Updated Fantasy TE PPR Rankings 2022: Best tight ends, top sleepers & breakouts in fantasy football drafts

Jovan Alford

Updated Fantasy TE PPR Rankings 2022: Best tight ends, top sleepers & breakouts in fantasy football drafts image

You can find more value and potential sleepers at the tight end position in PPR leagues compared to standard leagues, but as our 2022 fantasy TE PPR rankings show, this is still one of the shallowest positions in all of fantasy football. Sure, the top tier is solid, but it's tough to feel great about any of the mid-tier sleepers.

Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Darren Waller have been the top three for the past couple years, and while they’ll still get their numbers, we could see Waller take a step back with the Raiders adding Davante Adams in the offseason. Meanwhile, Kittle has dealt with some injuries over the past two years, and the Niners have a nice 1-2 combo at receiver with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk to go with new dual-threat QB Trey Lance.

2022 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex

Meanwhile, Mark Andrews continued to improve and easily led all TEs in PPR points last season, averaging 17.7 fantasy points per game. Andrews should continue to shine with Baltimore trading Marquise Brown in the offseason. Kyle Pitts also seems poised to join the elite tier after finishing sixth with 10.4 fantasy points per game last season. He should see an increase of targets heading into Year 2 with Calvin Ridley (suspension) out.

2022 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex

The top five isn’t the only game in town, though. Last season, we saw Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz emerge onto the scene as one of Dak Prescott’s favorite targets. Schultz averaged 12.3 PPR points per game, recorded 14 red-zone targets, and posted 8.6 yards per catch inside the red zone. The Cowboys will be hoping for similar results this season with Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson playing elsewhere. Prescott will likely throw the ball often to CeeDee Lamb, however, Schultz will be his top option when the Cowboys get inside the 20-yard line.

2022 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | One from each team

Along with seemingly reliable veterans like T.J. Hockenson, Dallas Goedert, and Zach Ertz, we should see Cole Kmet and Pat Freiermuth take steps forward – assuming their QB situations stabilize. Dawson Knox and Hunter Henry lose some cache in PPR leagues because of their TD dependency, but they still profile as solid starters on draft day. Of all the “bigger names,” Mike Gesicki, normally a target machine, is the one we’re most worried about after Miami’s acquisition of Tyreek Hill. He should be better in PPR than standard, but there are still reasons to be leery.

2022 AUCTION VALUES (Standard & PPR):
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Overall

Fantasy owners should also watch out for Irv Smith Jr., Cameron Brate, and Albert Okwuegbunam, who could all flirt with the top 10 this season. Brate is replacing All-Pro Rob Gronkowski, who had 88 targets (11th among TEs) in just 12 games last year, while Okwuegbunam will be the starter in Denver, thanks to Noah Fant (90 targets) being moved in the Russell Wilson trade. Smith Jr. has dealt with some injuries, but with Tyler Conklin (87 targets) now with the Jets, he should be able to become that tight end we all saw coming out of Alabama.

2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs

As always, TE is one of the toughest positions to evaluate, with virtually every player ranked below the top five seeming like a possible bust and every player ranked below 15 seeming like a possible sleeper. As such, we’ll be updating our TE PPR rankings throughout the preseason until the first game kicks off between the Bills and Rams in Week 1, so make sure to check back often. For full analysis of key TEs, click here.

DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet

Fantasy TE PPR Rankings 2022: Best tight ends, top sleepers

Rankings based on full-point PPR scoring

Rank Player
1 Travis Kelce, Chiefs
2 Mark Andrews, Ravens
3 Kyle Pitts, Falcons
4 Darren Waller, Raiders
5 George Kittle, 49ers
6 Dalton Schultz, Cowboys
7 T.J. Hockenson, Lions
8 Dallas Goedert, Eagles
9 Dawson Knox, Bills
10 Pat Freiermuth, Steelers
11 Zach Ertz, Cardinals
12 Mike Gesicki, Dolphins
13 Hunter Henry, Patriots
14 Irv Smith Jr., Vikings
15 Cole Kmet, Bears
16 Logan Thomas, Commanders
17 Cameron Brate, Buccaneers
18 Robert Tonyan, Packers
19 Tyler Higbee, Rams
20 Noah Fant, Seahawks
21 Albert Okwuegbunam, Broncos
22 C.J. Uzomah, Jets
23 David Njoku, Browns
24 Mo Alie-Cox, Colts
25 Gerald Everett, Chargers
26 Brevin Jordan, Texans
27 Evan Engram, Jaguars
28 Austin Hooper, Titans
29 Hayden Hurst, Bengals
30 Adam Trautman, Saints
31 Harrison Bryant, Browns
32 Dan Arnold, Jaguars
33 Jonnu Smith, Patriots
34 Trey McBride, Cardinals
35 Ian Thomas, Panthers

Jovan Alford

Jovan Alford Photo

Jovan Alford is a content producer for The Sporting News. He joined TSN in 2022 after working at DraftKings Nation as a staff writer. Jovan is an avid Philadelphia sports fan, which comes with its own set of joys but heartbreak at the same time. Jovan is also Philadelphia born and raised and went to school at La Salle University, where he graduated in 2014.