Eric Moody, ESPNAug 14, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
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- Former manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company, now living my dream creating fantasy and sports betting content about the NFL, NBA, and WNBA for ESPN.
While the tight end position might not generate as much excitement in fantasy football as quarterbacks, running backs or wide receivers, it can offer you a weekly advantage in your league if you approach it with the right strategy.
Tight end used to be as barren as the Sahara, with only Travis Kelce and a few others dominating at the top. While it's still a top-heavy position, fantasy managers now have more viable options as NFL teams increasingly rely on the passing game. Having an elite tight end could be the difference between making your fantasy football championship or not.
Check out more tiered rankings: QB | RB | WR
Tier 1: High-end TE1s
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1. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
LaPorta and Kelce are both excellent options. Although LaPorta outperformed Kelce to become the top fantasy tight end in 2023, both are projected for more than 95 targets this season.
Tier 2: Mid/Low-end TE1s
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This group of tight ends can be relied upon as week-to-week fantasy starters.
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
If you miss out on LaPorta and Kelce, you can still feel confident with any of these tight ends as your starter. Each will be a key contributor in his team's passing game in 2024. Kincaid, who shined in his 2023 rookie season, could see his value increase the most with plenty of opportunity in Buffalo.
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Tier 3: High-end/midrange TE2s
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All of the tight ends in this tier are solid options in deeper leagues and are likely available later in drafts.
9. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
10. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
11. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
12. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
13. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
14. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
This tier includes tight ends who compete for targets on teams with strong wide receiver tandems. Ferguson is a candidate to rise to Tier 2 status. Hockenson, who is returning from a torn ACL and MCL, is also worth considering as a stash, as you'll likely have to place him on IR to start the season.
Tier 4: Streamers
The tight ends in this tier are intriguing options for those in need at the end of the draft in deeper leagues.
15. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
16. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
17. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
18. Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
19. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
20. Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks
21. Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
22. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23. Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
24. Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins
This tier features streamers who can thrive in favorable matchups. Players like Schultz and Kmet might have inconsistent weekly target shares because of the receivers with whom they share the field. Conklin is also a good option who could see positive regression with Aaron Rodgers under center. If you're in a deeper league and wait at the position, consider selecting two from this tier and streaming the one with the better matchup each week.
Tier 5: Watch list
Keep an eye on these players on the waiver wire.
25. Ben Sinnott, Washington Commanders
26. Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
27. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
28. Jelani Woods, Indianapolis Colts
29. Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
30. Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
31. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
32. Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams
33. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
34. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
35. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
36. Ja'Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
37. Theo Johnson, New York Giants
This group features matchup-based streamers with lower projections than the previous tier. They face significant target competition and are mainly relevant in TE-premium leagues and/or very deep leagues. Keep an eye on Likely, who performed well in Andrews' absence last season and has the potential to be a key part of Baltimore's offense this season.
Follow Eric on X, formerly known as Twitter: @EricNMoody
