It’s a new year. Relying on 2023 alone when creating your fantasy football rankings for 2024 is dangerous, as much has changed across the landscape. Here is my early look at the tight end position and how I see the players stacking up for the upcoming season.
Ranking the Top Fantasy Tight Ends
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | DEF | K
1) Sam LaPorta | Detroit Lions
2) Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens
3) Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs
4) Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals
5) Evan Engram | Jacksonville Jaguars
6) Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills
7) George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers
8) David Njoku | Cleveland Browns
9) Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons
10) Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys
11) Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders
12) Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans
13) Dallas Goedert | Philadelphia Eagles
14) T.J. Hockenson | Minnesota Vikings
15) Luke Musgrave | Green Bay Packers
16) Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers
17) Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18) Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears
19) Hunter Henry | New England Patriots
20) Taysom Hill | New Orleans Saints
Who Are the Best Tight Ends To Draft in Fantasy?
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
The Brandon Aiyuk situation certainly needs to be monitored as you consider the value of everyone in San Francisco’s offense, but it could be especially impactful for Kittle.
Percentage of targets that came 15+ yards downfield in 2023
- Brandon Aiyuk: 40%
- George Kittle: 30%
- Deebo Samuel Sr.: 19.1%
Kittle’s rate spiked from 14% in 2022 as it has become obvious that the Kyle Shanahan/Brock Purdy tandem is increasingly interested in the mismatches he creates down the field. This situation is different than a receiver picking up specific targets because I’m not sure there’s much a defense can do.
That is, secondaries can tailor their game plan to take away (or at least limit) a receiver on the perimeter running wind sprints. But with Kittle doing his damage in line, what can realistically be done?
An Aiyuk trade could give Kittle the one thing he hasn’t given fantasy managers: consistency. Last year, he only had six games with more than five targets, usage patterns that make it nearly impossible to compete with the elite at the position. The spotty target count resulted in six games with no more than 30 receiving yards, and that’s simply not going to get it done.
We know the upside that comes with Kittle. Last season, despite the aforementioned valleys, he led all tight ends with three games of 115+ receiving yards. The high-end production is going to happen in this efficient offense, but if Kittle can offer a reasonable floor, a return to the top five at the position is certainly possible.
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
Is Green Bay’s greatest strength a fantasy weakness?
The Packers’ depth of talent among their pass catchers is a bear for opposing defenses, which is great for win equity, but the fact that the targets can go to a handful of options makes our job increasingly difficult.
Jayden Reed established himself as a budding star last season with Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Dontayvion Wicks all showing plenty of promise. Add in the fact that Musgrave has another second-year tight end in Tucker Kraft to contend with, and there’s a reason that he’s not routinely being drafted.
During their rookie seasons, this TE duo hauled in 75.6% of targets, lending me confidence that Love likes having a safety blanket by way of the chain-moving 250+ pound tight end.
Kraft tore his pectoral muscle in early May due to a bench-pressing mishap. Although he’s expected to be ready for the season, the window is open for Musgrave to assume the lead TE role.
As promising as the Packers’ nucleus is, without a bonafide alpha target earner, there are targets to be earned.
Green Bay ranked 10th in pass rate over expectation in 2023 (ahead of a Baltimore Ravens offense led by the reigning MVP and a Miami Dolphins offense that housed the NFL’s top passer in terms of yardage), and that number is more likely to improve than decline as Love enters this season with expectations that didn’t exist 12 months ago.