Using tiers in fantasy football offers several strategic benefits beyond simple rankings. Rankings are linear, but tiers group players of similar value together. This helps you recognize when there's a big drop-off in talent, so you don't overreact to slight differences in rank. For example, if multiple wide receivers are left in a tier but only one player in the current running-back tier, you're more likely to take the running back before that tier is eliminated.

We'll cover every positional tier as the offseason moves on; today, we look at tight ends.

RELATED: See Quarterback Tiers and Value Picks here.

Elite TE1s

• Brock Bowers, LV
• Trey McBride, ARI
• George Kittle, SF **VALUE PICK**

ADP only has Bowers and McBride in this tier. In fact, both are going in the second round of early Underdog drafts, while Kittle is falling to the fifth round. That's a massive discount for the player who actually had the highest PPR scoring average of the three. It's hard to justify taking Bowers or McBride early when Kittle is so cheap.

Bowers was everything we could have hoped for and more as a rookie. His quarterback play, supporting cast, and offensive coaching should all be improved this year. He could improve and pull away from the pack this year.

McBride finally found paydirt in Week 17 after a nearly season-long touchdown drought, and he is clearly the foundational target in the Cardinals' offense. If Marvin Harrison Jr.'s usage and play improve in year two, McBride won't have to rely on volume to sustain his high fantasy value, which is good, because that prodigious volume will probably take a hit.

Kittle's outstanding 2024 is grossly underappreciated in the fantasy community. Use that to your advantage. He posted the most efficient season of his career per target and is showing no signs of decline, even though he is available 2+ rounds later than younger tight ends he outscored last year. 

Solid TE1s

• Sam LaPorta, DET
• T.J. Hockenson, MIN
• Jonnu Smith, MIA **VALUE PICK**

None of LaPorta, Hockenson, and Smith are expensive, but they are going off the board when intriguing RB/WR and high-ceiling quarterbacks are still available. LaPorta and Hockenson could outproduce ADP with a return to 2023 form, but neither is likely to approach the scoring of the elite tier. Smith was a borderline elite play once the Dolphins consistently involved him in the offense, so he's the clear target of this tier.

One of the glass-half-empty takes on LaPorta last year was that Jameson Williams could cut into his target share if he broke out in 2024. Williams' increase (27) over the target total of 2023's #2 wideout, Josh Reynolds, was close to LaPorta's drop (37) in targets, and the Lions' pass attempts also dropped by about 3.5 per game. LaPorta was banged up, so he could still be a modest hit at an ADP that is three rounds cheaper than what you had to pay last year.

Hockenson getting back on the field in 2024 after suffering a catastrophic knee injury in late 2023 was a victory, but he didn't help us notch many fantasy victories. He'll be better this year and an important target for J.J. McCarthy as he learns the ropes, but the growing pains for the young quarterback will probably lower fantasy outcomes across the board.

Smith had 9 catches for 78 yards in the first four games but was a top-five tight end from Week 5 on. His high target volume was partially due to the offense's struggle to stretch the field in the passing game, but that is unlikely to change greatly in 2025. Smith is undervalued at his current ADP.

Boom/Bust TE1s

• David Njoku, CLE **VALUE PICK**
• Travis Kelce, KC 
• Mark Andrews, BAL
• Isaiah Likely, BAL **VALUE PICK**
• Tucker Kraft, GB 

This group could be a top-five play or outside the top 15 in any given week. Some of the players in the tier are on the upslope side of their career arc, and some are on the downslope side. Most have limited ceilings, but one has the potential to finish in the top five.

Njoku was an elite fantasy option with Joe Flacco for five weeks at the end of the 2023 season. Flacco is back in Cleveland and the favorite to start Week 1. Will he start Week 1? If he does, how long will he remain the starter? He wasn't as good with the Colts last year, so we can't just count on the Browns offense to look like it did with Flacco two years ago. Njoku is still cheap enough to be a good Plan A if you are waiting until at least the top 10 tight ends are gone to take yours.

Kelce's ADP has slipped significantly from the 2024 level, which was already assuming some age-based erosion. After last season, no one can deny that Kelce is in decline; the only question is whether his production dropoff is accelerating past his ADP dropoff. It's probably better to let someone else take him.

Andrews was the subject of trade rumors before the draft, but was still with the Ravens when the dust settled. His 2024 ended on a low note, and he was very touchdown-dependent. He's unlikely to be a big success story in 2025 fantasy leagues.

Likely was the darling of Week 1 after the Chiefs sold out to take away Andrews, but only had sporadic outbursts over the rest of the season. He did stand out at times as a player who can make chunk plays in the postseason, and it's possible that he passes Andrews in the target pecking order this year. He's a good addition to a late-round tight end target list if you pass on tight end early.

Kraft went on a midseason tear, and there's no doubt that he's one of the most talented tight ends in the league after the catch. He's also a player who is still getting better going into his third year. The hitch in his outlook is the crowded Packers' passing game combined with a low-volume passing offense. He will make some impressive plays and win a few weeks for fantasy teams that trust him, but he will also be prone to disappearing from the box score because of limited opportunities.

Low-Ceiling TE1s

• Dallas Goedert, PHI **VALUE PICK**
• Zach Ertz, WAS **VALUE PICK**
• Evan Engram, DEN
• Tyler Higbee, LAR **VALUE PICK**

This group is boring, but they can probably hold the line for you in leagues that don't have tight end premium scoring. They are your floor picks in a tight end by committee approach, guys who you will fall back on if your ceiling pick doesn't hit.

Goedert was a top 10 tight end on a points per game basis last year, and that's before you take the game where he only played three snaps out of his average. His value was perhaps a little inflated by his eight games overlapping with three missed games by DeVonta Smith and three by A.J. Brown, and Goedert did miss eight games himself. All of that is reflected in his inexpensive price.

Ertz was more productive than you remember last year. He actually scored seven times and was at his best at the end of the season and in the playoffs. The team brought him back this offseason, and he should be in the same role.

Engram moves to Denver, where his value could grow or shrink, depending on what you think of him. Did a pass offense with limited imagination in Jacksonville create his production, or was he meriting those targets on his own? The Broncos are paying him like he'll be a central piece, but his ADP assumes that he'll be more productive in Denver than he was in Jacksonville and stay healthy coming off a season when he missed eight games.

Fantasy drafters have left Higbee for dead after the team drafted Terrance Ferguson in the second round, but once he was healthy, Higbee was a great fantasy tight end in Week 18 and the two playoff games. He should be available in the very late rounds, and Ferguson probably won't be ready to cut into his target share until later in the season.

Upside Bench TEs

• Kyle Pitts, ATL
• Tyler Warren, IND
• Colston Loveland, CHI
• Dalton Kincaid, BUF
• Brenton Strange, JAX

Ideally, in a tight end by committee late-round drafting strategy, you pair a tight end from the floor tier above with a ceiling tight end from this tier. If you trust your waiver wire skills and you like to gamble, you might just double up from this tier. You can talk yourself into any of them, but chances are none of them will hit, so don't overpay.

Michael Penix Jr. clearly inflated the value of Ja'Lynn Polk (and maybe Rome Odunze?) in college, so perhaps he could revive the value of Kyle Pitts. Pitts is the cheapest he has ever been, but for good reason.

Warren is the more attractive of the two first-round tight ends because of the possibility of a Taysom Hill-esque role, but if the rushing touches at the goal line don't materialize early, he could be a wasted pick in an anemic pass offense.

Loveland was in position to be one of the breakout tight ends of the year after the Bears selected him at #10… until they selected Luther Burden III at #39. Loveland is more polished than Tyler Warren and can make the most of his opportunity. However, that opportunity will be limited by the Bears' personnel set diversity and likely run-first mentality.

Kincaid has been disappointing through two seasons, and nothing the Bills did this offseason indicates that they expect him to take on a bigger role in year three. His price has plummeted from last year's ADP, which basically assumed a breakout year, so there's some potential post-hype value here if we hear that he's having a good summer.

Strange looked like a suitable replacement for Evan Engram in both NFL and fantasy terms before a fumble seemed to cool his involvement in the passing offense. The new regime seems to like him and has said he will have a large role, but the trade up for Travis Hunter should concentrate the target tree on the top two wide receivers.

Bye/Injury/Emergency TEs

• Pat Freiermuth, PIT
• Cade Otton, TB
• Jake Ferguson, DAL
• Mike Gesicki, CIN
• Hunter Henry, NE
• Dalton Schultz, HOU
• Tyler Conklin, LAC

There's no reason to draft any of these guys in a typical league, but the depth of this tier should make you less afraid of going late-round tight end. The waiver wire should be stocked with players with some chance at a score or enough involvement in the offense to be a fine band-aid until you come up with a better solution at tight end. As we saw with Otten and Gesicki last year, when injuries force players from this tier into bigger roles, they can be difference makers for fantasy.

Deep Bench Stash TEs

• Ben Sinnott, WAS
• Chig Okonkwo, TEN
• Ja'Tavion Sanders, CAR
• Theo Johnson, NYG
• Terrance Ferguson, LAR

If you play in deep leagues or tight end premium leagues, this list should be of special interest. Even if you don't, this list can serve as a primary waiver wire watch list. Sinnott could be a hit if Zach Ertz goes down. Ferguson could be a hit if Tyler Higbee goes down. Johnson was coming on as a rookie before getting hurt last year. Okonkwo and Sanders could become security blankets for young quarterbacks as they develop. 

Waiver-Wire Watch List

• Cole Kmet, CHI
• Dawson Knox, BUF
• Noah Gray, KC
• Cade Stover, HOU
• Elijah Arroyo, SEA
• Mason Taylor, NYJ
• Josh Oliver, MIN
• Michael Mayer, LV
• Luke Schoonmaker, DAL
• Luke Musgrave, GB
• Austin Hooper, NE
• Payne Durham, TB
• Will Dissly, LAC
• Jeremy Ruckert, NYJ
• Harold Fannin Jr., CLE
• Oronde Gadsden II, LAC

This is a deeper waiver wire watch list full of players who could either get on the map via growth into larger roles on the takeoff section of their career arc, or capable #2 tight ends who could have temporary opportunities if the starter ahead of them goes down.