Tight end has historically been a positional pain point for many fantasy managers. For several years the position has been extremely top heavy, and after the first four or five options fly off the draft board, it would become slim pickings in a hurry. In fact, it got so bad, that it was common practice for drafters to "punt" the position and treat it like a defense and play matchups from week to week.
That reputation for the position group has been slowly eroding away, and this year more than any, it seems like it may be a problem of the past. In fact, just last season Mark Andrews was selected on average as the No. 2 TE after Travis Kelce according to FantasyPros' consensus ADP data. But after Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid, and Trey McBride burst onto the scene, as well as other veteran presences like George Kittle and Evan Engram continuing to carve out significant production, there are many more options to choose from among consistently productive tight ends.
In fact, there are so many options now, that you may find yourself on the clock knowing you want to take a tight end, but you have two great options available. That can end up becoming a common occurrence when it comes down to choosing between the Ravens' Mark Andrews and the Falcons' Kyle Pitts.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
Should you draft Mark Andrews or Kyle Pitts at TE in PPR fantasy football drafts?
Fantasy Football outlook for Falcons TE Kyle Pitts
Kyle Pitts made history when the Atlanta Falcons made him the highest-drafted tight end in history when they selected him No. 4 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. And after the last two seasons, burnt fantasy drafters might not remember that Pitts tallied the second-highest receiving total among rookie tight ends in history with 1,026 yards, just 50 yards behind Hall-of-Famer Mike Ditka. Unfortunately, the sunshine and rainbows ended in 2021.
In Pitts' rookie campaign, he had Matt Ryan throwing to him - albeit an aging and regressing Matt Ryan. Atlanta moved on from Ryan after that, and Pitts had to suffer through Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke the next two seasons. But that wasn't the only obstacle. Pitts missed Week 6's game with a hamstring injury in 2022, but then went down with a Grade 3 MCL tear in Week 11 and had to undergo season-ending surgery.
Pitts didn't miss any games in 2023, but he did miss portions of games from time to time, and he later admitted than the 2022 knee injury did impact him in 2023. And when you dig into the game logs, that does seem to ring true as Pitts did end the year with two of his four most productive outings coming over the last five weeks. The target share became more consistent, and he notched two of his three touchdowns in those games.
2024 POSITION TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY
QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
While improved health should help Pitts, the two biggest factors that have us optimistic are the ouster of head coach Arthur Smith (replaced with Raheem Morris) and his archaic offense, along with an upgrade at quarterback with Kirk Cousins, assuming he starts Week 1 as he returns from an Achilles injury. And even if Cousins misses some time, rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. is likely an upgrade over Ridder and Heinicke. And at the end of the day, Pitts is still a freakish athlete. All signs out of camp also point to Pitts moving around the formations more, giving him a more diverse route tree, which should lead to more targets. And other than Drake London and potentially Bijan Robinson out of the backfield, there aren't a lot of notable mouths to feed. After Rondale Moore was lost for the season, the only other somewhat relevant names competing for targets are Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud.
Fantasy Football outlook for Ravens tight end Mark Andrews
The Ravens certainly weren't trying to hide the fact that they were hungry for better production at tight end in 2018 when they drafted Mark Andrews in the third round of the NFL Draft. But Andrews was actually the second tight end the Ravens selected that year, as they also landed Hayden Hurst in the first round. And Nick Boyle also played plenty of snaps that year as he helped ease the transition for the two rookies. This was also the same draft in which the Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson, so the tight end trio gave him multiple options for check downs as he began his NFL career.
Given the draft capital that was spent, it was assumed that Hurst would be the first breakout star between the two. But it was actually Andrews who not only made the bigger immediate splash, but he has also had the far more productive career. The 3-time Pro Bowler blew up in 2021 with an All-Pro season, registering 107 receptions, 1,361 yards and nine touchdowns. Andrews followed it up with another Pro Bowl season in 2022, but he did start to see a decline in his counting stats. He also missed one game with a shoulder injury and sat out the season finale. But he still notched 73 receptions, 847 yards, and five touchdowns.
2024 PPR RANKINGS
Top 250 Overall | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
So, it was no surprise that he was still drafted so highly in 2023, especially given the tight end explosion hadn't made itself known just yet. Andrews saw another downgrade to his production, and this decline was more concerning as he suffered a grade 3 tear of his pedal ankle ligament and a fractured fibula. He battled back for the AFC Championship, but that was of no help to his fantasy managers. Was this a freak injury, or is this an indication that further declines could be on the horizon?
The Verdict: Which tight end should you draft?
Kyle Pitts and Mark Andrews were both big disappointments for fantasy managers last season, especially when factoring in the draft cost for Andrews in particular. Kyle Pitts and Mark Andrews have both shown the ability to put up Pro Bowl seasons. Kyle Pitts has a freakish athletic profile, while Andrews has a longer track record of success. So when the clock is counting down, who should you select at the tight end position between these two?
Bring on the pain! Yes, there's certainly a chance that Pitts will let us down for a third-straight year. But too many things have changed in Atlanta. It's a completely new regime, so we're ready to give Pitts one more chance. The Falcons' will undoubtedly be passing the ball more this season, and a more diverse route tree for Pitts is very intriguing. And at the end of the day, this is a bet on Pitts' physical talents. If the new regime can unlock his potential, Pitts could end up being an amazing value.
2024 FANTASY AUCTION VALUES (PPR & STANDARD)
Overall | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
We have him as our TE5, but that's a higher rating than many. Andrews currently has an ADP of TE3 (47 overall), while we have him ranked as TE6. Kyle Pitts has an ADP of TE7 (61 overall), while we have him as TE6 in PPR leagues. With a stronger history, Andrews is still the more popular pick according to consensus ADP. But that also means that if you're on the clock looking for a tight end, and you see both Andrews and Pitts there, if you like to gamble, you could pass on tight end until the following round and potentially still land Pitts. But even if you're more risk averse, we still recommend taking Pitts over Andrews regardless of where you are picking.
