Do we have a new contender for the crown of the best tight end for fantasy football managers in 2024? With Travis Kelce showing some signs of a decline, are Sam LaPorta or Trey McBride able to take that step to become the clear-cut No. 1 at the position? Or could it be Mark Andrews who bounces back from an injury-hit season to top the rankings?
Outside of that top group, there are more question marks both inside and outside the top 10. Historically, tight end is the position where it is most difficult to find depth. Therefore, our fantasy experts have done the research to help you, and our consensus TE fantasy football rankings make it nice and digestible for you when looking at ADP for your draft.
The rankings below are a consensus of our three fantasy experts, Derek Tate, Jason Katz, and Kyle Soppe. Between them, they have over two decades of fantasy football writing experience and are constantly analyzing the latest news and data to ensure our rankings are up to date. These rankings also provide the basis for PFN’s “Who Should I Draft” tool, Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, and Trade Value Charts.
Ranking the Top Fantasy Tight Ends
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | K | DEF | SF
1) Sam LaPorta | Detroit Lions
2) Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs
3) Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens
4) Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals
5) Dalton Kincaid | Buffalo Bills
6) George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers
7) Evan Engram | Jacksonville Jaguars
8) Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons
9) David Njoku | Cleveland Browns
10) Jake Ferguson | Dallas Cowboys
11) Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders
12) Dallas Goedert | Philadelphia Eagles
13) Dalton Schultz | Houston Texans
14) T.J. Hockenson | Minnesota Vikings
15) Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears
16) Taysom Hill | New Orleans Saints
17) Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers
18) Luke Musgrave | Green Bay Packers
19) Hunter Henry | New England Patriots
20) Cade Otton | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21) Chigoziem Okonkwo | Tennessee Titans
22) Tucker Kraft | Green Bay Packers
23) Juwan Johnson | New Orleans Saints
24) Tyler Conklin | New York Jets
25) Gerald Everett | Chicago Bears
26) Isaiah Likely | Baltimore Ravens
27) Mike Gesicki | Cincinnati Bengals
28) Ja’Tavion Sanders | Carolina Panthers
29) Noah Fant | Seattle Seahawks
30) Michael Mayer | Las Vegas Raiders
31) Dawson Knox | Buffalo Bills
32) Jelani Woods | Indianapolis Colts
33) Tyler Higbee | Los Angeles Rams
34) Ben Sinnott | Washington Commanders
35) Logan Thomas | San Francisco 49ers
Who Are the Best Tight Ends To Draft in Fantasy?
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
LaPorta is very much justified in being the top-ranked tight end. He should be the first tight end off the board.
Deciding whether LaPorta is worth drafting at his ADP will be determined by positional value.
With an ADP around No. 30 overall, LaPorta is going in the middle of the third round. At that price, the opportunity cost of taking LaPorta is a high WR2.
Yes, there are also running backs you can take, but the running back landscape is weird, and I’m telling you it’s OK to take the No. 1 tight end over them.
A typical high WR2 will produce around 15-16 fantasy points per game. It won’t take much in the way of progression for LaPorta to reach those numbers. That means you can get the same production from LaPorta that you’d get from a wide receiver, except LaPorta plays tight end, giving you a greater edge.
If LaPorta’s ADP creeps into the back end of the second round, I will be much more hesitant. While LaPorta is great, I don’t see him being able to hit 17-18 points per game. The WRs going in the second round have a higher upside, making them more worth it.
But in the middle of the third, if you can put a high WR2 at tight end, that’s very much worth considering.
– Jason Katz, PFN Fantasy Analyst
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce may no longer be selected in the first round of fantasy drafts, but his current ADP of No. 28 overall (TE2) suggests that you’re still paying a high premium for the veteran.
It’s hard to deny Kelce’s upside in the early portions of the third round at the position, which makes this ADP completely fair for a player with his track record.
If you believe Kelce showed signs of hitting the physical wall due to his age or think the other vertical playmakers the team added this offseason could eat into his target share, then you’re probably going to pass on him at this price.
I think Round 3 is a nice price for Kelce and presents a great advantage upside at a position that has traditionally been barren once the elite options are off the board.
– Derek Tate, PFN Fantasy Analyst