The Tight End position... the most frustrating position in fantasy football. The TE position can be summed up by three words... peaks and valleys. There are a few amazing peaks... and then a massive valley. While frustrating, an elite TE (similar to an elite RB) can set your team up to contend for a championship. The tricky part is, an elite TE will cost you one of your top 3 picks (in most cases). Drafting a TE early is not for the feint of heart, you are choosing to pass up on some elite RB's and WR's, making crucial that you hit on a WR and/or RB in the picks immediate following your TE. Additionally, if your TE suffers an injury, you could be in rough shape for the rest of your fantasy football season. That being said, let's take a look at this year's TE's according to me.
TE 1's:
TE 1 | Travis Kelce
Not much to say here. Travis Kelce trailed only Stefon Diggs in receiving yards last season. There is a case to be made for Travis Kelce being drafted as the first pass catcher (WR/TE) off of the board. Just remember, when you draft Travis Kelce, you are essentially getting a WR. If Kelce had WR next to his name rather than TE, he would have finished as the WR 4 in 2020. Kelce is a massive positional advantage in your leagues and he is certainly worth a look in the 1st round of drafts.
TE 2 | Darren Waller
Similar to Travis Kelce, Darren Waller essentially functions as a WR. Unfortunately, he does not play with Patrick Mahomes. Waller actually saw the exact same number of targets as Kelce in 2020, but you can get Waller in the 2nd, or even the 3rd round if you are lucky. For the sake of consistency, if Waller was a WR, his effort in 2020 would have landed him at WR 8, just behind DK Metcalf and ahead of Adam Thielen.
TE 3 | Kyle Pitts
Kyle Pitts, the unicorn himself. I have heard about enough of the 'rookie TE's don't historically perform well' talk. Kyle Pitts is truly a generational player with the ability to re-write the history books for the TE position. In fact, Pitts is already making history in the league after he was selected 4th overall... the highest draft pick ever spent on a TE. The first of many TE records to fall to Kyle Pitts. I called the Julio Jones trade before it happened. Pitts was quite literally selected to fill the shoes that were vacated by future Hall of Famer, Julio Jones. Obviously the two play different positions... but do they?
TE 4 | George Kittle
You can be mad at me all you want for ranking Kittle behind Pitts. My ranking has nothing to do with Kittle and everything to do with Pitts. George Kittle is going to be the same superstar we are used to at the TE position, especially as long as Jimmy Garoppolo manages to hold on to the starting QB job in San Francisco.
TE 5 | TJ Hockenson
Hockenson is without a doubt the most qualified pass catcher (WR/TE) currently on the Lions roster. Assuming that the Lions are not going to be very good at football in 2021, they will likely be throwing the ball a lot to try and stay in games. The Goff > Hockenon connection has garnered praise out of Lions camp. TJ Hockenson could enter a new tier of TE's after this season.
TE 6 | Mark Andrews
Andrews just inked a new deal to stay with the Baltimore Ravens long term. This is great news, as it indicates that Baltimore is going to continue to feed their big man. Despite loading up on WR's in free agency and the draft, Mark Andrews could still very well lead the Ravens pass catchers in targets, especially in the absence of rookie first round pick, Rashod Bateman.
TE 7 | Logan Thomas
Logan Thomas was a breath of fresh air for an otherwise stale position in 2020. The former QB turned TE posted a TE 6 finish last year, establishing himself well within the middle tier of TE's. If you miss out on what are known as the 'Big 3' (Kelce, Waller, Kittle), and feel like waiting a little bit on TE, Logan Thomas will be a great option who should provide weekly TE 1 numbers.
TE 8 | Jonnu Smith
Jonnu Smith got the bag this offseason. The New England Patriots spent money like it was going out of style, and Jonnu Smith got a lot of it. Smith is a very special athlete, especially at the TE position. Smith is a player that can be lined up all over the field, including taking snaps out of the backfield as a RB. Look for Bill Belichick to get Smith involved in some creative ways in 2021 and beyond.
TE 9 | Robert Tonyan
Robert Tonyan was arguably the most efficient player in football last year. Tonyan hauled in 52 out of 59 targets and scored a whopping 11 TD's, tied for 5th in the NFL with AJ Brown and fellow TE, Travis Kelce. Regression is obviously on the horizon for Tonyan, but that does not mean that he won't repeat as a high end TE option again in 2021.
TE 10 | Noah Fant
Noah Fant is one of the most gifted TE's in football, but he finds himself in a crowded group of receivers. On top of that, Fant is already dealing with injuries that could threaten the start of his 2021 season. When he's on the field, Fant is a special player. If he can manage to get (and stay) healthy, he could become a favorite of QB Teddy Bridgewater
TE 11 | Gerald Everett
Gerald Everett linked up with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason. This signing flew under the radar for a while, but eventually the community caught on to how great of a value Everett could become for fantasy football. I'm not normally one to brag, but I was in on Everett dating back to April where I briefly touched on Everett at the end of this episode of The Pick Is In FFP (45:50). I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm the biggest Gerald Everett truther, I'm just saying y'all were late.
TE 12 | Hunter Henry
Hunter Henry was also the recipient of some of that sweet New England money this offseason. Based on talent alone, I think Henry is worthy of a back end TE 1 ranking. If he wasn't splitting time at the position with fellow TE Jonnu Smith, Henry would likely be higher on my list. That being said, if the Patriots return to the days where the dominated the NFL with two pass catching TE's, Hunter Henry is going to pay off in a big, big way.
Bold Predictions:
- Kyle Pitts finishes as a top 3 TE, wins OROY, and enters next season with an ADP in the fist 3 rounds of fantasy drafts
- Mark Andrews scores double digit TD's (again)
- Gerald Everett finishes as a top 10 TE
- TJ Hockenson out-targets Darren Waller