Tight ends can make or break a fantasy team. Oftentimes, there is a steep drop off between the top three at the position and everyone else. Hopefully this helps in your decision making when you go to draft and you end the season with a championship. Without further ado here are my top 5 tight ends for the 2023-2024 season.
*Note: Rankings are subject to change. To see the most up to date rankings, click here.
- Travis Kelce
Kelce is the undisputed king of fantasy football tight ends until proven otherwise. His dominance has been proven to win leagues and is often seen going in the first round. In PPR formats, he has been the #1 TE in six of the last seven years. Until proven otherwise, he should be considered the #1.
- TJ Hockenson
Last year Hockenson found himself traded from the Detroit Lions to the Minnesota Vikings. While he received pretty good production on the Lions, he is without a doubt in a more pass happy offense. In 2022, he ended the season as the #2 fantasy TE of the year. With a full offseason with the vikings and the departure of Adam Thielen, Hockenson should soak up some extra targets and continue to be a reliable target for Kirk Cousins.
- Mark Andrews
I really wanted to put Andrews higher on this list. He has been one of the standout TEs for the past few years and has an amazing connection with his QB. However, Andrews missed a few games due to injury last year and there continues to be QB drama in Baltimore. If Lamar Jackson plays this season, Andrews should move up this list. If not, he still remains a reliable safety blanket to whoever is under center and should be busy. The Ravens also don’t have much talent to throw to outside of Rashod Bateman which bodes well for Andrews.
- Evan Engram
Engram’s move to the Jaguars has been nothing but productive for the former Giant. Paired with a young QB and a growing team, Engram showed his best days were not behind him as a fantasy TE. I think he will continue to be productive in this offense even with the return of Calvin Ridley.
- Cole Kmet
This might be a hot take but I think Cole Kmet makes a jump this upcoming season. Kmet finished as TE 8 last year in an offense that largely ran around Justin Fields ability to make plays with his legs (pun intended). Kmet was also used pretty consistently in the red zone and managed to reel in 7 touchdowns and 544 yards. From week 9 on, Kmet had 5 double digit fantasy performances which bodes well going into 2023. I think this offense will only get better in 2023 as the younger players continue to develop and the addition of former Panthers DJ Moore and D’Onta Foreman helps open up the offense for Fields.
Players I like
George Kittle
Take this opinion and lack of top a 5 placement with a grain of salt. Kittle is without a doubt one of the most talented tight ends in the National Football League and he certainly has the potential to be a top 5 fantasy TE. He falls outside of my top five for a couple reasons. The first is that there are a lot of mouths to feed in San Francisco. Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey stand to soak up a large part of the target share as well as Brandon Aiyuk.The second is that right now the 49ers have a QB issue. An unproven Trey Lance and injured Brock Purdy could hinder Kittle’s fantasy potential. All that being said, Kittle was quite productive with a healthy Purdy under center. He finished as TE 3 on the year in large part to his goal line production reeling in 11 TDs.
Pat Freiermuth
Last year Freiermuth flew under the radar in a lot of drafts. Team owners who drafted him were rewarded with quality production at the tight end position. Freiermuth became a reliable safety blanket for rookie QB Kenny Pickett. Freiermuth only scored two touchdowns last year but was targeted 98 times. Another year playing together should increase their connection.
Darren Waller
I think the trade from the Raiders is a positive move for both Waller and the New York Giants. Waller joins a team that is hurting for pass catchers and that has also shown a TE can be productive for fantasy purposes. The hang up is that Waller has dealt with injuries the last couple seasons and only played nine games in 2022. If Waller remains healthy and returns to form, he could very well end up as a top 5 TE.
Dalton Schultz
Now with the Texans, Schultz could be a tough sell for fantasy owners. Historically the Texans have not played well and have had a lot of issues offensively. However, Schultz is an immediate upgrade to the previous tight end group. A lot can be said for the connection between a rookie QB and his TE. Often used as a safety blanket, the potential is there for a lot of targets. Every indication (and common sense) says that the Texans intend to draft a QB with the second overall pick in this year’s draft so Schultz could end up being a quality addition to fantasy rosters. Especially if you miss out on a lot of the top tight ends.