You love fantasy rankings, but you really love tiers. We get it: Tiers give rankings texture and can be a big help when you’re actually drafting. Here are my first three tight end tiers, rankings and player notes for 2022.
You can find my full tiered rankings and notes here.
- Pat Fitzmaurice’s Wide Receiver Tiers, Draft Rankings, & Notes
- Pat Fitzmaurice’s Running Back Tiers, Draft Rankings, & Notes
Beyond our fantasy football content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator – which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents – to our Draft Assistant – that optimizes your picks with expert advice – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football draft season.
Tier 1
These are the elites. They’re the top pass catchers for their respective teams and true difference makers at the position, and they have second-round ADPs.
Travis Kelce has been the leading fantasy scorer (0.5 PPR) in four of the last six years. He finished second to Mark Andrews last year and second to Rob Gronkowski in 2017. Kelce has topped 1,000 yards for six straight seasons. With Tyreek Hill gone, Kelce will be more important than ever to the Kansas City offense.
Mark Andrews has been a top-five fantasy scorer at tight end in each of the last three seasons, and he ascended to TE1 last year with a 107-1,361-9 campaign. After trading away Marquise Brown, the Ravens are thin at wide receiver, so QB Lamar Jackson will continue to lean heavily on his tight end.
Tier 2
A rare athlete with prototypical size and speed, Pitts had 68 catches for 1,026 yards in his rookie season. He only had one TD catch, but the touchdowns will come. Pitts frequently faced opponents’ cornerbacks because the Falcons’ WR corps was so unimposing. The arrival of rookie WR Drake London should help get Pitts some more favorable matchups.
George Kittle has missed 13 games over the last three seasons, and his excellence as a blocker actually drains some of his fantasy value. Still, he’s an absolute warrior who’s outrageously tough to tackle. Since 2018, Kittle has averaged 76.4 yards per game and 9.9 yards per target.
Davante Adams‘ arrival in Las Vegas means Darren Waller won’t be the Raiders’ top pass catcher, but Adams’ presence could also create some favorable matchups for Waller and give him more room to roam.
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Tier 3
T.J. Hockenson oozes talent, but he hasn’t really popped in his first three NFL seasons. There’s still time.
Dalton Schultz has ordinary athleticism, but he’s caught 141 passes for 1,423 yards and 12 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He finished as the TE3 last season and could be even more heavily involved in the Dallas passing game this year with Amari Cooper gone.
For the first time in his career, Dallas Goedert will enter the season as the Eagles’ No. 1 tight end. He was a midrange TE1 last year after Philadelphia traded away Zach Ertz.
The aforementioned Ertz had 56-574-3 in 11 games following his trade to Arizona, making him the TE4 over that stretch. It was a nice rebound season after a disastrous 2020.
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