Set a Lineup at Underdog Picks!
The tight end rankings in recent years had one thing in common, which is that it was Travis Kelce at the top by a notable margin that sometimes reached ridiculous proportions, but that has since changed, as Kelce is now considered one of multiple topflight players at this position.
That makes this position more challenging than usual, and this review aims to assist with that by providing rankings for the four elite tight ends and the 14 other players who could have a starter-caliber point total at the end of the 2024 fantasy football season.
As noted in the QB rankings article that initiated this series, there are five color-coded tiers the rankings system used in my draft guide (which can be found here). Blue indicates the player is among the elites at this position. Green designates someone as a strong starter candidate. Yellow indicates the player is a quality backup in most leagues. Orange-rated players can be solid backups in deep leagues but shouldn't be rostered in moderate or shallow leagues. Red players should not be rostered outside of ridiculously deep leagues.
Let's navigate the tight end rankings by starting with the blue-rated players.
- Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
- Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
- George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
- Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Sam LaPorta is one of the few players at any position to get across the board 100 grades in my system (which is on a 1-100 scale, with 100 being the best grade). He isn't quite up to the level that Kelce used to be at, but LaPorta can justify a second- or third-round draft slot. Kelce is only a small step behind in these rankings, so he can provide strong ROI for a third-round selection.
Kittle and Andrews are in the elite class at this position and thus can be difference makers here, but they aren't at the level of LaPorta or Kelce. This means Kittle and Andrews will be available in Rounds 4 or 5 in most draft rooms, but they may not provide quite enough value to strongly justify taking a tight end in those rounds, especially with the amount of quality depth here.
This shows up in the green-rated tier.
- Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
- Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
- Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
- David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
- Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
- Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
- T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
- Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
- Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
- Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
- Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
- Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
- Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
This is more depth that has been available at the tight end position for many years, and it is a reason fantasy managers can wait to draft tight ends if they don't wish to make the necessary second- or third-round investment in LaPorta or Kelce.
Bowers is the wildcard of this group, as he has mid-tier TE1 upside grades if all goes well. Pitts could also be a superb value pick given the quarterback upgrade the Falcons made with Kirk Cousins. Hill is the most hit-miss of this group given his gadget usage, but his ability to post a 20-point game out of nowhere makes him a strong depth candidate for those leagues that allow him to be rostered as a tight end. Hockenson is another potential value candidate if he is able to hit the ground running once he returns from injury in late October or early November.
The volume of blue- and green-rated tight ends does reduce the volume of yellow-rated players at this position. Here's the list.
- Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
- Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
- Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks
- Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
These are definitely not tight ends fantasy managers will want in a starting lineup, but Conklin could end up as the surprise here if Aaron Rodgers returns to form, as Conklin ranks 11th in TE PPR points since 2022 despite dealing with subpar QB play and may spike that pace with a better passer.