Joe DiCarlo 
Welcome back to my read-up for NFL Season Long, next is the dreaded tight end slot! It is by far the thinnest position in fantasy football, so preparation is very important. What’s the strategy you ask? Either we pay up in the early rounds or just ride it out and wait, plain and simple. Both paths may lead you to a championship, but I prefer the finer wine in this category, so let’s dive in!
I’ll again break them down into tiers, studs will be first come, first serve. We all want the unicorn Kelce, but that’s not always the result. However, this season he may get a little company at the top of the mountain. The remaining guys are hit or miss in my book, so if you decide to wait on the tight end this year, try not to reach! I’m Joe DiCarlo (@DiCarlo78) and you can reach me in our expert chat on Discord. Also, don’t forget to use promo code “WINBIG” for a free week of access to all of our content including podcasts, articles, and projection models.
King Of The Hill (Tier 1)
Travis Kelce (6.3) – Thank you Captain Obvious, but how can we not mention the number-one tight end in football? He’ll be going into his 11th season at age 33 but has shown no signs of regression, ending last season with 110 REC/1,338 YDS/12 TDS. Kansas City has not made any significant off-season moves, keeping the 8-time Pro Bowler in full command of the target share with Patrick Mahomes.
Worth Their Weight In Draft Capital (Tier 2)
Mark Andrews (29.3) – The new OC hire of Todd Monken sets the stage for more passing in Baltimore, which could be music to fantasy manager’s ears. But a revamped, crowded receiver room of Odell, Beckham, Jr., Nelson Agholor, Zay Flowers, and Rashod Bateman may burn targets away from the Pro Bowl tight end. Still, a must-grab for fantasy at his current ADP.
T.J. Hockenson (51.6) – From the moment he went from silver to a purple helmet Hockenson established himself as the number 2 choice for Kirk Cousins in the Vikings offense. Since the trade in Week 9 of last season, T.J. averaged 8.5 targets per game, even 16 in a single game alone. He will continue to feast in the pass-first Kevin O’Connell playbook, which has vacated targets with the release of Adam Thielen and running back Dalvin Cook.
George Kittle (61.2) – They say there are too many mouths to feed in San Fran, but Kittle ate heavily with Brock Purdy under center. The Hawkeye Alumni racked up 7 touchdowns with a 68.8 Catch Percentage in six starts with Purdy. George is currently being drafted in the fifth round in Best Ball contests, where I see him severely undervalued. Take advantage of the discount for an elite tight end.
High Ceiling At Current ADP (Tier 3)
Dallas Goedert (74.6) – He’s gobbled up almost every pass quarterback Jalen Hurts threw at him in 2022, averaging an astounding 79 CTCH%. He even caught 89% of his targets in the playoffs, Goedert has been Mr. Reliable down the stretch. He did miss some time due to injury last season, but bounced right back into the mix catching 16 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown for the playoffs. Goedert is tight end gold for fantasy.
Darren Waller (77.4) – Big Blue traded for the seven-year veteran out of Georgia Tech this offseason, implying him to take the lead in the Giants’ receiver room. Standing at 6’6″/255lbs., Waller sets out to be a big and athletic target for quarterback Daniel Jones. If he can stay off the injured list, Waller will have a giant impact in New York for fantasy managers, becoming their number-one go-to-guy in the passing game.
Way Too Risky…
Kyle Pitts (69.2) – Entering his third season out of Florida with huge potential but unfortunately, he’s been weighed down by injury and bad quarterbacking. Yet he still is sitting pretty at his inflated ADP again in 2023. PITTS IS OFF MY RADAR until I can see him stay on the field with a proven quarterback to get him the ball.
Evan Engram (95.9) – He finally broke out last season with a couple of monster games, including a Week 13 eruption of (11 REC/162 YDS/ 2 TDS), but he may regress a bit this year. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley will be ready to go for Week 1, which could eat into Engram’s target share this season with Trevor Lawrence. The risk does not outweigh the reward for Evan at his ADP, so I’d let him slide a round or so before picking him up.
Value Down The Pike (Tier 4)
David Njoku (105.3) – Averaged a modest 10 YDS/REC with 5.6 targets per game in a shortened season with QB Deshaun Watson. The duo even hooked up for two touchdowns in the small amount of time they shared on the field together, Njoku has the chemistry in Cleveland with Watson.
Pat Freiermuth (108.3) – He was a crutch to lean on for Kenny Pickett in his rookie season, earning 77 targets, and catching 52 of them for 67.5 CTCH% in only 13 games. Expect a better Pickett in his sophomore year to get his tight end the ball with a new and improved offensive line (Signings of Herbig, Seumalo, Le’Raven Clark, and Broderick Jones).
Honorable Mentions: Greg Dulcich (126.8); Dalton Schultz (137.7)
Don’t drink the Kincaid (125.9) Kool-Aid – I’ve heard all the hype about Buffalo’s rookie tight end/slot receiver, but for Season Long he is unstartable until we see how he gets utilized. Remember Dawson Knox is STILL the starter (who I like now with all the disrespect). At Kincaid’s current ADP, I see many other reliable tight ends going off the board after him, I’d keep scrolling.
Sleepers And Worthy Dart Throws
Chig Okonkwo (142.4) – The rookie shined last season, in an extremely thin receiving core in Tennessee, Chig tied the team-high in touchdown receptions (3). His more notable attribute though is his YAC (Yards After the Catch). He totaled 254 yards in just 32 catches last season, giving him 7.9 yards on average after the grab. The signing of superstar wideout DeAndre Hopkins may also take pressure off the tight end this season, so I can see a few big plays from Tannehill to Okonkwo.
Sam La Porta (153.2) – The rookie out of Iowa has a clear path to take the lead at tight end in Detroit. As the Lions are favored to win the NFC North with one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses, I’ll take a slice of it late in drafts with La Porta. The University of Iowa has been a farm for stud tight ends in the NFL, forming the likes of George Kittle and T.J. Hockenson. The Lions may be onto something taking La Porta at 34th overall back in April.
Irv Smith (162.7) – Burrow and the Bengals have peppered their tight ends with targets over the years. 63 & 68 targets went out to C.J. Uzomah and Hayden Hurst in 2020-2022. Irv has hit some bad luck due to injuries recently but is now in the perfect bounce-back situation in Cincinnati. A worthy shot to take at his ADP and in the perfect bounce-back situation for his career.
Dawson Knox (178.1) – The Bills drafting the rookie Dalton Kincaid has flushed the Dawson Knox stock right down the toilet. Word around training camp says Buffalo plans to run plenty of 12-man personnel, even sliding Kincaid to play out of the slot as well. Knox should remain heavily involved in Buffalo’s passing game, where Josh Allen has connected with him for 15 touchdowns in his last two seasons.
Juwan Johnson (183.5) – He’s probably scored the quietest 11 touchdowns in NFL history. The receiver switched over to tight end in 2021, catching 4 touchdowns that year, then 7 last season. Juwan in the “Big Easy” is an easy decision for a tight end late in drafts because of his potential upside while being buried in the rankings.
Jelani Woods (213.7) – The 6’7” big man may be an asset to rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson in the passing game. He’ll pose as a big target, who did show us some of his athleticism in his rookie season in 2022. He logged a two-touchdown game in Week 3 and went 8 REC/98 YDS in Week 12, swipe him up at the end of your drafts!
Thanks for checking out my Season Long tight end article! There’s more to come, as I will be breaking down the almighty running backs to wrap up. You can reach me on Twitter @JoeDiCarlo78 or in our Discord where we will have our experts talking about plays across every sport and tag me @DiCarlo78 for any questions on your upcoming drafts. Be sure to sign up for an ALL-ACCESS GOLD ACCOUNT here at Win Daily Sports and use promo code “WINBIG” for a week free to access all of our content including other articles optimizer tools, podcasts, and our Projection Models. Good Luck this season and let’s crush all of our leagues!
