Fantasy football managers always face a hard time placing and picking tight ends for their team. Given how touchdown-dependent that position is, at the end of the day, much is left up to luck and guesses in terms of how much a player can deliver. Here’s a tier-wise look at tight-ends for fantasy football managers to consider this draft season for standard leagues, as listed by Sports Illustrated:
Tier 1
1. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
2. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
3. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Selecting from the list depends entirely on the format chosen by the manager. Fantasy Pros ranks Bowers in first place, followed by McBride and Kittle for PPR or half-PPR formats. A standard league format, however, places Kittle at the top. Kittles can produce more yards while Bowers and McBride are 100-reception candidates. Hence, selections must differ as per the manager’s specific requirements.
Tier 2
5. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
6. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
7. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
8. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
9. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Their tier primarily consists of veterans who would have ranked higher in their prime years but still have the ability to deliver results. On July 22, the overall Fantasy Pros rankings rated McBride as TE3 and the No. 34 overall player. LaPorta, on the other hand, was TE4 and No. 54 overall.
Tier 3
{{/usCountry}}Their tier primarily consists of veterans who would have ranked higher in their prime years but still have the ability to deliver results. On July 22, the overall Fantasy Pros rankings rated McBride as TE3 and the No. 34 overall player. LaPorta, on the other hand, was TE4 and No. 54 overall.
Tier 3
{{/usCountry}}10. Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
11. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
12. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
13. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
14. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
15. Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers
Last season, Smith recorded 88 catches and 889 receiving yards: a feat that’s unlikely to repeat itself given the Steelers’ run-first offense. Although Kincaid averaged more targets per game last season, frequent injuries derailed him.
Tier 4
16. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
17. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
18. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
19. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
20. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
21. Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
22. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
23. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
As the importance of scoring touchdowns increases towards this part of the drafts, all players currently placed in Tier 4 can tally 5-10. Ferguson, Likely, and Strange could be a part of elite offenses in 2025. Gesicki has a strong quarterback in Joe Burrow.
Tier 5
25. Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
26. Mason Taylor, New York Jets
27. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
28. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
29. Elijah Arroyo, Seattle Seahawks
30. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
31. Ja'Tavions Sanders, Carolina Panthers
32. Noah Gray, Kansas City Chiefs
33. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
34. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
35. Theo Johnson, New York Giants
36. Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams
37. Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins
Mostly used as bye-week replacements or late-season roster depth following injuries, this tier ranks best in re-draft standard leagues.
By Stuti Gupta