As we near the end of the 2023 NFL season, there's been a lot to complain about as a Fantasy Football player. We've seen so many offenses derailed by poor QB play, injuries, and bad coaching that it's made it pretty tough to fill out a lineup every week, let alone have confidence you're making the right call. But tight end is the one position I find it hard to complain about right now.
We always make fun of the, "Hey, maybe tight end won't be so bad this season!" narrative during draft season, but in 2023, it's kind of come true. After just nine players at the position in 2022 averaged double figures in scoring, 11 have done it this season. And that doesn't include the likes of Darren Waller and Dallas Goedert, who have dealt with injuries and probably would be there if they had been healthy. Nor does it include Dalton Kincaid, who is sitting at 9.4 per game, but has had long stretches where he played like a borderline elite Fantasy option.
In fact, as I look at my TE rankings for Week 16, I can go pretty deep before I run out of options where I feel like there's at least something more than just TD-or-bust upside. For me, I think it goes through TE15, who just so happens to be Kincaid. The past few weeks have been rough for Kincaid, between Dawson Knox's return in Week 14 and then a weird game against the Cowboys last week where Josh Allen only attempted just 15 passes. Kincaid is obviously no sure thing, but if he goes out and earns nine targets in Week 16 against the Chargers, I won't exactly be surprised; he had eight in Week 14, after all.
It is surprising the extent to which Kincaid has really been left in the dust by multiple young breakout tight ends, though. He's a solid option, with a nice-sized role in a very good passing game, but he's not really in the same class as Trey McBride and Sam LaPorta at this point. Those two guys look like the potential heirs apparent to Travis Kelce as the class of the position, and it's going to be fun to debate them all offseason. For my money, I'm giving McBride the edge right now, because he's just been a bit less TD dependent. Since his Week 8 breakout, McBride is averaging 16.7 points per game in full-PPR scoring, despite just two touchdowns in seven games. LaPorta is at 15.7 PPG despite six touchdowns in his last seven games but he's in a much better offense, and he's a clear priority near the end zone when they throw it, so I don't want to knock him for that. It's part of his game, and should continue to be moving forward.
We've also had unexpected breakouts from the likes of Isiah Likely, Dalton Schultz, and Jake Ferguson lately, while David Njoku and Evan Engram are having the best seasons of their careers, too. We're at a point where you might actually consider using a tight end in a flex spot, if you already had someone like Kelce or T.J. Hockenson and added LaPorta or McBride. How many times have we been able to say that in recent years? Yep, tight end isn't so bad this year.
Here are my rankings for Week 16 at the tight end position:
Week 16 Tight End Rankings
- Travis Kelce vs. LV
- Trey McBride @CHI
- Sam LaPorta @MIN
- TJ Hockenson vs. DET
- David Njoku @HOU
- Evan Engram @TB
- George Kittle vs. BAL
- Isaiah Likely @SF
- Jake Ferguson @MIA
- Cole Kmet vs. ARI
- Darren Waller @PHI
- Dallas Goedert vs. NYG
- Dalton Schultz vs. CLE
- Kyle Pitts vs. IND
- Logan Thomas @NYJ
- Jonnu Smith vs. IND
- Cade Otton vs. JAX
- Tucker Kraft @CAR
- Mike Gesicki @DEN
- Tyler Conklin vs. WAS
- Chigoziem Okonkwo vs. SEA
- Brevin Jordan vs. CLE
- Kylen Granson @ATL
- Noah Fant @TEN