At a certain point, it’s easy to give up on hope. Year after year we’re made promises of what to believe in. We were told young QBs lean on their tight ends as a safety blanket. Fact is, they don’t. We thought after Michael Vick that perhaps tight end production could come from mobile quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson targets his tight ends the most in the league on a rate basis. Who targets them the least? Why, that would be famed statue Tua Tagovailoa.
Case closed right? Unfortunately the second and fourth quarterbacks who target their tight ends the most are Patrick Mahomes and Jacoby Brissett. Second and third least are Daniel Jones and Josh Allen, respectively.
No, the tight ends who get the most targets do so not because of who’s throwing them the ball, but of their ability to demand target share. And the final custom that we’ve all accepted is that there can only be three great tight ends in the league at a time. The rest are interchangeable scrapheap who depend on matchups. And for the last decade, you’d certainly be right. But that could finally be about to change.
5 Tight Ends for Dynasty Football to Watch
Kyle Pitts, TE, ATL
While everyone is well aware of Kyle Pitts, it’s still an interesting case worth examining and a value worth probing. At the top of the mountain we currently have Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews. George Kittle hangs out a shade below playing a bit of will he, won’t he.
After a stellar rookie campaign, we should’ve officially entered the third-year hype zone for Pitts to join them at the podium.
But the noise has seemed to die down. It seems sky high expectations have proven a heavy weight. Some managers have soured on the most anticipated tight end for dynasty in recent memory.
Recent preseason noise isn’t a help either. He hasn’t seen the targets from Desmond Ridder you’d like to see as they install a new quarterback, and Ridder’s deep ball in camp has been questionable. Still, this is an incredible talent that has produced at a high level in the NFL and certainly one to monitor if you can find the right price.
Pat Freiermuth, TE, PIT
There are, however, other options should you decide not to pay the price of a prospect’s former glory. See, the problem with this narrative, is people think of tight end as a scarce position. While you would think a rising tide would raise all boats, it leads people to believe only a few tight ends provide value.
Pat Freiermuth, currently the TE8 on Keep Trade Cut, has seen his value slide in spite of excellent reports coming out of Pittsburgh Steelers’ camp. Naturally, doubts about Kenny Pickett will be warranted until he shows more in the traditional stats column. Surprisingly though, he actually acquitted himself well analytically for his rookie season. Pickett was 18th in passing grade for PFF and 20th in ESPN’s QBR. Reports out of camp, for whatever they’re worth, have been glowing about improved accuracy.
As George Pickens continues to emerge behind Diontae Johnson, there should be more offense for last year’s 26th ranked scoring unit. Add in the thoughtful addition of Allen Robinson and there should be more touchdowns for everyone, including Freiermuth.
That would be great for a player who cashed in on 7 touchdowns his rookie season, but only had 2 scores last year. Bet on more production for 2023.
Michael Mayer, TE, LV
Now here’s where we start to have a little fun with the upcoming class. My first thought still lingers on the potential for Sam Laporta as he’s geared to start as a rookie. But, given I explored Laporta last week, I’ll take a look at Michael Mayer whose right below him on Keep Trade Cut.
The rookie from Notre Dame was expected to be the top tight end off the board in this year’s NFL Draft. Having been the favorite to be drafted first before the 2022 NCAA season, it was a surprise to see Dalton Kincaid go first. This was in spite of Mayer showcasing increased skills and talent this past year.
New Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is going to notice Mayer. Having worked with George Kittle, Garoppolo might have a bit of an adjustment to the less athletic but more physically imposing Mayer. But with the lighter Austin Hooper occupying the starting tight end role, Mayer should be the best contested catch target in the room. As a tight end for dynasty, you can’t ask for much more in a player’s first year. Unless, of course, you’re Dalton Kincaid or Sam Laporta.
Are you seeing why perceptions around tight end might start to change?
Cade Otton, TE, TB
Considering that the talent curve at tight end might start to flatten out a bit, it’s important to not overextend yourself if you’re in the market. You don’t want to pay extra for scarcity if scarcity isn’t sticking around for the long haul.
For the price of a Darius Slayton, you can collect shots like Cade Otton who could begin to represent more than afterthoughts. After all, the league continues to move towards drafting athletes at the position. The league is also bringing in oordinators like the Ravens’ Todd Monken more and more often to address underutilization of the position.
Cade Otton is the undisputed No. 1 tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with new OC Dave Canales in town. An assistant coach for Seattle last year, the Seahawks ran 12 personnel (two tight ends) on 29.5% of plays, most in the league. Otton had the 8th most yards working out of the slot of tight ends in 2022. I imagine this marriage might go well.
David Njoku, TE, CLE
Speaking of slot yardage, David Njoku was notably seventh last year, just a tick over Otton. But a big difference was the 1.76 yards per route run out of the slot, good for 5th in the league among tight ends with over 20 receptions.
Njoku is certainly much older than all of the other tight ends on this list. He moreso represents the previous failed batch of tight end prospects that has led to the wasteland of today. After a career season last year however, he could be looking to revitalize himself as a post-hype sleeper.
As noted, Brissett did an excellent job targeting tight ends last year. He just didn’t pass the . Brissett averaged only 23 attempts a game, yet Njoku still had a career-high 58 receptions on 80 targets. If Deshaun Watson can bring with him an uptick in both passing volume and target quality, this could be yet another banner year. Signed through 2025, there’s a real chance to see this pairing evolve into one the league’s best.
For more great rankings and analysis, make sure to check out our 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!
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