the top five at his position. If you don’t want to pay retail for a tight end on draft day, Engram is the ideal mid-round target.

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota

Jason Wood: I actually think the consensus ADP is largely locked in at tight end, including some of the players my colleagues have cited as being undervalued. But the one who stands out is Hockenson. Yes, he's recovering from a torn ACL, but he was on record a few weeks ago, saying he fully expects to be fine for Week 1. Unless that timetable changes, there's absolutely no justification for drafting him outside of the top 12 when he's easily a top-5 option unless the Vikings' quarterback situation is a complete disaster. 

Drew Davenport: Seeing Hockenson drop in drafts so far isn't surprising, but seeing him slip to TE14? That is surprising to me. So often, there isn't enough of an injury discount for guys coming off major leg injuries, but for some reason, in this case, the market has overcorrected. The two major red flags for Hockenson are the late-season ACL tear and the uncertainty at quarterback. But that doesn't justify someone with his track record and talent dropping out of the top 12 tight ends. That price tag is exactly what you want from a talented guy that people are nervous about, as there's almost no risk taking him where he's going right now in double-digits rounds. 

Andy Hicks: Obviously, news about his recovery from a torn ACL needs to be monitored carefully, but T.J. Hockenson is as clear a case of value as you will see in fantasy football. He has finished as a top-four fantasy tight end in the last two years and, on a points-per-game basis last season, finished behind only Travis Kelce. Even if he misses a game or two that vaults him well ahead of the iffy choices at his current draft slot. 

Matt Montgomery: It is no secret that players suffering devastating injuries late in the season are immediately devalued in the next season. While I don’t disagree with the logic behind this, we have seen significant advances in rehabilitation and decreases in time away when players are truly committed. Hockenson finished just shy of 100 catches and 1000 yards and averaged above eight targets per game. With Minnesota getting a rookie quarterback who will need a safety valve and a dominant outside weapon that teams must scheme against, Hockenson could be in for a career year if he can get back on the field promptly. It may take patience, but I believe managers will be rewarded for waiting for the 26-year-old to heal. 

George Kittle, San Francisco

Sigmund Bloom: Kittle has been drafted as a top 4 tight end since 2019, but for some reason, fantasy football players see him as not worthy of a spot in or even adjacent to that group this season. Nothing has significantly changed in his situation, and his production last year only dropped off slightly from his typical numbers. If Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk miss significant time or get traded after an offseason full of trade rumors about both, Kittle could easily be TE1 this year, and history shows that he's the most likely tight end drafted outside of the Top 5 to finish there in 2024.

James Brimacombe: In 16 games in 2023, Kittle finished as the TE2 with a 65/1020/6 stat line, and in the last six seasons, five of those, he finished TE2, TE3, TE3, TE2, and TE2. I don't see a reason why he can't land as a top 3 tight end again this year, as the offense is lined up perfectly for him to succeed, and his current discount is the best you can find for a star tight end.

Dave Kluge: George Kittle's bread and butter has always been his efficiency. Last year, he led all tight ends in yards per route run, yards per target, yards per reception, yards per team pass attempt, EPA, and deep targets. But what's especially exciting is that he's doing that in a growing role as a pass-catcher. He's seen his route participation go up every year since 2019, including a career-best and 3rd-highest in the league 95.3% rate last year. Maintaining his elite efficiency in a growing role gives him a sky-high ceiling.

Phil Alexander: I'm as intrigued by the potential of up-and-coming youngsters like Trey McBride, Dalton Kincaid, and Kyle Pitts as the next guy, but are we sure their best possible outcomes for 2024 don't project similar to the 1,020 yards and six touchdowns Kittle posted a year ago? Kittle has performed at an elite level in fantasy since the 49ers began giving him significant playing time as a rookie in 2017. Let someone else make an aspirational pick at tight end while you accumulate more useful running backs and wide receivers and enjoy Kittle's bankable high-end production from a later draft slot.

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh

James Brimacombe: There is not much in the Steelers passing game depth behind George Pickens, and Freiermuth feels like the second option right now on paper. There are upgrades here at quarterback in both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, and Freiermuth is set to benefit from those upgrades. The ADP price is very good right now to take a shot on Freiermuth as a value at a position already so up and down in fantasy production.

Leo Paciga: New additions Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are QB upgrades over last year’s gruesome twosome of Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. Looking at the receiving core, once you get past WR George Pickens, the competition for targets in the Steelers offense gets muddy rather quickly. New Pittsburgh OC Arthur Smith had a TE room in Atlanta that posted combined numbers of 170+ targets, 100+ receptions, 1,350+ yards, and 7 TDs last season. Pat Freiermuth is heading into the perfect storm for sleeper TE status - improved QB play, a lack of competition at the position and for overall targets, and a current ADP of TE16. Sign me up ASAP.

Corey Spala: Arthur Smith creates an edge to exploit at the tight end position this year. The departure of Diontae Johnson yet the rookie draft selection of Roman Wilson combines with a perceived Smith offense, the cherry on top for Freiermuth. Smith's TE2 had over 50 receptions and 550 yards last season and finished as TE17. Freiermuth is currently being drafted as TE16, yet will be the TE1 for Pittsburgh. I am not sure Darnell Washington will have a similar TE2 season coexisting with Freiermuth, similar to Jonnu Smith to Kyle Pitts. I would not be surprised to see a top-10 finish for Freiermuth - candidly on the TE7-10 side.

Jeff Bell: The Arthur Smith jokes are easy, and we are all frustrated with the lack of production from what should be elite fantasy players holding high draft capital. But the Falcons led the NFL in tight end target share, so it’s fair to suggest Kyle Pitts’ lagging production could have more to do with Desmond Ridder and a nagging injury Pitts admitted he played through after the season. Buy the dip. Freiermuth sits at TE16, and you likely need to climb to TE10 David Njoku to match Freiermuth’s opportunity to be a top-two target in their team’s passing attack. Freiermuth looked to be emerging following the 2022 season when he finished as TE7. The emergence of several other young TEs in 2023 pushed the spotlight away, but he is the best chance outside of the Top 12 to return a TE1 season.