Fantasy Football TE Sleeper Draft Rankings

The tight end position has been changing in recent years. Historically, the position is a do-it-all type of spot where the player is not only asked to be well-versed in route running and catching the football, but also blocking. Nowadays, NFL teams are using more and more tight ends treated like wide receivers. Mike Gesicki, for example, lined up in the slot, as a receiver, then he did in-line (a position where often associated with blocking). Due to the dueling responsibilities, it often takes younger players more time to get used to the NFL speed because they're tasked with not only the duties of a receiver but also of a lineman – it can be a lot for young players to adjust to. For fantasy football, tight ends can simply be considered bigger receivers. These are the kind of players we want to target. Unfortunately, there are no points awarded for being a great blocker, so fantasy managers will want to target the tight ends who are often treated exclusively as receivers.

It doesn't matter what format you're playing in – standard, half-PPR, full-PPR – the best tight end entering the 2022 season is either Mark Andrews or Travis Kelce. Debates on who should be the first tight end off the board will center around these two and only these two. The consensus rankings in the fantasy community and here at 4for4 believe that Kelce is the best. With Tyreek Hill in Miami, Kelce will assume the mantle of being Mahomes' 1 No. 1 target. The lack of dependable pass-catchers behind him could result in Kelce being one of the most targeted players in the NFL. While Andrews is a phenomenal fantasy asset, there are some questions as to whether the Ravens will pass as much as they did in 2021. Looking at his four seasons in the NFL, last year was something of an outlier based on the increased passing volume for the Ravens. Fantasy managers should pay attention to training camp reports to determine what the Baltimore offense might look like this year.

Your roster size and more importantly, how many bench spots you have available, are at the root of this question's answer. It's more important than what kind of scoring format you're playing in. If you have only 4–5 bench spots and have one of the top-six tight ends, it's not necessary to roster a second one. If you're playing in a more typical roster format where you have 6–7 bench spots, unless you have one of the top three guys, it makes sense to roster a second tight end. Our bench is for improving our starting lineup and in that regard, it makes sense to take another dart throw at one of the most volatile positions in fantasy football.

The different kinds of scoring formats can directly impact how fantasy managers value certain tight ends. This doesn't change anything for our top-six guys this year, but once you get out of that comfort zone, what scoring format you're playing under becomes very important. In standard scoring leagues, you should prioritize touchdowns, red zone utilization, his team's offensive output, and their target volume. Guys like Robert Tonyan, Hunter Henry, and Dawson Knox are the kind of guys who work well in standard scoring because although they may not have a large target share like other tight ends, they're heavily used near the goal line and connected to good offenses. Knox did set career-highs in targets and receptions per game in 2021, but his low target share is a red flag. That often means more touchdowns. In PPR scoring, fantasy managers should be chasing volume. Guys like T.J. Hockenson, Zach Ertz, and Cole Kmet get a boost here because they should see ample volume on a weekly basis. While their number of touchdowns may be lower, they can make up the difference in PPR scoring. In relation to other positions, standard scoring leagues can devalue the worth of pass-catchers. Since the majority of tight ends fail to eclipse 1,000 yards, standard scoring leagues end up putting a low premium on tight ends outside of the elite guys on top because they score so little.

Streaming tight ends is the practice of choosing a new starting tight end on an almost weekly basis. What you should be looking for when undergoing this type of strategy is looking at matchups with high expected point totals for each team. An over/under of 55 point implies we should be expecting a lot of touchdowns to be scored and that creates extra scoring opportunities for our tight ends who often need to make good on less volume – touchdowns can do that. We should also then be avoiding games with low implied point totals. Rob Gronkowski retiring opens the door for Cameron Brate to be one of the more interesting streamers this season. Another likely streamer is Tyler Higbee. Both these players lack consistent targets, but are attached to high-scoring offenses. These kinds of players tend to be touchdown-dependent. Once bye weeks start – in Week 6 – we will have enough data where we can begin to identify which defenses struggle to stop tight ends and which defenses are very effective in slowing down the position. This information is also incredibly helpful when looking to stream the position. Targeting high implied point totals and teams that yield a high number of fantasy points per game to the position can make for an effective tight end streaming strategy.

If you want a set it and forget it type of tight end, you'll need to pay up to get it. This includes Kelce, Andrews, Pitts, Waller, Schultz, and Kittle. After those six, the position begins to thin out fairly quickly. The best strategy when it comes to this position is either attacking one of those first six or waiting and taking two tight ends further down the rankings. This includes a safe floor option, such as Hunter Henry (TE14) and one Albert Okwuegbunam (TE16) who offers more upside. Fantasy managers should be cautious with the tight ends in the 7–12 range as the cost of acquiring these players rarely outweigh the benefits.

The short answer here is volume. Fantasy managers should be targeting tight ends who have a weekly average of 6+ targets and those who have a chance at that kind of volume should be higher on your draft rankings. To earn that kind of target share, they often need to be the primary or secondary option in their team's passing attack. This also can help identify value plays. Guys like Evan Engram and David Njoku have a pathway to being their team's second most targeted player and make for excellent late-round additions. A more in-depth answer is that fantasy managers should be looking for tight ends who play on an up-tempo offense with high pass volume. We should be targeting players who are running a lot of routes and who are rarely asked to stay in and block. Every passing play where they are asked to block is a lost opportunity. Tight ends who are used as receivers should also be primary targets. Kyle Pitts and Mark Andrews are also split out wide, which increases their upside.