Our analysts are here to share a few of the tight ends they are targeting this fantasy football draft season. And be sure to check out their full list of players to avoid as part of our 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.
- Matthew Freedman’s Players to Target
- Derek Brown’s Players to Target
- Andrew Erickson’s Players to Target
- Pat Fitzmaurice’s Players to Target
- Joe Pisapia’s Players to Target
Rankings noted using FantasyPros half-PPR Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) and Consensus ADP.
5 Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Target
Adam Trautman (NO)
ECR TE27 | ADP TE27
In fantasy baseball, top prospects who struggle in their early exposure to MLB competition and become less expensive to fantasy managers, as a result, are called “post-hype sleepers.” Trautman profiles as a post-hype sleeper.
The development of NFL tight ends usually takes time. Don’t target rookie TEs. Target well-regarded TE prospects with a year or two of professional experience. A third-round draft pick in 2020, Trautman hasn’t been fantasy-relevant in his first two NFL seasons, but he was a small-school superstar at the University of Dayton, and he’ll be the No. 1 tight end in New Orleans this year.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Dalton Schultz (DAL)
ECR TE6 | ADP TE7
Before the TE drop-off, Dalton Schultz offers the best combination of value and upside. Schultz will see plenty of targets in the Cowboys’ offense, especially with Michael Gallup out early. He has red zone appeal, and clearly, Dak Prescott has had faith in him since he emerged from the shadows after Blake Jarwin went down early two seasons ago. As a result, he’s a top-five fantasy TE outside the top five in draft capital.
– Joe Pisapia
Cole Kmet (CHI)
ECR TE13 | ADP TE14
Cole Kmet was one of the unluckiest players in the NFL when it came to touchdowns. Despite ranking 15th in red-zone targets and sixth in deep targets, Kmet could not enjoy an endzone dance in 2021. Outside of being allergic to touchdown celebrations, his volume was among the best at his position. Kmet was eighth in target volume, 11th in target share, and 12th in receptions and receiving yards. Now that Jimmy Graham and Allen Robinson are gone and only Darnell Mooney above him in the target tree, Kmet could smash last year’s volume numbers. With an improved offensive scheme and quarterback play from Justin Fields, Kmet could be one of the biggest surprises in 2022 at the position.
– Derek Brown
Zach Ertz (ARI)
ECR TE9 | ADP TE10
Zach Ertz‘s return to form is a reminder there’s value to be had in drafting proven fantasy commodities after they have been written off by the drafting community. It’s a major takeaway I’ve had while constructing my 2022 rankings for all the positions: Finishing top 12 or even top five at each respective position should be held higher when it comes to ranking players going forward. They’ve done it before.
Following that precise approach would have led you to be overweight on Ertz in 2021, as the veteran was at the forefront of trade discussions all summer. He didn’t end up getting moved until Week 7 to the Arizona Cardinals, but his production took off after the trade.
The former Eagle averaged 11.4 fantasy points per game (eighth). He also averaged just under five receptions per game and a team-high 20% target share while running a route on 84% of dropbacks.
Ertz undoubtedly got a major receiving boost without DeAndre Hopkins in the lineup, but that will be the case during the first six games with the Cardinals’ No. 1 wide receiver serving a suspension. Ertz was TE4 over that stretch with Hopkins sidelined, averaging seven receptions per game (24% target share).
His trust earned from the coaches and Kyler Murray to be a target hog in the Cardinals’ offense from the get-go bodes well for him to be a back-end fantasy TE1 with him returning to Arizona, even with the addition of rookie second-round tight end Trey McBride.
The starting tight end position is valuable for Arizona in fantasy, evidenced by not only Ertz’s performance but also Maxx Williams. Before the Ertz trade went down, Williams posted two top-six TE finishes in just five games played.
– Andrew Erickson
Albert Okwuegbunam (DEN)
ECR TE17 | ADP TE20
I’ve been bullish on Okwuegbunam ever since the Broncos traded for QB Russell Wilson and traded away No. 1 tight end Noah Fant.
Last year, Okwuegbunam had just 40 targets, but among tight ends to hit that threshold, he was seventh and ninth in yards per route (2.0) and routes per target (4.2). The target competition will be tough with WRs Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler – but if Okwuegbunam becomes a regular contributor, he will likely smash market expectations.
– Matthew Freedman
FantasyPros Staff Consensus 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings
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