For those who play in tight end-mandatory leagues, there is a clear sense of demarcation among the top fantasy football tight ends. Once Travis Kelce goes, it starts the clock when the other top tight ends come off the board. George Kittle, Mark Andrews and T.J. Hockenson make up the second tier. Not far behind are Dallas Goedert, Darren Waller and Kyle Pitts as the third tier.
Clearly, not every fantasy team is going to make the investment to land one of these players. For those fantasy teams, owners can hold off filling this roster need for a long time and still get value. Here are five tight ends to keep in mind if you don’t get one of the top guys.
5
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
It can be difficult to project a player too high who has never caught 60 passes or scored more than four touchdowns in any season of his six-year career. Njoku has never lived up to being a first-round draft pick, but he hasn’t been a bust, either. His career can best be described as a victim of circumstance more than not being talented or effective.
Cleveland hopes the revolving door at quarterback ends with the long-term signing of Deshaun Watson. He is a dynamic quarterback who uses all of his receivers. He has a short body of work with Njoku – just five games together – but in those games, Njoku caught 17 passes and scored two touchdowns.
With a full offseason of work together, there’s no questioning that there will be a portion of the playbook specifically designed to get the ball to Njoku, especially near the goal line, which could help him have a career year in his seventh NFL season.
4
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Prior to last season, Kmet was known as a player who caught passes and moved the chains but didn’t score touchdowns. In the first 40 games of his career, he caught 100 passes but tallied just two TDs.
Just when many were ready to give up on him as a fantasy tight end, Kmet and Justin Fields became best friends in the passing a game – a poor man’s Kelce. In the final 10 games of last season, Kmet caught 38 passes for 396 yards and seven touchdowns – making him one of the most productive tight ends in the league.
He still may be flying a little under the radar for those who don’t closely follow a player’s role in an offense and the momentum he and Fields are building. The Bears have upgraded their wide receiver corps, but that won’t hurt Kmet. If anything, his production should increase – especially in the red zone – because he will likely be facing more single coverage with mismatch potential near the goal line.
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3
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
You can bet Knox wasn’t thrilled when the Bills used their only pick in the first 58 to take fellow tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round of this year’s draft. In fact, many of those who rank fantasy players for profit are ranking Kincaid higher than Knox (who has a current ADP in 16-17 range). Not so fast, my friends.
In Buffalo’s offense, of the plays Kincaid is on the field, he is likely to line up as a slot receiver. His snaps will be limited because Knox is a far superior in-line blocker. That not only puts him on the field against blitzing defenses and those bringing end pressure, it keeps him on the field for run plays and, most importantly, when the offense gets near the goal line. The red zone is where Knox thrives – in 30 games over the last two years, he has scored 15 touchdowns.
His snap-count percentage may drop with the arrival of Kincaid, but Knox’s ability to score seven or more touchdowns is enough to want him on your roster despite there being a highly touted new kid in Buffalo.
2
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
While his rookie season wasn’t exactly a redshirt year in 2022, hamstring injuries limited Dulcich to just 10 games – catching 33 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns. It’s not enough production to get fantasy players clamoring to get him on their rosters, but there are some significant factors that should be considered.
While Russell Wilson struggled mightily in his first season in Denver, it wasn’t because of Dulcich. In the 10 games he played, the rookie had a reception of 30 or more yards in three of them. Plays were drawn up to make him the deep seam option, and he delivered when the plays were called.
The X Factor here is the arrival of head coach Sean Payton. He helped mold Drew Brees into a Hall of Fame quarterback despite being undersized and lacking a cannon for an arm. The same can be said for Wilson. Payton has a long history of finding creative roles for athletic tight ends, including Jimmy Graham and Taysom Hill. There may not be a better coach to find ways to take advantage of Dulcich’s strengths than Payton.
1
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
His ranking in the 20s of tight ends is baffling to some, because he shouldn’t be listed as a fantasy tight end. The fact he continues to be able to be stashed on rosters as a tight end is a joyful accident for those deciding to make their last skill position player selection.
In Hill’s case, the numbers have done the talking for three years (44 games), but many fantasy experts continue to deny his achievements.
The worst thing he does is catch passes, wherein lies the irony of him being listed as a tight end. Over the last three years, Hill has caught just 21 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. However, in that same span he has rushed 253 times for 1,406 yards and 20 touchdowns and thrown for 2,146 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Do the math. It adds up to 33 touchdowns in three years – very few as a true tight end. Even when he wasn’t forced to play quarterback due to injury last season, he had 672 rushing/receiving yards, 240 passing yards and 11 touchdowns (seven rushing, two receiving, two passing). He should be a TE1 with whom you’re patient, because the big days will come at a position light on talent depth. Getting him as a late TE2 is criminal.
