I've never written tiers before, but Adam Aizer asked me to handle them for our Fantasy Football Today podcast. Since I already gave him the list, I thought it made sense to put them in a column as well. So here we go.
These are my tight end tiers prior to the start of training camp. These tiers can -- and likely will -- change prior to the end of August. But this is how I would draft these tight ends in the middle of July.
And for context, this is based on PPR, as well as one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving. Hopefully, these tiers can help with any draft decisions you have to make this year.
Tier 1
Sam LaPorta
Travis Kelce
Trey McBride
Mark Andrews
It might seem odd to see all four of these tight ends in Tier 1, but all four guys are in contention to be the No. 1 Fantasy tight end this year. I like LaPorta the best because of what he accomplished as a rookie (86 catches, 889 yards, and 10 touchdowns on 120 targets), and I expect him to improve in his sophomore campaign. He's worth drafting in early Round 3.
Kelce, despite his struggles last year, was still the No. 1 Fantasy tight end at 14.63 PPR points per game (just slightly ahead of T.J. Hockenson at 14.60). Kelce did that despite falling below 1,000 yards (984) for the first time since 2015 and catching just five touchdowns, which matched his worst total since 2017. He'll be 35 in October, and the Chiefs will likely limit his snaps again (he played 77 percent of the snaps last year, which was his lowest total since 2014). I still believe he's capable of 15-plus PPR points per game, which is why he's No. 2, and I'll draft him in early Round 3.
In PPR, I give McBride a slight bump ahead of Andrews. McBride averaged 14.9 PPR points from Week 8 on last season after Zach Ertz left the Cardinals, which would have made him the No. 1 Fantasy tight end. McBride also averaged 14.9 PPR points in eight games with Kyler Murray. While some Fantasy analysts are concerned that Marvin Harrison Jr. joining the Cardinals is a detriment to McBride, I see it as a benefit. His targets could decline from the 8.5 per game he averaged in his final 10 outings, but if that happens it won't be by much. But he also was the only real threat in the passing game then, and Murray was just coming back. McBride scored two of his three touchdowns with Murray, and McBride should see significant growth in that area of his production. He's someone to target in Round 4.
Andrews is also worth a fourth-round pick, and he was having a stellar season in 2023 before suffering an ankle injury in Week 11, which kept him out until the AFC Championship Game. He finished the season at 13.5 PPR points per game, but if you remove the game against the Bengals when he got hurt in Week 11 then that number jumps to 14.6. We'll see if Andrews continues to be the No. 1 target for Lamar Jackson, or if Zay Flowers has taken over that role. Either way, Andrews remains a star, and he should have another stellar campaign this year.
Tier 2
Dalton Kincaid
Evan Engram
Kyle Pitts
George Kittle
I originally just had Kincaid in this tier by himself, but it's worth lumping him with the three guys behind him. All have some flaws compared to the top four guys, although I wouldn't be shocked if Kincaid finished as the No. 1 Fantasy tight end this year. The Bills lost 241 targets with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis gone, and Buffalo replaced them with a rookie in Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel, who has never been a star with Carolina or Washington. Kincaid could easily be the go-to option for Josh Allen this season -- Kincaid had 10 games with at least six targets, and he scored at least 12.7 PPR points in six of them -- and I would draft him as early as Round 5.
Engram was having an OK season with Christian Kirk healthy at 10.4 PPR points per game through Week 12, but he took off once Kirk suffered a season-ending groin injury in Week 13. From that point on, Engram averaged 19.3 PPR points per game. So which version of Engram will we get this year? Kirk is back, which could be a problem, but the Jaguars also have to replace 200 targets with Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones gone. Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis will fill those roles, but I don't expect Engram's production to crater with Kirk back. Engram still has top-five upside, and I love his value since you can draft him after Pitts and Kittle in Round 7 or 8.
Pitts is going to be polarizing given what he's failed to do the past two seasons after his rookie campaign in 2021 when he had 68 catches for 1,026 yards and one touchdown on 110 targets, and he averaged 10.4 PPR points per game. But he averaged just 7.6 PPR points per game in 2022 and 8.1 PPR points last year, and the addition of Kirk Cousins isn't enough to sway everyone to buy back in. I'll be the sucker to chase Pitts again, and hopefully Cousins can bring the best out of Pitts. Now, I don't want to reach for Pitts on Draft Day, but I'll consider taking him as early as Round 7.
Kittle will move into Tier 1 if Brandon Aiyuk is traded, but that doesn't seem likely to happen. The problem for Kittle is his PPR points per game has declined every season since 2018 from 16.1 to 12.7 last year. He also averaged just 5.6 targets per game last year, which dips to 5.1 in games where Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel were healthy. I still think Kittle has the potential to be a top-five Fantasy tight end, and he benefits in games where Samuel or Aiyuk miss (Kittle scored 16 points in Week 3 against the Giants when Aiyuk was out and averaged 18.5 PPR points in two games without Samuel). But you shouldn't draft Kittle based on the potential injuries of his teammates, which is why he's at the bottom of this tier for me.
Tier 3
Jake Ferguson
Dallas Goedert
Pat Freiermuth
David Njoku
Brock Bowers
This tier for me is the tight ends you should wait for if you miss on any of the first eight and you don't want to reach for the position. All five of these guys might not have top-five upside (barring something unforeseen) but should be in the top-10 range if things go right.
Ferguson is the safest of the bunch, and he should be No. 2 on the Cowboys in targets behind CeeDee Lamb. In fact, a tight end has been second in targets for Dallas for three years in a row. We saw his upside in the playoff loss against Green Bay with 10 catches for 93 yards and three touchdowns on 12 targets, and he had nine games last season with at least 10.1 PPR points.
Aside from Ferguson, two of my favorite late-round tight ends are from this tier in Goedert and Freiermuth, mostly because of their new offensive coordinators. Kellen Moore coming in as the offensive coordinator should be a huge boost for Goedert, especially with the Eagles expected to throw more in the red zone. And Freiermuth should benefit with Arthur Smith calling plays for the Steelers. In Atlanta, Smith dedicated 34.3 percent of his targets to his tight ends in 2023, and Freiermuth should be the No. 2 target in Pittsburgh behind George Pickens.
I'm drafting Njoku and Bowers in this tier if they fall, but I'm nervous about their production. Njoku scored at least 16.4 PPR points in each of his final four games, but that was with Joe Flacco. Njoku scored 6.8 PPR points or less in three of five games with Deshaun Watson, and I'm worried he'll be a bust. I'm also concerned about the ceiling for Bowers on what should be a low-scoring offense for the Raiders. Davante Adams should dominate targets, and Bowers will have to fend off Jakobi Meyers to be second in that category, all while catching passes from either Gardner Minshew or Aiden O'Connell.
Tier 4
T.J. Hockenson
Dalton Schultz
Tyler Conklin
Hunter Henry
Luke Musgrave
If healthy, Hockenson belongs in Tier 3, and hopefully, that's the case. Last year, he was a monster at 14.6 PPR points per game, but he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 16 and didn't undergo surgery until late January. There's a good chance he's not ready to play in Week 1, and we know he has to adjust to life without Kirk Cousins.
Schultz also has to deal with a crowded receiving corps in Houston after Stefon Diggs was added to Nico Collins and Tank Dell, meaning Schultz is fourth on the pecking order for targets at best. But I'm excited about the outlook for Conklin and Henry, and even Musgrave could benefit with Tucker Kraft (pectoral) potentially out for the start of the season.
Conklin gets a healthy Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) back, and we don't know when Mike Williams (ACL) will be ready to join the receiving corps. That could put Conklin in line to be second on the Jets in targets behind Garrett Wilson, and Conklin has earned exactly 87 targets in three straight seasons, which is freaky.
As for Henry, he might end up being a reliable weapon for either Drake Maye or Jacoby Brissett. And the addition of new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in New England could help Henry in a big way. Van Pelt has been in Cleveland the last four seasons, helping to run one of the more tight end-centric offenses in the NFL. Last year, the Browns threw 166 passes to tight ends, the seventh-highest mark in the league.
Tier 5
Jonnu Smith
Cole Kmet
Ben Sinnott
Mike Gesicki
There's something new for all of these tight ends, and I would consider drafting all four as No. 2 Fantasy options with enough bench spots. That said, I don't want to trust any of these guys (for now) as starters heading into Week 1.
Smith goes to Miami and will hopefully emerge as the No. 3 target for the Dolphins behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and his speed should fit in this offense. While Smith also has to contend with Odell Beckham Jr., there could be plenty of splash plays for Smith throughout the season.
I'm nervous about Kmet with Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze joining D.J. Moore in Chicago to make this a crowded receiving corps, and Caleb Williams has to support all of these guys. But Kmet could still be a security blanket for Williams, and last year Kmet broke out when he averaged 10.7 PPR points per game. Hopefully, he can still stay in that range this year.
Sinnott is one of my favorite rookies, regardless of position, and he could emerge as the season goes on. But early in the year, he'll play behind Zach Ertz, which unfortunately limits his upside. And while Gesicki has never been a consistent Fantasy option, his move to Cincinnati will hopefully lead to quality production. With Tyler Boyd gone, Gesicki could emerge as the No. 3 target for Joe Burrow behind Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Tier 6
Juwan Johnson
Cade Otton
Isaiah Likely
Noah Fant
Zach Ertz
Chigoziem Okonkwo
Ja'Tavion Sanders
Theo Johnson
Jelani Woods
Taysom Hill
Colby Parkinson
My favorite tight end in this tier is Juwan Johnson, who will hopefully be healthy by Week 1 after undergoing foot surgery this offseason. If he's out for the start of the season then Taysom Hill's value will rise (if he's tight end eligible in your leagues).
Some other tight ends in this tier that intrigue me are Likely, Fant, Woods, and Parkinson. Likely will hopefully earn a bigger role this season with Andrews healthy, and Likely was a star last year when Andrews hurt his ankle in Week 11. With Andrews missing the final six games of the regular season, Likely scored at least 11.1 PPR points in four of five games, including three outings with at least 18 PPR points.
Fant will hopefully earn a bigger role in Ryan Grubb's new offense in Seattle, although it's still a crowded receiving corps for the Seahawks. I'm excited to see what Woods can do with Anthony Richardson (shoulder) back for the Colts. And Parkinson could have some value early in the season with Tyler Higbee (ACL) out for the Rams.
