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The NFL’s regular season will start on Thursday, September 8 as the Buffalo Bills take on the Los Angeles Rams. As you gear up for the season, you should get those last-minute drafts in. As you approach your fantasy football drafts, you may wonder how to handle approaching tight ends. Whether you plan on sticking with one for the season or streaming a weekly player, here are tips, risers and fallers for tight ends in standard fantasy football leagues.
Tight end is the most divisive position in fantasy football for me. Travis Kelce reigns supreme as the top target in the Kansas City Chiefs offense led by real-life video game character Patrick Mahomes. Then there is a clear line, and Mark Andrews and Kyle Pitts are in the second tier. They both play on teams without a dominant WR1 and could easily have the most targets on their teams. George Kittle, Darren Waller and Dalton Schultz would be in the third tier of guys in good situations that have done well in the past and have high upside.
For tight ends on the rise, I like Robert Tonyan and Austin Hooper. Tonyan is getting drafted as the TE18 but is one of the few familiar faces that back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers will see around him. He is a year removed from an 11-touchdown season. Hooper is a same face in a new place now with the Tennessee Titans. He found success when he was with the Atlanta Falcons but was never able to replicate it in his tenure with the Cleveland Browns. The Titans traded away wide receiver AJ Brown leaving a gaping hole in the offense for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Hooper should at least see a solid target share in an offense that has carried both Delanie Walker and Jonnu Smith to fantasy-relevant seasons in the past.
Tight ends that are falling would are led by Mike Gesicki. This dude had a ton of potential going into last year and ended up kicking the year off with a goose egg in fantasy. His woes continued throughout the year, and he didn’t nearly reach his potential. Heading into this season, the Miami Dolphins added Tyreek Hill to their roster and were even shipping around Gesicki, which doesn’t inspire much confidence. I also think Cole Kmet, Noah Fant and Cameron Brate are tight end fallers for this season.