One of the most frustrating positions for fantasy football drafts is at tight end, and knowing who to target at the position is always tough. The problem is the general shortage of viable options to consistently contribute week after week.
It’s a simple issue of supply and demand. There is a bigger demand for the position and there is not enough supply to ensure that every fantasy manager can feel comfortable with who they draft. That pushes up the value of the position as a whole and strips away the majority of the value come draft day.
Fantasy Football TE Rankings
The rankings below are a consensus of our fantasy analysts based on PPR scoring. They also shape the redraft values in our fantasy football trade analyzer.
1) Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs
2) Sam LaPorta | Detroit Lions
3) Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens
4) Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals
5) Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills
6) Evan Engram | Jacksonville Jaguars
7) George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers
8) Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons
9) Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys
10) David Njoku | Cleveland Browns
11) Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders
12) Dallas Goedert | Philadelphia Eagles
13) T.J. Hockenson | Minnesota Vikings
14) Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans
15) Luke Musgrave | Green Bay Packers
16) Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers
17) Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears
18) Taysom Hill | New Orleans Saints
19) Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20) Hunter Henry | New England Patriots
21) Chigoziem Okonkwo | Tennessee Titans
22) Isaiah Likely | Baltimore Ravens
23) Tyler Conklin | New York Jets
24) Tucker Kraft | Green Bay Packers
25) Juwan Johnson | New Orleans Saints
26) Noah Fant | Seattle Seahawks
27) Mike Gesicki | Cincinnati Bengals
28) Ja’Tavion Sanders | Carolina Panthers
29) Gerald Everett | Chicago Bears
30) Ben Sinnott | Washington Commanders
31) Michael Mayer | Las Vegas Raiders
32) Dawson Knox | Buffalo Bills
33) Tyler Higbee | Los Angeles Rams
34) Jelani Woods | Indianapolis Colts
35) Logan Thomas | San Francisco 49ers
36) Colby Parkinson | Los Angeles Rams
Which TEs Should You Draft in 2024?
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce is currently being drafted as the TE2, a late third-round selection. In early drafts, we have something of a “Big Three” at the tight end position as we have had in years past, but the names are different next to Kansas City’s star (Sam LaPorta and Trey McBride have replaced Mark Andrews and George Kittle).
Within that tier, there’s a conviction among early drafters that LaPorta should go half-to-one round ahead of Kelce, with the same distance separating Kelce and McBride.
The peaks and valleys are a part of the TE position for most, so why pay top dollar for it?
- Games 1-4: 0 games with 70 yards
- Games 7-9: 0 games with 60 yards
- Games 13-15: 0 games with 45 yards
For more, check out Travis Kelce’s complete fantasy profile.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
Engram turns 30 years old in September and hasn’t caught more than four touchdowns in a season since scoring six times as a rookie (one TD every 23.4 catches and 30.1 targets with Jacksonville). Volume is Engram’s path to posting another Tier 2 season at the position, and managers are drafting him in the sixth round for his consistency, not his ceiling.
For parts of this offseason, Engram’s ADP has been fluctuating between that of George Kittle and Kyle Pitts, typically settling roughly a round behind.
I don’t get it. At best, I’d give Kittle a chance at posting a similar year-end stat line in terms of fantasy points to Engram, but in a very sporadic fashion, that is more maddening than helpful.
I understand the excitement surrounding Pitts with Kirk Cousins now in town, but I prefer to take on risk in the later stages of the draft. By locking in a player I feel comfortable with weekly — like Engam at a onesie position — I allow myself to swing for the fences at the other skill positions to find a diamond in the rough.
For more, check out Evan Engram’s complete fantasy profile.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
LaPorta’s 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 TDs helped him finish his first year in the NFL as the TE1 overall in fantasy football. In other words, if you threw a late-round pick on the rookie TE in your fantasy draft, he likely helped elevate your fantasy team to the fantasy playoffs last year with him vastly outperforming his ADP.
Yet, can fantasy managers expect the same level of greatness in 2024?
When you take a closer look at LaPorta’s positional rankings in some major categories, they certainly suggest he wasn’t a player who simply fell into an outstanding season in a high-powered offense.
Sam LaPorta’s 2023 Stats and Positional Ranks:
- Targets: 120 (fifth)
- Receptions: 86 (fourth)
- Yards: 889 (fifth)
- TD: 10 (first)
- YAC: 358 (seventh)
- Yards Per Route Run: 1.78 (sixth)
LaPorta’s numbers certainly suggest he is a top-five fantasy option at the tight end position but fall a bit short of suggesting he should be the unquestioned TE1 overall heading into fantasy football drafts in 2024.
There could be some pitfalls that come with the expectations of TE1 overall. Scoring double-digit touchdowns isn’t easy at any position, which could lead to some regression in that department.
LaPorta’s 15 red-zone targets are certainly a solid mark but ranked fourth at the TE position behind Travis Kelce, David Njoku, and Jake Ferguson. Additionally, LaPorta actually saw eight fewer targets than his teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown in the red area last season.
For more, check out Sam LaPorta’s complete fantasy profile.