Tight ends are the necessary evil of fantasy football. They don’t score a lot. Their weekly consistency is hard to predict. Every year, late-round surprises pop up, and early-round picks bust. Aside from running backs, tight ends are the most frustrating position to forecast, year-over-year or weekly.
More and more leagues are incorporating a WR/TE flex spot. Others have added "Tight-End Premium" scoring (giving 1.5 or 2 points per reception to tight ends) to increase their importance. But that inflates the value of elite tight ends and does little for the rest. The reality is that just a select few tight ends matter every year. Last year, for instance, we had ten tight ends who averaged ten-plus points in PPR leagues. For comparison, 47 wide receivers hit that mark. To continue the comparison, while many fantasy players were elated to stumble upon Jake Ferguson last year, he put up less weekly production than Brandin Cooks.
Having a true difference-maker at the position makes wins easy to come by. Travis Kelce’s historic run appears to be coming to an end. And his success has caused fantasy managers to invest heavily in "the next Kelce." But the reality is that we probably won’t have one. However, a few guys in dynasty tight-end rankings currently separate themselves from the rest.
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Dynasty Tight End Rankings
Crème de la Crème
All of these tight ends are under 25 and have extremely promising profiles. Ranking these players is extremely difficult, and preference comes down to personal conviction.
Sam LaPorta just had the most productive fantasy season from a rookie tight end in NFL history. His production was heavily skewed by hauling in ten touchdowns, but he ranked in the top ten in nearly every usage and efficiency metric. Given his rookie-year production, it’s hard to argue against him as the current dynasty TE1, but others can also make strong claims. Three years ago, Kyle Pitts recorded 1,026 receiving yards, second-most by a rookie tight end in NFL history to only Mike Ditka. Since then, he has displayed an elite profile. His ability to run every route and pull valuable targets deep downfield gives us hope, but the production hasn’t been there. Kirk Cousins could finally unlock him in 2024. Once Zach Ertz went down with a midseason injury, Trey McBride was arguably the best tight end in the league. There are concerns about how he will produce with Marvin Harrison Jr. and how it took until midway through Year 2 to break out finally. But he looked all the part of an elite tight end to close out 2024. Dalton Kincaid is in the best situation of the bunch, tied to Josh Allen and an elite passing offense for the foreseeable future.
These tight ends all have youth, production, and athleticism on their side. Even disappointing 2024 seasons should insulate their value going forward. You should have no qualms about paying for these tight ends.
Still TE1
Travis Kelce falls into the same bucket that Tyreek Hill and Christian McCaffrey did in the articles that prequel this one. In redraft rankings, he is atop or near his position. However, age concerns in dynasty formats are impossible to ignore. Last year, in his age-34 season, he posted his fewest receiving yards since 2015. However, he was still the per-game TE1 in scoring. And he did that while battling a slew of injuries. A healthy Kelce would have presumably fared better over the year, and that’s what we’re hoping for in 2024. But like Hill and McCaffrey, there’s fear that an injury or a down season could cause his value to tailspin. Because of Kelce’s age and shelf life, he should be reserved only for dynasty teams that are contending and in need of a tight end. If you are not contending and have Kelce on your roster, hope he starts the season off hot so you can flip him for future production.
Potential Heirs To The Kelce Throne
- T.J. Hockenson
- Mark Andrews
The only things these tight ends don’t have that the Crème de la Crème tier doesn’t are youth and health. T.J. Hockenson is about to be 27 and coming off a late-season ACL tear. Mark Andrews will be 29 when the season kicks off and had his 2023 season cut short by a broken fibula. Because of these concerns, both tight ends can be had at a discount this year. Both have displayed abilities to be elite fantasy scorers. Andrews is the only tight end dating back to 2016 to log as the season's top per-game scorer at the position, besides Travis Kelce. Hockenson showed some flashes in Detroit but exploded after a surprising trade to Minnesota in 2022. And while these tight ends aren’t relatively as young as the top tier, they are still on the proper side of the age curve for tight ends, and it’s not ridiculous to think that their best years are ahead of them. Kelce finished the year with 14.6 points per game. Hockenson finished the season with 14.6 points per game. And before Andrews’ season-ending injury, he averaged 14.6 points per game. While most fantasy managers are trading away the farm for the sub-25-year-old tight ends with potential, savvy managers will pick up these boring veterans and ride them to championships.
Sneaky Buys
- George Kittle
- Evan Engram
Even more grizzled than the tier above, these tight ends can be had for cheap in dynasty leagues. They have also displayed abilities as high-end fantasy points compilers. Like the tier above, they make for great discounted options for contenders. George Kittle has been an efficiency monster throughout his career, and that has yet to change. Just last year, he led all tight ends in yards per route run. He also set a career-high in route participation. The concern with Kittle throughout his career has been his need for more involvement in the receiving game. But as he ages, he’s being asked to block less and catch more, setting him up for a potentially surprising future. Evan Engram was a fantasy darling for years after an exciting rookie season. But he never built off that success and struggled during his tenure in New York. But a move to Jacksonville resuscitated his value, and he has finished back-to-back in the top five with his new team.
Good With Room For Even More Growth
- David Njoku
- Jake Ferguson
- Cole Kmet
- Pat Freiermuth
In my opinion, there’s a pretty significant tier drop after the first nine tight ends. David Njoku, Jake Ferguson, Cole Kmet, and Pat Freiermuth have all had stretches of solid production. They are all relatively young. They could quickly jump into tiers above, but there’s also a risk that they become replacement-level players for the rest of their careers. Njoku looked great to close out the 2023 season, but he plays over half of his snaps inline, which is not a role that typically leads to stellar fantasy production. Ferguson was a red-zone threat on a prolific offense last year, but his overall usage was a bit concerning. Kmet has been a phenomenal real-life tight end, but like early-career George Kittle, he is asked to block quite a bit. He also has intense target competition in Chicago. Many view Freiermuth as a top-five tight end after his sophomore season, but he fell flat the next season and may be a flash in the pan.
The tight ends in this tier have a lot of the upside baked into their cost with little regard for the downside. They could jump if you have a strong take on a player and want to buy them. But buyer beware: that jump in value is not guaranteed.
High-End 2024 Rookies
- Brock Bowers
- Ben Sinnott
As with all of these articles, this is a more complex list of rankings than you’ll typically find. Brock Bowers fits in the top seven, and Sinnott is more of a high-end TE2. But for the sake of grouping players in buckets with similar profiles, both rookies have the potential to climb the dynasty tight-end rankings this season.
Bowers is an elite prospect who went 13th overall to the Raiders. He should be a weapon almost immediately upon stepping onto a field. But as we’ve seen from plenty of first-round tight end busts, talent and athleticism don’t always translate to NFL success. Some consensus rankings have Bowers as high as TE2. At that value, he’s encroaching on must-sell territory. Sinnott was drafted in Round 2, and because of that, he doesn’t have the same allure as Bowers. But he’s a target magnet with sure hands who can make plays after the catch. He’s a much cheaper option who has significant room to grow. Given the current price of both tight ends, I much prefer Sinnott to Bowers.
Tight End Handcuff?
- Isaiah Likely
- Dawson Knox
These players both fall into rarified buckets as tight-end handcuffs. As it stands, they have minimal weekly value. But in the event of injuries to Mark Andrews or Dalton Kincaid, Isaiah Likely and Dawson Knox become weekly starters in fantasy. We’re familiar with "handcuff" regarding running backs, but we rarely see it at other positions. Knox plays a slightly different role than Kincaid, frequently lining up in line. But Likely has provided almost identical production in the same role Andrews plays when the latter has been injured. Likely is 24, and Knox is 27, both young by tight-end standards. Although they’ll spend a lot of time on your bench, their contingent weekly upside makes them both appealing in dynasty.
Young And Promising
- Luke Musgrave
- Tucker Kraft
- Cade Otton
- Michael Mayer
In recent years, we’ve seen a massive changing of the guard at the tight-end position. As Travis Kelce and George Kittle age, an influx of young and talented players are entering the league. Of course, the top tier of players gets most of the recognition. But this tier could quickly see themselves climb the rankings as well. Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft were drafted in the second and third rounds of last year’s draft, and both showed spurts of productivity between injuries. Being young, tied to Jordan Love, and a part of an ambiguous situation of pass catchers gives them an intriguing - albeit wide - range of outcomes. Cade Otton didn’t do much as a rookie, but he saw his role grow in Year 2 and established himself as an every-down player on the Buccaneers. Michael Mayer is probably the most intriguing player of the bunch. He was the clear TE1 of his draft class, going 35th overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. However, their selection of Brock Bowers the following season could impede Mayer's path to relevance. He makes for a good target among rebuilding rosters, but imagining he will produce soon is tough.
Discounted Veterans
- Dalton Schultz
- Dallas Goedert
- Hunter Henry
- Jonnu Smith
- Taysom Hill
- Tyler Higbee
- Gerald Everett
We’ve seen enough from these guys to know they probably won’t ever hit elite status. However, tight-end production is volatile, and the margins between middling TE1 and back-end TE2 are often pretty thin. All of these tight ends could be had for very cheap. And while they likely won’t be difference-makers in your league, you can hope to get steady production from them. Dalton Schultz and Dallas Goedert are good players on good offenses, but intense target competition lowers their floors and ceilings. Hunter Henry has consistently contributed but has never ascended above being a back-end TE1. Jonnu Smith is a wildly talented player, but his versatile skillset doesn’t always lead to fantasy production. Taysom Hill is going into his age-34 season, but his roles as a hybrid backup quarterback, goal-line running back, tight end, and slot receiver give him a very high weekly ceiling. Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett are also players who have shown promise early in their careers but probably aren’t much more than bye-week fillers.
These guys can all be had for a third-rounder or cheaper. While you don’t want to count on them every week, they make for decent injury and bye-week replacements on contending rosters.
Young And Athletic
- Chigoziem Okonkwo
- Greg Dulcich
- Irv Smith Jr.
- Luke Schoonmaker
- Jelani Woods
- Daniel Bellinger
- Tommy Tremble
- Ja'Tavion Sanders
These guys probably won’t produce as much as the tier ahead. But they have room for value growth, something the Discounted Veterans do not. They could also be worthless by the midway point of this season. Plenty of Young and Athletic tight ends flame out every year.
Bargain Bin Veterans
- Darren Waller
- Noah Fant
- Mike Gesicki
- Tyler Conklin
- Zach Ertz
- Logan Thomas
- Hayden Hurst
These guys should only be on your radar in deep leagues. Some might retire before the season starts, others only have a year or two left in the tank, and the rest are start-in-a-pinch-and-pray-for-a-touchdown plays. Some of these tight ends have been elite in the past and others are has-been promising prospects. If you’re relying on any of these players for weekly production, you probably need to reassess your entire roster.
Lotto Tickets
- Noah Gray
- Darnell Washington
- Brevin Jordan
- Kylen Granson
- Donald Parham Jr.
The tight ends in this tier have almost no projectable role or volume. But they are young and athletic and could see a bump in value. If you’re rostering any of these players, the best practice would be to sell them as soon as they rise in value.
Dynasty Tight-End Rankings
In addition to my dynasty tight-end rankings, check out all positional rankings here!
