The retirement of Rob Gronkowski removes arguably the most dominant tight end in NFL history from a position group that only featured a handful of 100-plus fantasy point seasons in 2018. However, that number is a bit misleading. Four of the five broke the 150-point barrier as well. Only in 2015 did as many tight ends reach that mark. There are indeed several studs in the tight end stable. In fact, the single-season records for most receptions by a tight end and most receiving yards by a tight end were both broken last year by Zach Ertz and George Kittle, respectively. But neither tops my first set of 2019 TE rankings. That distinction goes to Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce.
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For his part, Kelce’s 103 receptions last season was the third highest single-season total in NFL history. His 1,336 receiving yards would have been enough to break the NFL record were it not for Kittle. Kelce led all tight ends in fantasy points in 2018 and has now done so in two of the last three seasons. He is the focal point of an offense which scored the third-most points in NFL history last season. An offense which may be without its most dynamic offensive weapon in Tyreek Hill for a significant portion of the season. It is hard to argue with Kelce’s current second-round ADP.
Kittle and Ertz were no slouches in their own right. Each averaged over 10 fantasy points per game in standard leagues. Eric Ebron nearly joined them, averaging 9.76 points per contest. Ebron finally had the breakout season many had envisioned since he came into the league. The fifth-year pro scored a whopping 14 touchdowns last year. That surpassed the number of times he had hit pay dirt over the course of his four seasons in Detroit. Of the four tight ends who eclipsed 150 points last year, Ebron is the most obvious regression candidate heading into 2019, but should still settle in as a back end TE1.
Here are my TE rankings for the upcoming 2019 fantasy football season. At least half of the players on this list should go undrafted in most standard leagues. You can always stream a tight end if yours struggles, gets hurt, or has a bye. Only two of my top-20 tight ends have a bye prior to Week 6.
More of Mick’s Standard League Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE
TE Rankings for 2019 Fantasy Football
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Kelce | KC |
| 2 | Zach Ertz | Phi |
| 3 | George Kittle | SF |
| 4 | O.J. Howard | TB |
| 5 | Evan Engram | NYG |
| 6 | Vance McDonald | Pit |
| 7 | Jared Cook | NO |
| 8 | Hunter Henry | LAC |
| 9 | David Njoku | Cle |
| 10 | Eric Ebron | Ind |
| 11 | Trey Burton | Chi |
| 12 | Delanie Walker | Ten |
| 13 | Austin Hooper | Atl |
| 14 | Jimmy Graham | GB |
| 15 | Jack Doyle | Ind |
| 16 | Chris Herndon IV | NYJ |
| 17 | Greg Olsen | Car |
| 18 | Jordan Reed | Was |
| 19 | Noah Fant | Den |
| 20 | Dallas Goedert | Phi |
| 21 | Kyle Rudolph | Min |
| 22 | Mark Andrews | Bal |
| 23 | T.J. Hockenson | Det |
| 24 | Mike Gesicki | Mia |
| 25 | Darren Waller | Oak |
| 26 | Gerald Everett | LAR |
| 27 | Cameron Brate | TB |
| 28 | Tyler Eifert | Cin |
| 29 | Nick Vannett | Sea |
| 30 | Blake Jarwin | Dal |
| 31 | Benjamin Watson | NE |
| 32 | Jordan Thomas | Hou |
| 33 | Jesse James | Det |
| 34 | C.J. Uzomah | Cin |
| 35 | Ian Thomas | Car |
| 36 | Tyler Higbee | LAR |
| 37 | Charles Clay | Arz |
| 38 | Jason Witten | Dal |
| 39 | Hayden Hurst | Bal |
| 40 | Irv Smith Jr. | Min |
Mick Ciallela has been writing for FantraxHQ since July 2017. He has also written for Bleacher Report. He is a lifelong sports fan and has been an avid fantasy sports player for many years. Mick was the Overall Champion of both the 2016 Football Challenge – Roto and 2017 Play 3 Football contests hosted by CDM Sports. Mick was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York and currently resides in New London, Connecticut.
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