The NFL preseason is underway. While this excites everyone for the regular season, it also signifies the start of a new year of fantasy football. Whether you are in redraft leagues or dusting off the old dynasty roster, there is a new draft class of players to evaluate. Tight ends in the NFL are already tough to handle, so here is how we are handling rookie tight ends this season.
2023 Fantasy football rankings: Top 10 TEs
Like the overall position, this year’s class feels top-heavy. Dalton Kincaid (Buffalo Bills) and Michel Mayer (Las Vegas Raiders) are the top two prospects from the talent they exhibited in college. They make up the top tier of tight ends and are followed by Luke Musgrave (Green Bay Packers), Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions), Luke Schoonmaker (Dallas Cowboys) and Tucker Kraft (Packers).
Kincaid will begin his career behind Dawson Knox, but he should eventually beat him out as the starter. The biggest question is just when the switch happens. Kincaid isn’t likely to play a huge role this season, but with Josh Allen at quarterback, his projections for the future keep him atop the class.
Mayer can be the starting tight end for the Raiders this year. The team did sign Austin Hooper after trading away Darren Waller, but Mayer is the better player. Hooper started declining ever since he left the Atlanta Falcons in 2019. It could just be the situation he was in, but now that he should start the season as the TE1 for Las Vegas, we will see what, if anything, he has left in the tank. I expect that Mayer can overtake him on the depth chart sooner rather than later, but even if it is later, he is still a good player to roster in dynasty with hopefully redraft upside for this year.
Someone between Musgrave and Kraft should have relevance. In the worst-case scenario, they cancel each other out, but someone should rise above to lead the Packers’ tight ends and develop into a reliable option for new quarterback Jordan Love.
LaPorta could shoot up draft boards with a strong preseason. He is expected to be the TE1 for Detroit. Not only has quarterback Jared Goff had fantasy-relevant tight ends in the past, but so has Detroit’s offense. LaPorta could be the heir apparent to the T.J. Hockenson role in the offensive game plan. This would result in a high target share for the rookie and could spark the addition of another reliable tight end for fantasy football.
