The Top Ten Dynasty Fantasy Football Tight Ends
In this article, I’ll be breaking down the top ten tight ends in dynasty fantasy football. It will be a mix of my own rankings, and the general consensus of the current TE layout.
Tier One
George Kittle, SF
I have Kittle as the number dynasty TE, and while I think most people give him a slight edge over Travis Kelce, I know there are still some who have Kelce as the king when it comes to TEs.
There isn’t much to dislike about Kittle. I have never liked it when someone has said: “who will be the next LeBron?”, or Kobe, or Tom Brady, etc. Many people have said the same thing about Rob Gronkowski. Can’t we just enjoy each player in his own right? With that said… I am about to break my own rule.
Kittle reminds me a lot of Gronkowski. He hasn’t found the end zone as often as Gronk did, but he plays with an aggression that is unmatched. I’m not a 49ers fan… but it’s hard not to like Kittle.
2. Travis Kelce, KC
Kelce has been a staple towards the top of the TE rankings for quite a while now. He turned 30 years old this year, which can scare people. But when you have his talent and are joined at the hip with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid… I don’t see anything changing anytime soon.
Tier Two
Here is where rankings can get very interesting. I have six players in tier two, and could honestly see any of them at either three or eight.
3. Evan Engram, NYG
It’s hard to pick Engram over a couple of other guys here, when he has had a tough time staying on the field. The reason I did pick him though, is that his receiving abilities and athleticism at the tight end position are simply special. Here’s to hoping that Joe Judge utilizes Engram heavily in the offense.
4. Mark Andrews, BAL
Consider me one of the dynasty analysts that was surprised with how good Andrews has become. I thought he would form a solid one-two punch with Hayden Hurst… but I could not have been more wrong. He is clearly the most talented pass-catching TE on the roster, and being partnered with a 22-year-old MVP in Lamar Jackson doesn’t hurt either.
5. Zach Ertz, PHI
Ertz could easily be number three on this list. The reason he is not has less to do with him, and more to do with the Eagles and Dallas Goedert. Ertz is as talented as almost anyone in the league, but the Eagles are dead set on using Goedert a lot, and it has been eating into Ertz’s production.
Ertz is 29, and there is a potential “out” in his contract after 2020. I have no idea if the Eagles will keep him or not, but I know that the Eagles love Goedert. The situation is just a bit unsettling.
6. Darren Waller, OAK
Waller was hardly even on the TE landscape a year ago. There were rumblings of “Waller hype” in the off-season, but we hear that about 100+ players every year, so it can be difficult to tell what is real and what is not.
Honestly, we can consider him an anomaly. The percentage of players who have their breakout season at 27 years or older is minuscule. The Raiders believe in him, and gave him a nice three-year contract. For now, he has a nice floor with the Raiders.
7. Hunter Henry, LAC
Henry is another one of the most talented TEs in the league. Two factors have held him back in his career thus far: health, and Philip Rivers. Henry has a hard time playing 16 games a season, and that makes it hard for dynasty owners to trust his production.
He is also joined with Rivers who really struggled this year in almost every category. Rivers will most likely be gone next year, so whether it is Tyrod Taylor or a rookie throwing Henry the ball… I’m not thrilled with that future outlook.
8. Austin Hooper, ATL
Hooper had a solid year in 2018 and built on that in 2019, posting his best career year. From a talent and athletic standpoint, I think Hooper is slightly lower than others listed ahead of him, but Hooper has found a nice role in the Falcons offense and has a very solid floor.
One thing that is a bit surprising is that the Falcons have not given him a new contract yet. I would expect them to keep him on the team, but it is something to monitor moving forward.
Tier Three
There is a small drop off from tier two to tier three, but a lot of tier three players have a good amount of upside.
9. TJ Hockenson, DET
Rookie TEs are really hard to gauge because we have seen a trend that they struggle to grasp the game and make an impact. Hockenson had some really good games, and also some games where he disappeared. He also struggled with injuries as well, but ultimately, we saw what the potential of Hockenson can be and it looks like a good fantasy option.
Detroit can’t seem to get anything right, but as long as Stafford is around, the passing game will stay afloat and there will be fantasy relevance for any pass-catcher wearing Honolulu blue.
10. Dallas Goedert, PHI
I may be one analyst who has been higher on Goedert than most. But I love what I see. I think he has elite talent. Based on talent alone, I think he would start for at least 25-26 NFL teams. But the downside is that Ertz hurts Goedert’s value, and Goedert hurts Ertz’s value. If Ertz weren’t an Eagle, Goedert may very well be number three for me.
The silver lining is that the Eagles showed they are more than willing to run two tight end sets on a regular basis which allows Ertz and Goedert to be fantasy-relevant. I think Goedert will be a top-five dynasty TE within a couple of years.
- Levi Chappell: Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings Explained - February 24, 2023
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