There was a time in fantasy football where no tight ends were drafted inside the top five rounds and we were all perfectly fine with that. But as the game changes, we change along with it. We’ve seen Rob Gronkowski go in the first-round before, and although those times are gone, early ADP suggests that there are three tight ends who should be drafted inside the top three rounds.
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The tight end position is widely considered to be the most volatile position in fantasy football, hence the reason owners are willing to cough a high-round pick on those who are incredibly consistent. But is the consistency of even those top-three options overrated? How about those who are being drafted multiple rounds later?
While you may not agree with the order the players are listed, these are the tiers that you should use when drafting. If you like a player at the bottom of a tier more than others, congrats, that’s what we call fantasy gold. You’re able to sit back and take other positions of value before snagging the last player in a tier. It also depends on team construction, as you don’t want a roster full of high-upside, high-risk players. You need some consistency in your life. Ok, I’m starting to sound like your parents. Maybe it’s time we just get into the tight end tiers.
If you’d like to see the other positional tier lists, here are the links:
Quarterback Primer
Running Back Primer
Wide Receiver Primer
Tier One (Rounds 2-3)
This is the “king” tier for the two best tight ends in the game. While Ertz was just as consistent last year, he didn’t offer the upside that these two did. Fun fact: There were 32 occasions where a tight end scored 20 or more PPR points in 2017. Gronkowski and Kelce accounted for 11 of them. Ertz had just one.
Tier Two (Rounds 3-4)
As mentioned above, Ertz lacks the upside to get into the top-tier with Gronkowski and Kelce. It’s also important to remember that his breakout year came when Carson Wentz threw a touchdown on 7.5 percent of his attempts, something that won’t happen again. The fact that Alshon Jeffery may start the year on PUP does bode well for his targets, though.
Tier Three (Rounds 6-7)
Delanie Walker
Kyle Rudolph
Jordan Reed
Greg Olsen
Here’s the “guys who produce when on the field” tier, though some are getting up there in age. Walker was just given a two-year extension, which tells us that the Titans aren’t comfortable with his replacement Jonnu Smith just yet. While Corey Davis is making waves, Walker is a stable presence at the position. Rudolph now has the best quarterback of his career, but Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Dalvin Cook need their targets, too. Reed has upside to get into the first or second tier, but his injury history means you shouldn’t have to pay top-dollar. He’s going to be on a lot of my teams this year. Olsen returns to an offense that is suddenly crowded with target hogs over the middle of the field, so it’s unlikely he sees the volume he has in years past.
Tier Four (Rounds 7-8)
Evan Engram
Trey Burton
Jimmy Graham
This is the “uh-oh, I’d better snag one of these tight ends” tier. Unless you’re streaming the position, you need to ensure you draft a top-10 tight end because it gets very unpredictable outside of this area of the draft. Engram is going to lose targets with a healthy Odell Beckham, Sterling Shepard, and recently-added Saquon Barkley, so don’t pay for last year’s performance. Burton is going to play the Ertz/Kelce role in Matt Nagy’s offense and is locked into 85-plus targets this year, which all but guarantees TE1 numbers. Graham is being drafted well ahead of this tier, but I don’t think you should pay for touchdowns. Ask anyone why they think Graham should be drafted higher and they’ll say, “touchdowns.” I promise that you’ve likely heard those same people tell you that touchdowns are the hardest thing to predict and shouldn’t be relied upon. Remember Martellus Bennett was going in the same range last year? How’d that work out? I’m not saying he won’t be a TE1 this year, but his current ADP as the No. 4 tight end means that he NEEDS to score 10 touchdowns.
Tier Five (Rounds 10-13)
Jack Doyle
George Kittle
O.J. Howard
David Njoku
Tyler Eifert
These are the tight ends who are far from a sure thing, but I’d also label them as those most likely to finish as backend TE1s. Doyle has been so good the last two years, it’s hard to imagine him simply disappearing to Eric Ebron, who has continually disappointed. Kittle is attached to Jimmy Garoppolo and is the only projected starting pass-catcher who is over six-feet tall. He stepped up late in the year but is missing valuable camp time with a separated shoulder. Howard finished his rookie season extremely strong, but still has to deal with Cameron Brate, who the Bucs gave a big extension to. Njoku blew the doors off in his preseason debut, forcing many to move him up draft boards, but how will Josh Gordon‘s return affect him? What if they do, in fact, sign Dez Bryant? Eifert was a monster prior to getting hurt, which seems all too often. He’s somewhat of a touchdown-or-bust option, though, which puts him outside my top-12.
The Rest (Streamers)
Hayden Hurst
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Cameron Brate
Vance McDonald
Ben Watson
Jared Cook
Charles Clay
Eric Ebron
Mike Gesicki
Austin Hooper
Ricky Seals-Jones
I wish that I had more stones to put Hurst in the tier above this one, as he’s right on the cusp of someone I’d like to try starting. The Ravens and Joe Flacco have targeted tight ends so much over the years, and he’s the best one. Still, rookie tight ends are hard to trust. Seferian-Jenkins is going to be touchdown-or-bust with the Jaguars, similar to the way Marcedes Lewis was last year. McDonald was hurt in camp, which put a damper on a potential breakout, though he does play the Browns in Week 1. Watson has done it with Drew Brees before, though age is going to catch up. Cook and Clay give you solid target floors, but they’re extremely boring fantasy options. Ebron could become something if they use him as the “move” tight end in Frank Reich’s offense, while Gesicki is going to be the go-to red zone target for Ryan Tannehill. Hooper is trending in the wrong direction, while Seals-Jones is starting to get more attention. He’s an upside play, though it’s hard to see him stealing targets from David Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald.
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
