As we head toward the beginning of the NFL season on Sept. 7, all the focus is on fantasy drafts leading up to Week 1. Now that we’ve been able to see plenty of action in preseason and can judge how a lot of these players will be used, here are four tight ends you should consider fading in your draft this year.
2023 Fantasy Football: TEs to Fade
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Kmet led the team in targets, catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns last year, but he only averaged 8.7 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues. It doesn’t seem like much, but it was even an improvement from the year before when he averaged 7.1 through 17 games. The Bears have been very run-heavy with Justin Fields under center, but even if Fields throws the ball more it’s unlikely that Kmet will see an increase in targets in 2023. The signing of DJ Moore will most certainly take up a huge chunk of the target share across the team, leaving Kmet to do what he can with what he’s given. He may be a relatively solid producer on the field, but it just doesn’t translate to fantasy.
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle is one of the best tight ends in the league no doubt, but his level of play isn’t always represented in terms of fantasy production. He scored 11 touchdowns last season, but only averaged 51 receiving yards per outing with a total of 765 yards off of 86 targets. His target share should be even smaller this year especially playing a full season with Christian McCaffrey, who has a history of being heavily utilized in the passing game as he caught 52 passes for 464 yards last season after he made the move to the 49ers. Kittle will be a powerhouse on the field, but might not be the best option in a standard fantasy draft.
Darren Waller, New York Giants
Waller has been riddled with injuries through the last two seasons, playing only 20 games between the two. He averaged just 9.4 PPR fantasy points per game in 2022, though he only made nine appearances through the whole season. With his propensity for injuries combined with joining a new team this year, I’d avoid him in drafts as a starting tight end.
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Pitts has the talent to be one of the top tight ends in the league, but injury and low target share have hampered that especially last year, when he only saw the field on 10 occasions. He averaged 7.6 PPR fantasy points last season through those 10 games, topping out at a season-high nine targets in Week 8 against the Panthers. With Desmond Ridder taking over duties under center this year, Pitts is likely to see a similar output as last year when he’s healthy.