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Top Fantasy Tight Ends

Top Fantasy Tight Ends (TEs)

• Travis Kelce, Chiefs
• Mark Andrews, Ravens
• T.J. Hockenson, Vikings
• Kyle Pitts, Falcons
• Darren Waller, Giants
• Dallas Goedert, Eagles
• David Njoku, Browns
• Pat Freiermuth, Steelers

The names in this list shouldn't shock you, but some of the omissions might.

The dynasty rookie rankings find TEs higher than usual, thanks to a historically strong class of athletes at the position.

That group promises to reshuffle the top tight ends for fantasy football plenty over the next few years. But you won't find any rookies in this list just yet.

You will, of course, find it starting with an obvious name ...

Travis Kelce, Chiefs

Duh, You Know the Top Fantasy TE

Kelce just finished leading the position in fantasy points for the sixth time in seven years.

In his age-33 season, he delivered career highs in TDs and catch rate. He increased his receptions, yards per game, and yards per route vs. 2021.

The only question with Kelce is whether he belongs in Round 1 of fantasy football drafts.

Well, you don’t need to take him if you’d rather wait on the position. But he’s coming off the biggest scoring gap of his career:

• 5.1 PPR points per game ahead of the next TE
• 3.9 in half-PPR
• 2.6 in non-PPR

So yeah, he belongs there.

Mark Andrews, Ravens

If Anyone Can Overtake Kelce ...

The only guy not named Travis Kelce to lead TEs in fantasy points over the past seven years? That was Mr. Andrews just two seasons ago.

He drew 19 more targets and snagged 15 more catches than any other TE in 2021, as the Ravens threw the league’s ninth most passes.

That’s a pass-leaning precedent for a team clearly building to pass more in 2023. Baltimore dumped run-heavy OC Greg Roman for Todd Monken, who has leaned pass across two NFL OC stops.

The Ravens then signed WR Odell Beckham Jr. and drafted WR Zay Flowers in Round 1. That adds significant target competition for Andrews, but they’ll need to prove they can siphon work from him.

Andrews led all TEs in target share each of the past two years and was the only TE to crack 25% each of the past three years. More team passing volume will make up for any loss in target share.

T.J. Hockenson, Vikings

Reborn Player in a Reborn Offense

Hockenson wound up second among the top fantasy TEs for PPR points in 2022, thanks to his intra-division move.

From his Week 9 Minnesota arrival on, only Travis Kelce drew more targets. George Kittle joined Kelce in scoring more PPR points. But he did so on about half as many receptions (60-32) thanks to plenty of TD luck (9-3).

Hockenson draws new target competition in rookie WR Jordan Addison. But WR Adam Thielen is gone. And Hockenson will get a full season in this Vikings offense that jumped from 18th in situation-neutral pass rate in 2021 to ninth last season.

Hockenson looks like a safe bet for targets and PPR points.

Kyle Pitts, Falcons

Still Quietly Promising

Last year pretty much stunk for Pitts. But guess what … 

Even then, he ranked second among all TEs in target share, behind only Mark Andrews. That’s even better than Pitts’ No. 6 ranking in 2021, which came before Drake London arrived.

Pitts still needs some help to approach the fantasy ceiling that excited all of us not long ago. He needs the Falcons to pass more, which they almost certainly will. 

Atlanta ran on 55.3% of plays last year. Only the Bears ran more often.

Over the previous nine seasons, only two teams reached a 55% run rate. Both were the Ravens (2019 and 2020). The league average tends to be in the 41-42% range.

What's Changed for 2023?

Pitts also needs better QB play than Marcus Mariota offered. Atlanta’s trying on that front (a little), adding Taylor Heinicke as insurance behind Desmond Ridder.

In 2021, Pitts led all TEs with 15.1 yards per catch and ranked 10th in red-zone targets.

Of course, Pitts also needs better health. The knee injury that ended his 2022 prematurely remained an issue into the start of training camp.

But Pitts has returned to the field -- albeit with a knee brace. He has time to get full ready. We'll be watching his progress closely, though.

Darren Waller, Giants

New Team Bets on Old Form

We all know that Waller has done it. Across four seasons as a starter, he has never finished lower than TE7 in PPR points per game.

That “low” point came last year, when Waller only managed to play in nine games. He saw a significant dip in receptions per contest but also set a career-high in yards per catch.

Why? Primarily because Waller led all TEs in average target depth.

So Waller has been highly productive overall. And he can still get downfield. But now comes the challenge of switching teams.

Giants Add Needed Weapon

The Giants sent the third-round pick they got for Kadarius Toney to the Raiders. And they received a 31-year-old TE (as of Sept. 13) who looks like the best bet to lead the team in targets.

No returning Giant drew more than 76 looks last year (Saquon Barkley). And none beyond Barkley reached 50 receptions.

The hamstring issues of last year are worrisome, and we’ll be watching for recurrence throughout the summer. As long as injuries don’t get him into the fantasy football news, though, Waller should be poised to rejoin the top tight ends for fantasy football.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles

Is There Room for Him in Philly’s Offense?

The Eagles suddenly sport two alpha WRs in a run-leaning offense. Can Goedert really thrive statistically?

Yes. Just look at last year. Despite working with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and a mere 47.7% pass rate, Goedert set a career high for receptions per game and delivered his second most yards per catch. He finished fifth in PPR points per game.

And that all came despite a lack of red-zone love. According to Pro Football Focus, Goedert tied for just 36th among TEs with two end-zone targets.

Philly figures to pass more often after the utter domination of 2023 opponents produced teeny second-half pass rates.

We’d also bet on at least a few more scoring chances for Goedert.

David Njoku, Browns

How Big a Boost from the QB?

Njoku doesn’t have to go far to join the top fantasy tight ends. He already finished last season 11th at the position in targets, despite missing three games and playing in an offense that ran on 47.7% of plays.

Njoku ranked an even better 10th at the position in target share, his second top-10 finish in that category (fourth in 2018).

Njoku needs QB Deshaun Watson to rebound in 2023, though.

Watson’s entry into the lineup hurt Njoku last year. The TE averaged 4.6 receptions and 51.6 yards per game with Jacoby Brissett; just 3.4 and 32.8 with Watson.

If you believe Watson will continue to stink the way he did after a nearly two-year layoff, then you shouldn’t draft his TE.

We don’t believe that, as you can tell by Watson’s position in our 2023 fantasy football QB rankings.

Pat Freiermuth, Steelers

A TE1 by Year 2

Freiermuth might have established himself as one of the top tight ends for fantasy in his second season.

He jumped from 24th at the position in target share as a rookie to sixth last season. He checked in seventh in PPR points (and 10th in points per game), despite catching only two TD passes.

The next guy down the rankings with so few TD catches was Taysom Hill at TE16. The next actual TE? Robert Tonyan at TE19.

Freiermuth got his work despite the Steelers switching QBs and leaning heavily toward the run over the second half. Pittsburgh went from a 37.6% run rate before the Week 9 bye to 51.4% after. 

We’re betting the 2023 rate will sit somewhere in between – and that Kenny Pickett will continue to improve after finishing last season well. He ranked sixth in Pro Football Focus passing grade from Week 10 on.

Where’s George Kittle?

The San Francisco 49ers tight end finished 2022 trailing only Kelce in TD catches and fantasy points per game. Shouldn’t he be on this list?

Well, you’ll find Kittle behind all of these guys in our fantasy football TE rankings.

Where Does TE Fit in Your Draft?

When to target the top fantasy tight ends will depend on your draft position. See what our fantasy football draft guide says about every spot. And learn more from this video ...

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.