Free agency and new coaching combinations have had an impact on the tight end rankings. Even if it is still too early for redraft leagues it’s never too early to plan your draft.
Still, Too Early Tight End Fantasy Rankings – Part 1
1. Travis Kelce
Yes, he’ll be 35 in October, but come one. He also averaged 14.6 fantasy points in 2023. And that was a down season for the veteran tight end, he only (only!) averaged 10.6 yards per touch. That was the lowest average of his career and his 984 yards from the line of scrimmage was his fewest since 2015!
The Chiefs have signed Irv Smith Jr. and Marquise Brown so Kelce shouldn’t be seeing as many double teams this season. He caught 32 of 37 targets and averaged 88.8 yards per game during the playoffs. He certainly isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
2. Mark Andrews
Andrews’s cracked fibula and damaged ligaments were the driving force in banning the hip drop tackle. They also caused him to miss seven games in the regular season. But he still scored 135.4 fantasy points, averaging 13.5 points per game. That was the same as Evan Engram and ranked them both fourth last season.
Veteran tight end Andrews averaged 11.8 yards per touch and caught a career-high 73.8% of his targets.
3. Sam LaPorta
Rookie tight end LaPorta has drafted nine picks after Dalton Kincaid but scored 89 more fantasy points than him in 2023. The Lions tight end led all tight ends with 239.3 fantasy points! He’s bound to have a tougher time this season now that defenses know what to expect.
But he will still be a serious weapon For the Lions. LaPorta caught 71.1% of his targets in 2023 and averaged 10.3 yards per touch. He also hauled in 10 touchdowns and Ben Johnson stayed in Detroit as the offensive coordinator. So LaPorta won’t have to learn a new offense and the coaches understand how to use his skill set.
4. George Kittle
Kittle will either have a very good season in 2024 or he’ll be the 49ers most important receiver. It all depends on Brandon Aiyuk’s future. If Aiyuk stays in San Francisco, then Kittle will be an important part of a very effective but compact offense. If Aiyuk leaves, then Kittle will be behind just McCaffrey and Samuel when Purdy is looking for a target.
Kittle was the fifth-highest scoring tight end in fantasy football last season, but he saw the fewest targets of the top nine! He only caught six touchdown passes last year, but his 1,022 total yards from scrimmage was his most since 2019. The 49ers would benefit from expanding their offense somewhat, but Shanahan shows no desire to do that.
5. Evan Engram
Engram carried the Jaguars offense on his shoulders in 2023. He caught 28% of the Jaguars’ total receptions and was responsible for 17% of their total yards! It seems unlikely he’ll be as successful this time around.
What does seem likely is that they will still rely on him and Travis Etienne, especially with no Calvin Ridley. They have replaced Ridley with Gabe Davis which should have been a positive for the run blocking, but Davis only caught 45 balls last season. Only LaPorta scored more fantasy points than Engram last season, but Engram’s 963 receiving yards was 197 than he’d even managed before. It seems like that’s more of a blip than a trend. If they can’t get him more involved in the red zone, he’ll struggle to reach last year’s high.
6. David Njoku
Not only is Njoku one of Kyle Brandt’s favorite angry runners, but he’s also a really good football player. He was ranked sixth for fantasy points in 2023 despite having five different quarterbacks throwing him passes.
His six touchdowns were a career-high, and his 81 receptions were 23 more than he’d had before. His trajectory may not continue at such a pace, but he will have a very good 2024. Especially if the Browns can keep one quarterback healthy all seasons!
7. Jake Ferguson
The Cowboys’ tight end was the ninth-highest fantasy scorer in 2023. Largely because he was one of the biggest red zone targets in the league. Ferguson saw four more red zone targets than Kelce did last year, his 23 was the same number Amon-Ra St. Brown saw. The only thing that could alter that is the return of Ezekiel Elliott.
25-year-old Ferguson only caught 69.6% of his targets last season, a 16.5% fall from 2022. If he can get close to his rookie season catch rate in 2024, he’ll definitely be a top-10 tight end again, whatever the Cowboys offense looks like.
8. Trey McBride
The Cardinals’ tight end was finally allowed to demonstrate the talent he has. Mina Kimes was a big supporter of the former Colorado State tight end as a rookie, maybe even more than the Cardinals were. And they drafted him! The Cardinals were so pleased with McBride in 2023 they released Zach Ertz.
Only six tight ends scored more fantasy points than McBride in 2023. He caught 76.4% of his targets but only hauled in three touchdowns. He only started 12 games in 2023 though, he’s sure to score even more points in 2024 when he will be a starter from day one.
9. Brock Bowers
The former Georgia tight end is setting tongues wagging with his speed, pass-catching, and blocking ability. He projects as the 10th overall pick in the draft. That would see him land in New York as a Jet, which would be a bummer. But if Aaron Rodgers actually plays some football in-between his appearances on podcasts maybe Bowers becomes his new Jermichael Finley?
10. Kyle Pitts
Pitts finally doesn’t have to deal with Arthur Smith calling everybody else’s number while he’s on the field. Zac Robinson is a former passing game coordinator so he should realize Pitts is a matchup nightmare for a defense. Especially in the red zone. And Kirk Cousins will love having a 6 feet 6-inch target, he can just throw the ball up for his guy to go up and get it. Like he did with Justin Jefferson. Pitts has never caught more than three touchdowns in a season, that has to change in 2024.
Even though he wasn’t really used properly in 2023 the former Florida tight end still scored 137.3 fantasy points in 2023. That’s going to increase significantly in 2024 with a more reliable quarterback.
11. Dallas Goedert
Goedert fractured his shoulder and broke his forearm in Week 10 and while he returned in Week 14 it’s difficult to imagine he wasn’t hampered. He also had to deal with a very strange Eagles defense that became easier to defend as the season went on. And an Eagles defense that was banged up and unable to get off the field.
Kellen Moore will be calling plays this season. So, the offense should be more unpredictable, and if Goedert can avoid any painful injuries he will improve on the 136.3 fantasy points he scored last season.
12, Taysom Hill
He’s not really a tight end, is he? But that’s the category he falls into in some fantasy leagues. And he did catch a career-high 33 passes in 2023. But Pete Carmichael isn’t the Saints offensive coordinator anymore. Maybe Klint Kubiak’s offense will incorporate more disguise.
Even though Hill is now 33 2023 was his best year. He set new career highs for targets, total yards from scrimmage, and receiving yards per game. He only started seven games though. If Kubiak decides to make him a cornerstone of his offense Hill could score even more than his 143.52 fantasy points that saw him ranked 12th in 2023.
Main Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
