2023-08-08 09:00:56
The tight end position has changed constantly in modern football. Once known as blockers who occasionally catch a pass, today’s tight ends are often extremely athletic and can cause massive damage as part of an offensive scheme. While there are only a small number of truly elite pass receivers, all tight ends still have to do the “dirty work” on the line of scrimmage. Nowhere is this great discrepancy in position more evident than in fantasy land, where there are few, reliable options year after year. And if you have one, you are a step ahead of the competition. In our tight-end rankings for the fantasy year 2023, we show you which players can be considered “elitist” this year.
Before we dive into the rankings for 2023, a little note from me: ranking players before any fantasy draft is a good way to stay on top of things when pressed for time. Even better are tiers, i.e. groups of players who have roughly the same value. They help you to see where the value currently lies in the draft and where you might leave it.
A small example to illustrate: You are “on the clock” and still have not picked a quarterback for your team. There are about four to five quarterbacks left on the board, though, all ranked in the same tier (let’s say Tier 2). The running backs, on the other hand, only have one option from their own tier, behind which there is a massive drop-off in quality.
In this case, it makes more sense to take the running back, even though it might be the third or even fourth on your team, since you can expect a Tier 2 quarterback to still be on the board in the next round is. It’s decisions like this that will help you keep value on the draft board and put together the best possible team.
With that strategy in mind, you’re now ready for our 2023 NFL Year Tight End Rankings, designed for PPR leagues where pass recipients get one point per reception. Here we go:
Tier 1: The Travis Kelce animal
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Even in 2023, no one can touch Kelce. The reigning Super Bowl champion’s superstar finished as top fantasy tight end for six of the last seven years, and in the one year that Mark Andrews usurped the throne, Kelce was second best tight end. Kelce never finished worse than TE15 in a single game last year and delivered eleven top-five finishes to his managers – no other tight end had more than seven. He scored 18.6 points per game, the competition didn’t come any closer than Geroge Kittle with his 13.5 points. Such a discrepancy just doesn’t justify putting someone else in a Kelce animal. The 33-year-old is the “top dog” and will be off the board in round 1 in many leagues – such is the positional advantage Kelce gives you.
Tier 2: Pretender to the Kelce throne
2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
4. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
5. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
6. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Andrews is the only tight end to break through Kelce’s dominance at least once in recent years and theoretically has a chance to do so again in 2023. In 15 games for the Ravens last year, Andrews was on 83 percent of offensive snaps (career best) and got a target on an incredible 25.4 percent of his passing routes – even Kelce is close behind. With a fit Lamar Jackson, Andrews is poised to unseat Kelce from the throne. Behind them, Kittle, Hockenson and Goedert have established themselves as reliable TE1 options that will again play big roles in their offenses. And Pitts is simply too good a player to have another season like 2022. If Desmond Ridder doesn’t flop completely, he’ll be among the top six tight ends by the end of the season.
MARK ANDREWS TE1 SZN? ???? pic.twitter.com/jdocqff8zL
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) July 27, 2023
Tier 3: TE1 potential present
7. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
8. Darren Waller, New York Giants
9. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
10. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
11. Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
12. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys
There is still plenty of talent in Tier 3 for managers who want to wait at the tight end position to siphon off. That’s especially true for former first-round pick Engram, who played 77 percent of offensive snaps last year on Jacksonville’s burgeoning offense while getting an 18.6 percent target rate. Also, only Dallas Goedert was “open” on more passing routes (according to Pro Football Focus’ metric) than Engram. So once again, the 28-year-old is a solid option and has the confidence of Trevor Lawrence. A potential steal could be Okonkwo, who in his rookie season got a target on 26.2 percent of his passing routes (ranked No. 1 in the NFL) but only played 50 percent of the snaps. That number is sure to increase in 2023 and the 23-year-old could well end the year in the top 8.
I said Jags so that you would notice.
I’m saying that Trevor Lawrence’s floor is QB8.
I’m also saying that Calvin Ridley is a WR1.
Kirk is a steal at his redraft ADP.
Zay Jones is the sneakiest WR3 you will see in years.
Evan Engram, after the contract extension, is a TE1.
— SitStartAdvice.com (@SitStartAdvice) August 1, 2023
Tier 4: Just outside the TE1 range
13. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
14. Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
15. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
16. Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
17. Irv Smith Jr., Cincinnati Bengals
18. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
19. Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals
20. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
21. Sam Laporta, Detroit Lions
Higbee has been quietly, quietly, one of the most efficient fantasy tight ends in the NFL for many years. This year, the 30-year-old has the opportunity to establish himself as the second receiving option behind Cooper Kupp. He was on the pitch for a strong 87 percent of all offensive snaps in 2022 and had a target rate over 20 percent. Much will depend on what Matt Stafford and the pass offense as a whole have in store, but a top 12 finish is far from impossible. Another breakout candidate could be Smith Jr. if he can carve out a role in competition with powerful Bengals receivers.
Tier 5: Throwing darts with the hope of upside
22. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
23. Hayden Hurst, Carolina Panthers
24. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
25. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
26. Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
27. Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
28. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
29. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
30. Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks
Here we are already entering very uncertain waters, as you can see. Potential breakout candidates in very deep leagues or leagues with two tight ends could include Ferguson and Likely. The latter may have to compete with Mark Andrews in Baltimore, but the Ravens traditionally rely heavily on their tight ends, which is why the 23-year-old could carve out a role – apart from the obvious handcuff potential. Ferguson, on the other hand, could catch some of the targets on the Cowboys offense that went to Dalton Schultz (now Houston) last year. But whether that’s enough for fantasy relevance remains to be seen.
I’d rather have Isaiah Likely straight up over Odell Beckham Jr in fantasy.
There’s a 93 spot ADP difference.
The one in a more premium position is going later.
— Jeff Bell (@4WhomJBellTolls) July 30, 2023
Tier 6: Do we really need to talk about this?
31. Jelani Woods, Indianapolis Colts
32. Foster Moreau, New Orleans Saints
33. Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders
34. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
35. Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
36. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
No, we don’t have to. At this point in the draft, your guess is as good as anyone’s as to who might make it as a fantasy option. I’ve just listed a few options that I could theoretically envision as ending up in fantasy lineups in 2023, unlikely as those scenarios may be.
And that’s it for our 2023 ranking series. I’ll be updating the list over the coming weeks leading up to the start of the season in case of player injuries, new developments, and so on. So you are always optimally prepared for your draft. Here are the other parts of our ranking series:
Quarterback-Rankings
Runningback-Rankings
Receiver-Rankings
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