The NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror and now that the draft dust has settled, it’s time to look ahead to the 2022 fantasy football season! With that in mind, let’s dive into some early positional rankings. Let’s start by taking a look at everyone’s favorite position, tight end! Listed below are my 2022 tight end rankings, complete with comments and based on half-PPR scoring. Also, if you’re interested in my 2022 quarterback rankings, you can find them here.
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2022 TE Rankings
| Rnk | Player | Team | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Andrews | BAL | Andrews led the Ravens -- and the position -- in targets and receptions last season. He could see more volume this season with the trade of Marquise Brown. This is a run-heavy offense, but Andrews should still get enough play to keep him as an elite option at the position. |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | Arguably the most stable TE in the league. Kelce should soak up more targets with Tyreek Hill no longer in Kansas City, but he'll also likely be the sole focus of opposing defenses. An elite option if you want to pay up for the position. |
| 3 | Kyle Pitts | ATL | Only three TEs finished with more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2021 -- Mark Andrews, Travis Kelce and Kyle Pitts. Pitts should continue to see volume in an offense lacking quality receivers. Look for him to score more than one TD this season, too. |
| 4 | George Kittle | SF | Kittle scored a career-best six TDs last season. He's one of the 49ers' best pass-catchers and should benefit with Trey Lance under center. |
| 5 | Darren Waller | LV | Injuries limited Waller to 11 games last season. While he'll lose targets to Davante Adams, he'll still be a focal point of this offense -- he totaled over 115 targets and 1,100 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020. |
| 6 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | Goedert gets his first full season as the Eagles' TE1. The team will look to have more of a passing game this season, and the boost in target volume could pay off big for Goedert. |
| 7 | Dalton Schultz | DAL | A surprising TE3 finish last season fueled by 808 receiving yards and eight TDs. Schultz trailed only CeeDee Lamb in team targets in 2021 and should continue to get looks with Amari Cooper no longer in Dallas. |
| 8 | T.J. Hockenson | DET | Despite missing four games with a hand injury, Hockenson was the second-most targeted player on the Lions in 2021. Detroit is not a high-scoring offense, and Hockenson could see a dip in volume with the additions of DJ Chark and Jameson Williams. He's still a solid top-10 option. |
| 9 | Dawson Knox | BUF | Knox made the most of his 71 targets last season by scoring nine TDs -- second on the team only to Stefon Diggs' 10 TDs. Knox may not have the passing volume that other TE1s have, but he benefits from being on one of the league's most high-powered offenses. |
| 10 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT | Freiermuth didn't rack up a ton of receiving yards last season (397), but he was a force in the red zone, scoring seven TDs. He'll look to continue that momentum this season and could be a nice safety blanket for Mitchell Trubisky. |
| 11 | Zach Ertz | ARI | Ertz finished 2021 strong. In his final four games, he saw at least nine targets and totaled 253 receiving yards. The Cardinals brought on receiver Marquise Brown in the offseason, but Ertz should still be able to take advantage of the plus passing opportunities -- especially with DeAndre Hopkins serving a six-game suspension and Christian Kirk now in Jacksonville. |
| 12 | Irv Smith Jr | MIN | Smith missed all of 2021 with a meniscus injury. He was slated to have a bigger role last season, and that should carry over to 2022. Smith is likely the third passing option for the Vikings, and a top-10 TE finish is in play. |
| 13 | David Njoku | CLE | Njoku is now the TE1 with Austin Hooper in Tennessee. Cleveland's receiving corps lacks depth, so Njoku could see a steady volume of targets -- especially with Jacoby Brissett under center. |
| 14 | Mike Gesicki | MIA | Gesicki finished as the TE12 last season and was second to Jaylen Waddle in team targets (112) and receiving yards (780). However, he only scored two TDs. The addition of WR Tyreek Hill will take away some of his volume, and Gesiciki will have to increase his receiving yards or score more TDs in order to maintain a TE1 status this season. |
| 15 | Robert Tonyan | GB | Tonyan tore his ACL mid-season last year, and should be able to return for the start of the 2022 season. Assuming he's ready to go, he could be heavily leaned on after the Davante Adams trade. He's a high-end TE2, but there's definitely some upside here. |
| 16 | Austin Hooper | TEN | Hooper is no longer in a three-headed TE committee, and he could be a sneaky receiving option for Tannehill. |
| 17 | Mo Alie-Cox | IND | Alie-Cox is an athletic TE on a team that likes to throw to its TEs. He could split time with Kylen Granson and/or Jelani Woods, but he took every snap with the starters in the last preseason game. He's a TE2 with upside. |
| 18 | Hunter Henry | NE | Henry scored nine TDs and finished as theTE8 last season. He's a decent TE2, but he's TD-dependent and newly acquired WR DeVante Parker could cut into some of his red zone volume. |
| 19 | Cole Kmet | CHI | Kmet was the Bears' second-leading receiver last season with 60 receptions and 612 yards. He failed to find the end zone, but he should benefit from a new coaching staff and a full season with Justin Fields under center. It also doesn't hurt that the receiving options in Chicago are somewhat underwhelming. |
| 20 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | Higbee finished the season with 560 receiving yards and five TDs. The Rams are a pass-heavy offense, but there a lot of mouths to feed. Consider Higbee a low-range TE2. |
| 21 | Hayden Hurst | CIN | Former TE C.J. Uzomah scored five TDs last season and there's no reason to think Hurst can't do the same. He's a TE2 with sneaky scoring upside on a potent offense. |
| 22 | Daniel Bellinger | NYG | The rookie could make an impact as the Giants' starting TE. |
| 23 | Evan Engram | JAX | A change of scenery could do Engram some good. However, Engram has more dropped passes than TDs in each of the last two seasons, and hasn't finished better than TE13 since 2018. |
| 24 | Brevin Jordan | HOU | It's likely Jordan will make strides in his sophomore season, but the Texans' offense runs through Brandin Cooks. |
| 25 | Gerald Everett | LAC | Everett now finds himself in a more TE-friendly offense with the Chargers. However, he could be splitting duties with fellow TE Donald Parham, limiting the upside of both. |
| 26 | Albert Okwuegbunam | DEN | Albert O. gets an upgrade at QB but could split time with Greg Dulcich this season. He's a TE2 who could easily move up the ranks as we get further into the season. |
| 27 | Logan Thomas | WAS | The Commanders like to utilize their TEs and Thomas is only a season removed from a TE7 finish. If Thomas can stay healthy, his value will rise. |
| 28 | Tyler Conklin | NYJ | Conklin could be a sneaky play in deeper leagues. |
| 29 | Cameron Brate | TB | Cameron Brate will likely step into the TE1 role but Kyle Rudolph will get some play, too. This is a pass-happy offense, but there are are a lot of mouths to feed in Tampa Bay. |
| 30 | Noah Fant | SEA | Poor QB play limited Fant in Denver, and it looks like that will continue in Seattle. |
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