Now that the 2022 NFL season has officially wrapped up, it's time to look ahead to next season's fantasy football tight end rankings. While TE can be one of the most frustrating positions to manage throughout the course, we've compiled our list of the top-10 TEs for 2023 to help you plan ahead in keeper leagues or simply have something to debate while you're waiting for next season. With the NFL Draft, free agency, trades, and coaching changes inevitably affecting these TEs, our way-too-early top 10 list is simply a post-Super Bowl snapshot.
Atop our way-too-early fantasy football tight end rankings sits reigning Super Bowl 57 champion, Travis Kelce. The 2022 PPR and standard scoring leader is in a league of his own in a position that has quite of bit of weekly variance. Kelce's monster campaign resulted in the 33-year-old leading all TEs in receiving yards (1,338), receptions (110), targets (152), red-zone targets (30), touchdowns (12), expected points added (+86.6), and fantasy points per game (18.6). Father time figures to be the only thing that could slow him down, but the four-time All-Pro has shown zero signs of letting up in 2023. Kelce's 316.3 total PPR points would have landed him as the overall WR5, so drafting him in the first round is beyond warranted.
Next up is 2021 PPR and standard scoring leader, Mark Andrews, who had a semi-disappointing '23 campaign relative to his preseason expectations. Not having Lamar Jackson for a good chunk of the season threw a wrench into Andrews' upside, but the Oklahoma product still ended the regular season leading all TEs in target share (29 percent) and air yards (1,109) while sitting second in yards per team pass attempt (2.01) and expected fantasy points per game (13.3). His reliable usage should result in a bounce-back '23 season, especially if he's healthier.
2023 FANTASY RANKINGS: QBs | RBs | WRs
In what will be his first full season with the Vikings, T.J. Hockenson's a Tier 2 tight end with a real shot to accumulate his first 1,000-yard season. Hockenson finished as the overall TE2 in PPR formats and another top-three PPR finish seems likely in a Vikings passing offense that ended the season with the 10th-highest drop-back EPA (0.069).
Dallas Goedert lands at No. 4 in our way-too-early rankings, as the Eagles' TE averaged the fifth-most PPR points per game (11.8) in a dynamic offense that is only trending upward. George Kittle lands at No. 5, as he had an other-worldly four-game stretch to close out the regular season to make his season-long numbers a bit more appealing. We don't know who'll end up taking snaps under center for San Francisco in Week 1, and if it's not Brock Purdy, Kittle's probably a good bet to end the season scoring fewer fantasy points than those aforementioned four TEs. Still, it's hard to not be enticed by Kittle's monster four-game stretch from Weeks 15 through 18 where he averaged 21.6 points per game, almost seven more points than the next highest-scoring TE over the period.
At No.6, Kyle Pitts. Pitts was such a frustrating own last season, and some might chuckle at the fact he's our No. 6 tight end, but all signs point toward a much more consistent season from the former No. 5 overall selection. Pitts led all TEs in target rate (targets per route run) with a 34.3-percent target rate while also leading all TEs in air yards share (32.9 percent) and deep targets (13). With a more consistent passer likely leading the Falcons' offense next season, Pitts has a chance to significantly outperform his ADP, but we understand why fantasy owners are hesitant to buy back in.
Darren Waller, Pat Freiermuth, Dalton Schultz, and Evan Engram round out the top 10, and one could make a case for any of these TEs to be ranked ahead of the others. We're liking Waller and Freiermuth to have the most complete seasons (assuming they're healthy), as Waller led all TEs in aDOT (13.6) with a 21.3 percent red-zone target share while Freiermuth displayed a strong rapport with rising sophomore Kenny Pickett, averaging 6.4 targets per game in game's Pickett started. Schultz and Engram also happen to be free agents, adding to their uncertainty for the 2023 season. A new home in a scheme catered toward their skill sets could result in an ascension up the TE rankings, though.
From now until the start of the season, a lot will happen that will cause this list to be amended. Be sure to check back into Sporting News Fantasy regularly for news, updates, and revised positional rankings between now and fantasy draft season!
Early 2023 Fantasy TE PPR Rankings
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 1 | Travis Kelce | KC |
| 2 | Mark Andrews | BAL |
| 3 | T.J. Hockenson | MIN |
| 4 | Dallas Goedert | PHI |
| 5 | George Kittle | SF |
| 6 | Kyle Pitts | ATL |
| 7 | Darren Waller | LV |
| 8 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT |
| 9 | Dalton Schultz | FA |
| 10 | Evan Engram | FA |
Early 2023 Fantasy TE Rankings for Standard Leagues
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 1 | Travis Kelce | KC |
| 2 | Mark Andrews | BAL |
| 3 | T.J. Hockenson | MIN |
| 4 | Dallas Goedert | PHI |
| 5 | George Kittle | SF |
| 6 | Kyle Pitts | ATL |
| 7 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT |
| 8 | Darren Waller | LV |
| 9 | Evan Engram | FA |
| 10 | Dalton Schultz | FA |
