As the game has adjusted to support high-flying offenses and pinball scoring, so too have the players. Tight ends have seemingly become the Renaissance men of the NFL. Tasked with mastering a wide variety of skills and techniques, the tight end position has evolved tremendously over the past decade. In 2023, TEs accounted for their largest share of total targets (21.4%), total receptions (22.5%) and total receiving yards (21.1%) in any of the past five seasons. Hence, a position that often felt full of busts appears to be booming now.
While that makes for creative offensive scheming and exciting on-field play, it can also be frustrating for fantasy managers. That's why the position remains one of most polarizing among fans of the virtual game. For a long time, phrases like "the tight end wasteland" and "rookie TEs don't produce in their first year" were widely accepted tropes. Those notions haven't been obliterated, as there's still some truth to both assertions. However, more players are challenging the absolute nature of these previously long-held beliefs.
Last season, a pair of rookies had tremendous seasons. Sam LaPorta burst onto the scene, managing a 86-889-10 stat line and finishing his freshman campaign as fantasy's TE1 in terms of total points (Travis Kelce led in PPG). Dalton Kincaid also put together a historic greenhorn effort, recording the fourth-most regular-season receptions (73) by a rookie tight end. And while Trey McBride wasn't a first-year player, he remained a largely unknown commodity before emerging down the stretch to average nearly 11 fantasy points per game for the season (TE7). Each of these players figures to be selected inside the top 10 TEs, adding depth to a position that just a few years ago seemed woefully top-heavy.
Speaking of the top, some names may be reshuffled, but battle-tested vets are still posting big numbers. Kelce -- the 34-year-old who inked a two-year extension in late April -- finished below 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in seven years, but continued his dominant run at the position by averaging 14.6 fantasy points per game. Mark Andrews was limited to 10 games, but was a force when he was on the field, registering the fifth-most fantasy points per game (13.5) while also leading the Ravens in receiving yards per contest (54.4). Finally, George Kittle logged a career-best 11.3 yards per target and 15.7 yards per reception (both tops among TEs) while thriving as the 49ers' second-most-targeted option in the passing game. The "big three" may be beyond their fantasy peaks, but they're all prominent members of high-scoring offenses and, as a result, will likely come off draft boards by the end of Round 6.
Nabbing an elite fantasy producer at the position certainly offers managers an edge. Yet it's worth noting that 34 non-quarterbacks registered more fantasy points per game than Kelce in 2023. Given the aforementioned depth at the position, fantasy enthusiasts aren't faced with the same "all-or-nothing" dilemma of passing on a promising WR or RB in the hopes of securing the unequivocally most productive tight end. Plus, players like Kyle Pitts and Brock Bowers offer later-round upside, while someone like David Njoku presents a decent floor, allowing potential investors more wiggle room in the first half of their drafts.
Ultimately, the growth of the position has provided dependable second- and third-tier options. It is this collection of players that figures to deliver the healthiest return on investment relative to draft capital ... and where savvy managers should focus their attention.