There’s no way to avoid how top heavy our 2019 fantasy tight end rankings are. Either you get one of the three top-tier options, or you wade into the mystery section of your cheat sheet trying to find this year's top TE sleeper or breakout candidate. As a result, your draft strategy can really go one of three ways.
The first: Take one of Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz or George Kittle somewhere in second, third, or fourth rounds. They’re studs. They get a ton of targets, catch touchdowns, and make plays after the catch.
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Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200 (coming soon)
Option two can work, but only if you're patient: If you don’t get one of the best three, wait a while for one of the TEs in the Nos. 4-12 range. These guys have talent and are mostly proven commodities, but their week-to-week production can fluctuate wildly, making them shaky early-round investments. Someone has to take Trey Burton -- and he could very well emerge as a top-five guy this year -- but there's no need to reach for him with so many other similarly skilled TEs available.
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If your league is deeper, option three might work the best: Just don’t worry about tight end until the latter half of your draft. Pick up two guys in the middle/late rounds and bail quickly if they stink. Maybe Jordan Reed stays healthy; maybe Mike Gesicki finds a way to succeed in Miami; maybe Greg Olsen gets hurt and Ian Thomas breaks out in Carolina. Who knows? A late-round TE won't kill you, but the opportunity cost of reaching for a non-Kelce/Ertz/Kittle TE could.
With plenty of position battles at this position, keep an eye out here as we update these rankings and provide more analysis throughout the preseason.
2019 Fantasy Rankings: Tight end
Rankings based on standard scoring leagues
| 1. Travis Kelce, Chiefs. It didn’t seem like Kelce could become a more clear-cut top tight end. Then he became the favorite target for Patrick Mahomes in the breakout of all breakout seasons. Regardless of whether Tyreek Hill is around or not, Kelce should be the best tight end in all of fantasy football again. Another season of 100 catches, 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns is a hard thing to call a lock, but in Kelce’s situation, it’s pretty close |
| 2. Zach Ertz, Eagles. It didn’t really matter last season whether Nick Foles or Carson Wentz threw to Ertz. He had a few of his best outputs with Foles and a few with Wentz. A full 16 games with the superior Wentz throwing to him should only increase his numbers, though. He finished with 10.3 standard-league fantasy points per game (FPPG) in 2018, and that double-digit mark should be the baseline again in '19 |
| 3. George Kittle, 49ers. If you knew a lot about Kittle before last season, kudos. He finished as the No. 2 fantasy tight end. He should remain top three again this season, and it might not matter whether Jimmy Garoppolo lasts the full season. Kittle did the majority of his damage with secondary passers and could surely do that again. When you can run after the catch like Kittle does — he led all of the NFL with 870 yards after catch in 2018 — you can make it work with anyone. |
| 4. Evan Engram, Giants. Engram scored 7.4 standard-league fantasy points per game last season, and that’s with three of his weeks featuring fewer than 52 percent of snaps played. The potential knock on Engram comes around the goal line, where he hadn’t been a popular target for Eli Manning in past seasons. But with Odell Beckham, Jr. gone, maybe that changes for Engram, and his ability to break off long catches over the middle has never been in question. |
| 5. O.J. Howard, Buccaneers. Talent-wise, Howard fits in with the four names above him. But he simply won’t get as many chances as long as fellow tight end Cameron Brate plays with him in Tampa Bay. (And you never know what type of QB play he'll be dealing with.) While his 2018 was shortened by injury, he scored the fifth-most standard FPPG when on the field. As long as Brate’s in town, the five spot might be Howard's ceiling. |
| 6. Jared Cook, Saints. Coming off the career year so many were waiting for, Cook has moved on to New Orleans from Oakland. With Cook on the wrong side of 30 and in a new place, there’s a bit of uncertainty. But Drew Brees has used his tight ends when he’s trusted them — think Jimmy Graham and Ben Watson. In one of football’s highest-powered offenses, Cook should get plenty of shots at touchdowns, if nothing else. |
| 7. Eric Ebron, Colts. Zach Ertz and Travis Kelce received the most red-zone targets among tight ends in 2018. Third place was held down by Ebron, though. Ebron turned 21 targets inside the 20-yard line into 11 touchdowns. He’s made for the Red Zone Channel. (Who doesn't like seeing their tight end catch a score or two?) |
| 8. Hunter Henry, Chargers. Considering that the Chargers felt good enough about Henry to bring him back for the postseason, last preseason's torn ACL shouldn’t be a concern. Antonio Gates is finally gone, and Henry gets a chance to be Philip Rivers’ next trusty tight end. Even with Gates around in 2017 when Henry was healthy, the youngster finished 10th in standard-league FPPG. With no Gates and two healthy knees, Henry can top that this season. |
| 9. Trey Burton, Bears. Burton was the darling of many analysts before the 2018 season. And while he ended the season ranked sixth in TE standard-league points, he somehow felt like a disappointment. Here’s your case for optimism: Burton caught 11 red-zone passes last season but only turned five into touchdowns. That’s a worse percentage than Kelce, Ertz and Ebron, and it came in a small sample size that can be improved upon. |
| 10. Delanie Walker, Titans. Walker will turn 35 before the season and is coming off a season-ending ankle injury he suffered in Week 1. So, there’s risk. But as the 10th TE off the board, there’s reason to believe. Walker was targeted more than 100 times each season from 2014-'17. No other tight end in the NFL can claim that. That makes him worth a chance as a back-end starter in standard leagues. |
| 11. Jimmy Graham, Packers. Long gone are the days when Graham competed for the top spots on this list, but he’s still a serviceable fantasy starter. He received the sixth-most targets among TEs in 2018. The reason he’s not higher is his 7.1 yards gained per target, which only bests his brutal '17 season in the scope of his career. Take Graham if you want to feel safe in getting some production, but his name doesn’t equal big upside anymore. |
| 12. Greg Olsen, Panthers. You have to go back to 2016 to find the last time Olsen was a surefire starter in fantasy. With Cam Newton’s shoulder question marks and the targets Christian McCaffrey garners, that shouldn’t change in '19. He, like Graham, lends utility as a safe option. You’d take the 11th-most FPPG in standard leagues from '18 if you’re getting him at this spot. You just probably won’t get more than that. |
| 13. David Njoku, Browns. Njoku’s share of targets should decline with Odell Beckham, Jr. in town. But with new offensive minds running the show in Cleveland, the raw total might not shift much. In 2018, Njoku turned his opportunity into top-10 seasons in both standard and PPR leagues. If you’re getting the third-year tight end at this spot on the list, go for it. |
| 14. Jack Doyle, Colts. Doyle is recovering from kidney surgery and dealing with a hip injury, but his status for Week 1 appears pretty safe. The problem for Doyle is Eric Ebron. With another highly targeted tight end on the Indianapolis roster, there’s only so much left to go Doyle’s way. That might leave his 2016 numbers (59 catches for 584 yards and five scores) in play, which made him the 13th-best standard-league TE. But without an injury to Ebron, his ceiling is limited. |
| 15. Kyle Rudolph, Vikings. Behind the running game and exterior receivers in Minnesota, Rudolph will always be playing third fiddle in the Vikings’ offense. Once they move inside the 10, though, Rudolph becomes a real weapon. He garned seven targets down there in 2018, fifth-most among tight ends. At this point of the TE rankings, you’re basically playing the touchdown game, and Rudolph is given those opportunities to score. |
| 16. Jordan Reed, Redskins. If Reed stays healthy, he’ll be a top-10 tight end, easily. But he hasn’t played 15 games in a season during his career. Ongoing concussion issues are dicey in a league that’s placed an emphasis on preventing head injuries. You draft Reed with dreams of his 2015 season, when he out-averaged all other TEs in PPR scoring. You’re just more likely to get his '18, when his PPR average was 14th. |
| 17. Austin Hooper, Falcons. Hooper was a top-10 TE in both standard and PPR leagues in 2018. There’s some risk that Calvin Ridley takes targets away from the Atlanta tight end, but in all likelihood, he’ll repeat a lot of what he did last year. Hooper received nearly a red-zone target per game and averaged more than four catches a contest. That’ll work as a backup tight end you feel good about. |
| 18. Vance McDonald, Steelers. In the WR rankings, we look at the guys who could benefit from Antonio Brown’s departure. Maybe the answer is actually McDonald. He averaged 4.8 targets per game in an offense with the third- and fourth-most targeted receivers in football. That number is bound to increase by a pass or two. Ben Roethlisberger already trusts McDonald on third down, when he received 31 targets in 2018, fifth-most among TEs. That might have a chance to expand to all downs with Brown gone. |
| 19. T.J. Hockenson, Lions. Being the eighth-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft sets a high bar for Hockenson. The Lions brought in Jesse James, but the opportunity is there for Hockenson to live up to expectations. He averaged 15.5 yards per catch in his last season at Iowa, a rate that’d make him elite among NFL tight ends. Even some expected regression there makes him a decent risk-reward choice. |
| 20. Jason Witten, Cowboys. Hopefully Witten’s performance in the Monday Night Football booth doesn’t carry over back to the gridiron. Starting in 2004, Witten caught at least 60 passes in every season through '17. It’s hard to know with a year off whether Witten can do that again, but even 50 catches makes him a reliable fantasy backup. |
| 21. Benjamin Watson, Patriots. Watson will begin the season with a four-game suspension for using testosterone in the offseason. The Patriots surely didn’t talk Watson out of retirement to sit on the bench. There’s a Gronk-sized hole in New England, and while no one can fill all of that, Watson can take advantage. He’s still an efficient pass-catcher, reeling in more than 75 percent of his targets two seasons in a row. With Tom Brady throwing to him, that should be within reach again. |
| 22. Chris Herndon, Jets. Herndon is suspended for the first four games of the season because of a DWI. He had 502 receiving yards as a rookie paired with a rookie quarterback last season. If both show some growth, Herndon could turn into an on-the-rise TE option. His 12.9 yards per catch shows a glimpse of big-play potential, but the early-season suspension could stunt some of Herndon’s opportunity. If not for the four-game ban, Herndon would be close to 10 spots higher on this list. |
| 23. Mike Gesicki, Dolphins. Gesicki’s 2019 hinges on whether any of the questionable quarterback options in Miami can deliver him the football reliably. He’ll be the unquestioned starter, unlike in his rookie year, and a new coaching regime in Miami could opt to feature him more. Gesicki didn’t catch any touchdowns as a rookie, though, so he’s pretty much just a lotto ticket who could easily be on the waiver wire by Week 2 if you draft him. |
| 24. C.J. Uzomah, Bengals. Uzomah becomes a serviceable option the second that Tyler Eifert inevitably goes down injured again. He put up five of his six double-digit standard-league point games in contests Eifert missed last season. There’s just not a lot of upside in an Andy Dalton-led passing offense, though. Uzomah might equal his 2018 when he scored backup-level points, but it’s hard to see him taking a big leap. |
| 25. Ian Thomas, Panthers. Thomas was a relative unknown as a rookie out of Indiana, but in the 2018 season’s final five weeks, he averaged 7.32 standard FPPG. That’s just below what Evan Engram averaged across the entirety of the season, and Engram’s a top-five TE on this list. Thomas picked up red-zone targets in three of those five weeks and averaged five catches. He’s worth a shot to see if he can carry over that late-season success into 2019, but Greg Olsen’s presence could limit him. |
| 26. Tyler Eifert, Bengals. Eifert played just four games last year, but he also averaged the 10th-most standard FPPG among tight ends. When he’s on the field, even after all the injuries, he’s still a borderline starter. There’s just no way to possibly rely on that anymore. If you get him as a backup who you might start the few weeks he’s healthy, that’s a good play, but it’s really the only choice you have. |
| 27. Josh Oliver, Jaguars. A rookie tight end out of San Jose State, Oliver is 6-5 and probably Jacksonville’s top option at the position. In the lesser Mountain West Conference, Oliver led SJSU in catches, with 17 more than the next closest pass-catcher. Nick Foles always did seem to enjoy throwing to Zach Ertz in Philadelphia, so maybe he’ll take a liking to his rookie option with the Jaguars. |
| 28. Hayden Hurst, Ravens. The hope here is that the former first-rounder Hurst can claim the top spot on the Ravens’ depth chart and show the ability that got him drafted early. He doesn’t possess the upside of someone with his pedigree in the current Baltimore offense, though. Lamar Jackson runs too much for Hurst to rack up big target numbers. And with one red-zone target all of last season, Hurst seems basically all promise, no production. |
| 29. Noah Fant, Broncos. Yes, there were two Iowa tight ends taken in the 2019 NFL Draft’s first round, as Fant went off the board at No. 20. Fant is 6-4, runs a 4.5 40 and has a 39.5 inch vertical leap, which is a pretty impressive combo on paper. At Iowa, he caught fewer balls for fewer yards than T.J. Hockenson but scored one more TD. That’s probably where Fant’s physical ability will show itself first in the NFL, as an occasional red-zone weapon. |
| 30. Cameron Brate, Buccaneers. If you really felt like handcuffing your tight end, one worth pursuing would be an O.J. Howard/Cameron Brate combo. Brate received the 10th-most red-zone targets among tight ends in 2018 despite Howard playing 10 games. If Howard were to go down, Brate would become a borderline every-week starter in Tampa Bay’s pass-happy scheme. |
| 31. Ricky Seals-Jones, Cardinals. Seals-Jones had no chance to be productive in 2018 as part of the NFL’s worst offense. With Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury in town, he might have a shot. Seals-Jones isn’t especially fast, with 4.69 speed at his NFL Combine 40-yard dash, so he might be just like most of the guys at this point in the rankings: A big (6-5) guy who can occasionally make plays near the end zone. |
| 32. Dallas Goedert, Eagles. Goedert lines up as Zach Ertz’s backup, but he has slight standalone value, too. He played more than 50 percent of the Eagles’ snaps in nine weeks last season, including the final six. That all happened with Ertz healthy. That playing time still only led to 2.5 catches and 24.3 yards per game for Goedert in those last six games, but Philadelphia obviously trusts him. If Ertz were to go down, Goedert would take on a huge role. |
| 33. Geoff Swaim, Jaguars. If the rookie Josh Oliver isn’t ready for the Jacksonville tight end job, it’ll be Swaim’s. It’s not that appealing a spot to be, though. Swaim’s nearly three catches per game in Dallas in 2018 shows he’s not incompetent. But he only averaged 9.3 yards per catch and hauled in one touchdown. The situation isn’t any brighter with the Jaguars. |
| 34. Darren Waller, Raiders. Somebody’s gotta play tight end for Derek Carr and the Raiders. The favorite to do so is Waller. He’s 6-6 and might have pipe dreams of repeating Jared Cook’s big 2018 in Oakland. But with Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams prepared to soak up the majority of Carr’s targets, Waller shouldn’t be anything more than a bit piece. |
| 35. Gerald Everett, Rams. The WRs with the Rams collect way too many of Jared Goff’s passes for any tight ends to matter in that offense. The 50 targets Everett received across 16 games in 2018 seem reachable again. But what’s anyone going to do with about three targets per game? Not much. |
| 36. Tyler Kroft, Bills. Kroft broke his right foot (the same one he broke last season) on the first day of Bills OTAs. It’s expected to keep him out into the start of the season, per multiple reports. When healthy, Kroft provides value as a 6-6 red-zone target, like when he received 12 red-zone targets in 2017 and caught seven touchdowns for Cincinnati. That might pass as a bye-week fill-in but nothing more. |
| 37. Nick Vannett, Seahawks. On paper, Vannett was Seattle’s No. 1 tight end for the majority of 2018. But he only turned that into 29 catches for 269 yards in 15 games. Unless the Seahawks offense starts to involve the tight end more — and maybe Doug Baldwin’s retirement gives them reason to — Vannett isn’t worth a sniff in standard leagues. |
| 38. Jordan Thomas, Texans. The Houston tight end spot doesn’t provide much inspiration. Ryan Griffin wasn’t playable in fantasy last year. There’s no reason to believe Jordan Thomas or Jordan Akins will be this year. |
| 39. Nick Boyle, Ravens. Boyle is another player in the tight end competition in Baltimore. But at 6-4, 270 pounds, Boyle has always been more of a blocker than a pass-catcher. Of his 75 career professional catches, Boyle has yet to turn one into a TD. Fantasy owners will be hoping Hayden Hurst wins the job and not Boyle, but he’ll have a role as a blocker on Lamar Jackson’s runs. |
| 40. Jordan Akins, Texans. Speaking of Akins, the same thought from Jordan Thomas above applies. There’s not value to be had from any TE in Houston. |
| 41. Tyler Higbee, Rams. As discussed with Gerald Everett, Los Angeles doesn’t have room for a tight end to play a big offensive role. And if anything, Everett and Higbee cannibalize each other, not allowing one to get the lion’s share of the targets. There’s an obvious desire to want a piece of such a high-powered offense, but the Rams in particular don’t make their TEs worthwhile pieces. |