Four Tight Ends to Buy, Sell, or Hold in Dynasty Leagues
Welcome on into the Positional Buy Sell Hold series where each week I’ll be focusing on one position to analyze four players and what we should be doing with them in dynasty. We’re back to tight ends this week.
George Kittle, TE SF – Buy for Competing Teams
2024 went about the same as it does every year for George Kittle: fantastic. Kittle averaged 15.8 PPR points per game for the season, his highest since his breakout sophomore season in 2018. Additionally, he only had two weeks outside the top 12 tight ends in weekly scoring showing great consistency. Kittle will be turning 32 years old during the 2025 season but there’s no reason to believe he’ll be slowing down as he continues to look like he’s at the top of his game. Is it worth acquiring him heading into 2025 despite his advanced age?
The Move – I have no doubts about Kittle going into 2025. Yes, he’s old by NFL terms but has shown no signs of slowing down. Additionally, with Deebo Samuel expected to be traded and Brandon Aiyuk’s injury, Kittle could be the 49ers’ top target in 2025. Along with Kittle’s age, he is rightfully going to cost a good price to acquire so this is a move only for competing teams. According to the Dynasty League Football Trade Analyzer, you’ll need to send an early second-round rookie pick. It may feel a lot but it won’t when Kittle is giving you a positional advantage in season.
Jonnu Smith, TE MIA – Buy
Not many players exceeded expectations like Smith did in 2024. In his first season with the Dolphins, he had a career year. He set new career highs in targets, receptions, receiving yards and tied his previous career high in touchdowns leading to 13 PPR PPG. Smith especially excelled in the second half of the season averaging 18.3 PPR PPG over the last eight games of the season. Looking forward to 2025 we must ask ourselves if Smith’s role in the Dolphins will continue to be the same or not. His great season came at the expense of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and it’s a little hard to believe it would stay that way.
The Move – Jonnu Smith got a big value boost in dynasty rankings compared to where he was before the 2024 season but he’s still at a worthwhile price for the potential he provides. There are lots of moving parts for the Dolphins but we need to weigh in the possibility that Smith repeats his 2024 season. Even if he doesn’t have as good of a season as he did last year, he could still return value on his price. The ideal price to pay is anything less than a second-round rookie pick but people are unlikely to accept that so you may have to get creative. Try adding a depth piece to a third-round rookie for Smith or tiering down to him using someone like Kyle Pitts.
Cade Otton, TE TB – Sell
Otton continued to grow in 2024 having a solid season and stepping up in the offense when needed. For the second straight year, Otton was able to improve his targets, receptions, and receiving yards, and fantasy points from the previous season. For the season Otton averaged 9.9 PPR PPG and was able to provide two 20-point spike weeks. Currently, Chris Godwin is a free agent but is currently expected to re-sign with the team which affects Otton’s projection. If the Buccaneers still have all of Godwin, Mike Evans, and Jalen McMillan then it will be a lot harder for Otton to provide significant production. Can he continue to improve in 2025?
The Move – Otton now finds himself being valued somewhere in the mid-TE2 range depending on where you look. It’s an appropriate valuation because of his youth and stable role. But we also need to remember Otton’s ceiling cap due to that same role and the talent around him. For this reason, the best course of action is to try and use Otton to tier up into a top-12 tight end. Adding on a late-second-round rookie pick or equivalent value onto Otton to get to a player like Tucker Kraft is a great move.
Zach Ertz, TE WAS – Buy
In his age-34 season, Ertz continued to produce even into the playoffs for the Commanders in 2024. Acting as a reliable safety valve for rookie Jayden Daniels, Ertz averaged 10.1 PPR PPG for the season and was a threat in the red zone scoring seven touchdowns which was his highest since 2018. Ertz, currently a free agent, has expressed his intention to play in 2025. It would make sense for the Commanders to bring him back but there’s no guarantee that they do. With Ertz’s 2025 team in question should we still be interested in acquiring him?
The Move – It may not be that pretty anymore, but Ertz is still getting the job done. We still don’t know where he’ll play but I believe he’s likely to re-sign with the Commanders as he’ll want to play for a winning team and was an important part of what they did in 2024. According to the Dynasty League Football Trade Analyzer, Ertz is only worth around a fourth-round rookie pick. I would happily pay that price on any team where I want some tight end depth. Even if you’re not competing, you should be able to flip Ertz in season to another team for a profit.
The NFL Combine is almost here which is a big event in the dynasty cycle. Soon enough the buzz for rookie picks will grow. Get prepared.
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