If you think your only shot to draft an elite-tier tight end is to take one with a second-round pick, then you’re probably going to force your way into selecting one of Brock Bowers or Trey McBride, with George Kittle as your backup plan in Round 3.
If you think you can find an elite-tier tight end later in the draft, like you might have done with Bowers last year or Sam LaPorta the year before, then you’ll wait until Round 8 at minimum to choose a tight end. You might even take two with your last eight picks to double your chances.
You might be open to both options. That’s the right approach. Have an open mind to take a tight end in Round 2 if the draft plays out as such. If it doesn’t, no worries, you’ll find a tight end you’ll like later.
What to look for in a tight end
When considering a tight end, look for the ones who are just like receivers.
- A TE who could average at least six targets per game (seven-plus would be a premium)
- A TE who could earn the most or second-most targets on his team
- A TE who has some speed and/or after-catch ability
- A TE who you believe can give you 10-plus PPR/8-plus half-PPR/7-plus non-PPR points per game
Stick to those parameters and you should find a tight end without having to reach or feel gross. The good news is that there are a good amount of NFL tight ends who match those requests.
This doesn’t mean that a lot of tight ends can be difference-makers like McBride or Bowers, but a lot of them can be suitable to start while also carrying some upside.
Is a tight end in Round 2 a good idea?
How will you know if the draft plays out in such a way that will make you feel good about a Round 2 tight end? Simple — make a list of all the non-tight ends you’d take before McBride or Bowers. When that list evaporates, take a tight end. If they’re gone too, take Kittle or just look for a good tight end later on.
Feel free to take my list and add/remove dudes as you wish:
| 1 | B. Robinson | 14 | D. Henry |
| 2 | J. Chase | 15 | B. Thomas Jr. |
| 3 | J. Gibbs | 16 | A. Brown |
| 4 | J. Jefferson | 17 | J. Jacobs |
| 5 | C. Lamb | 18 | C. Brown |
| 6 | D. Achane | 19 | B. Irving |
| 7 | C. McCaffrey | 20 | J. Taylor |
| 8 | P. Nacua | 21 | D. London |
| 9 | S. Barkley | 22 | T. Higgins |
| 10 | M. Nabers | 23 | T. Hill |
| 11 | N. Collins | 24 | T. McBride |
| 12 | A. St. Brown | 25 | B. Bowers |
| 13 | A. Jeanty |
You might rather have Ladd McConkey or James Cook or Kyren Williams than one of these tight ends. You might rather have a quarterback than a tight end. It’s your team, you do what you think is best. But this little process is your first big step in determining your path to draft tight ends.
And again, if you miss on McBride or Bowers, targeting Kittle with your next pick isn’t a mistake. In fact, that would have worked out to your advantage last year since Kittle narrowly edged both McBride and Bowers in PPR points per game.
If you miss on those guys
You shouldn’t have to spend anything higher than a sixth-rounder for a tight end if you don’t take one early on, and you could genuinely wait until Round 10 if you wanted to.
The sixth-round value for LaPorta and Travis Kelce is good. Taking one of them will give you a must-start tight end but obviously without the same expectation as McBride, Bowers and Kittle. Both have a great track record, and both are on high-scoring offenses, but both are in crowded receiving corps and their opportunities might be impacted. Kelce has the added wart of being slower than he once was.
That means they could potentially be at the same level or worse than the next wave of tight ends who go after them. That wave is deep and includes David Njoku, T.J. Hockenson, Mark Andrews, Evan Engram, Tucker Kraft and rookies Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland. Expect them all to be gone by the end of Round 10 because they all carry at least modest upside thanks to the anticipated workloads they’ll have in their offenses.
And if you miss on those guys
If you wait too long to take a tight end, change your focus to the short-term and draft with only the first few weeks in mind. This is easier to do with tight ends than with other positions except maybe quarterback. Ideally you’ll find a guy who can get you through a few games while you look to add someone off waivers or via trade. In a perfect world, you’ll actually pick a tight end who becomes a reliable starter — that happened last year for the lucky souls who picked up Jonnu Smith, Zach Ertz and Cade Otton.
Here’s a quick rank list of the tight ends you’ll find after Round 10 that I view as possible targets based solely on their Fantasy Strength of Schedule for the first four weeks of the season. I’ve included their consensus season-long ranking for context — the higher the number, the longer you could probably wait to draft him.
More questions, more answers
Should you draft two tight ends? There’s nothing wrong with doing so. You could take two tight ends late in hopes one pops off for a big year, or you could take a second tight end no matter when you take your first in hopes of the second one becoming a steal. As an example, I am bullish on Tyler Warren this season, so I plan on taking him in the Round 8-9 range in every league I can. I did the same thing with Bowers last year. That worked out.
What changes in a half-PPR league? Practically nothing. You probably shouldn’t take any tight end until Round 3. You’ll still chase tight ends who play like receivers, but you might give a little more credence to the tight ends who might struggle to get a lot of targets but can still score a lot. Mark Andrews comes to mind.
What changes in a non-PPR league? I would de-prioritize the whole position and Bowers would be the only one I’d take in Round 3. Obviously you’ll go after tight ends who can explode for good yardage and/or score touchdowns.
What changes in a TE-premium league? Look, if there’s a bonus for tight end receptions that other positions don’t have, I shouldn’t have to spell out what you need to do. Go get the high-volume difference-makers and definitely splurge on a high-upside backup.
What changes in a league that doesn’t require a starting TE? Punt on almost all of the tight ends. Seriously, only the best of the best warrant getting picked in that specific format, and even then they’ll slide at least a little bit. Running backs and receivers tend to put up more points than tight ends — I’d go after those positions first.
What if it’s a league of 10 or fewer teams? I’d chase the top tight ends as much as I’d chase any top-tier player regardless of position. That’s because fewer teams mean a deeper player pool, and when there’s a deeper player pool I prefer to prioritize the high-upside difference-makers. You also don’t have to spend two roster spots on tight ends because the waiver wire should be loaded with decent ones.
What if it’s a league of 14 or more teams? I’d prioritize tight ends over quarterbacks because the quarterback spot is deeper. In fact, I’d argue that tight ends would be the shallowest position. To have an advantage there should pay off in a deeper league. I’d strongly consider splurging on one of the top tight ends and I’d definitely aim to carry a high-upside backup.
What if I have more questions? You can always reach out on X (@daverichard), or drop the Fantasy Football Today Podcast a line (fantasyfootball@cbsi.com). Our rankings are updated daily and can always be found here.
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