When drafting, it is important to stay up to date with what the market is doing. This allows you to evaluate your rankings against the current ADP to find both potential values and pitfalls. Today we’re going to take a look at three of my favorite tight end values for 2023 fantasy football. When doing so, we will use their current ADP (as of via 8/01 Fantrax).
ADP vs. Ranks – 3 Tight End Values
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons (66 PPR/64 Standard)
Pitts had a great rookie season; well at least partially, as he caught 68 passes for 1,026 yards. He wasted no time becoming a large part of Atlanta’s offense as he was targeted 110 times with 9.3 yards per target while averaging 15.1 yards per reception. With three games of at least 100 receiving yards and 16 receptions of at least 20 yards, Pitts was an explosive option. It should be no surprise that he quickly generated a large swarth of optimism.
However, the caveat should be added though that Pitts only caught one touchdown pass. Even still, the potential was so high that we did not see that concern reflected in his 2022 ADP.
I should add that I was one of the many fantasy owners left jilted by Pitts’ sophomore slump. It was a rough year as he finished with just 28 receptions for 356 while again struggling to find the end zone with just two touchdown passes. In fairness to Pitts, he did play in just 10 games while dealing with a knee injury, but prior to that, his season was a true disappointment.
With that being said, we cannot simply forget both his talent and what he did as a rookie. That is what makes him one of my tight end values in his year three season.
Desmond Ridder now has another season, and a full offseason under his belt, and the same can be said for Drake London. Atlanta also boosted their offense by drafting the explosive Bijan Robinson in the first round. London had a strong rookie season, and the Falcons have built an impressive young core.
Despite all of this, the big thing with Pitts is still the health of his knee. After already running routes in Training Camp things are moving in the right direction and it appears we might even see him on the field this pre-season. With Pitts’ 2022 season in fantasy managers’ minds, I have no problem giving him another chance.
Darren Waller, New York Giants (80 PPR/83 Standard)
This is another situation where we are looking to buy on both health and talent. The fact that we can take advantage of the current discount is a nice bonus. In trading for Waller, the Giants were able to do the same as Waller cost just a third-round pick.
After back-to-back seasons in which Waller played all 16 games and broke the 1,000-yard mark each year, he appeared in 20 games over the last two seasons. Additionally, the production, especially last year, really suffered. Something did not appear to be working with Josh McDaniels as Waller caught just 28 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns.
We have already seen what Waller can do on a football field when he is healthy and involved in an offense. To this point, it appears that the latter is very much true as he has been heavily involved so far in Training Camp. That should not come as a surprise after Waller was the biggest addition New York made this off-season. Continuity is key here as they did re-sign Daniel Jones while placing the franchise tag on Saquon Barkley.
Jones now has another year, and off-season program, under his belt with Brian Daboll. This coupled with New York’s financial commitment means they are looking for him to take the next step. For the Giants to do the same, they will need to establish Jones and their offense from a downfield passing perspective. It is clear that Waller will play a large part in that which makes him one of my tight end values.
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans (116 PPR/110 Standard)
Someone has to catch the ball in Houston. And rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud needs a dependable security blanket to target. Quite simply, I am not sure things have to get more complicated than that.
When considering those facts alone, Schultz quickly becomes one of our tight end values. After joining the Texans following five years with Dallas, Schultz vaulted to the top of Houston’s target list. The good news is that this is not foreign territory for Schultz. Over the last three years, Schultz has not been targeted less than 89 times. Additionally, Schultz has been busy turning that into production. In his worst season of that stretch being 57 receptions for 577 yards in 2022.
While there is some optimism surrounding Nico Collins and John Metchie, Houston is light when it comes to receivers. Especially with a rookie quarterback, a security blanket will be needed and looks to be Schultz. The fact that the Texans will likely be trailing often, should also open up the passing game.
We are not going to look at Schultz as an athletic marvel, but it is difficult to argue with the production. Over the last three years, Schultz has not averaged less than 9.8 yards per reception, and Stroud should keep him busy. This makes him one of our tight end values to target for 2023. The good news, is that the price is currently not prohibitive.
For more great rankings and analysis, make sure to check out our 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!
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