Why these 10 tight ends will score the most fantasy points in 2023

Today we get to break down my favorite offensive position in football, the tight end. The ability to find a TE who can do everything is the equivalent of finding a man who can do both. While the position can be a dumpster fire in fantasy some years (especially last year) there is always hope that we can find the next diamond in the rough league winner. 

Who should you take at TE? How early should you take them? Is there a breakout sleeper this year? All these answers and more in the following paragraphs…

Top 10 fantasy football tight ends for 2023

1. Travis Kelce (KC)

The standard is the standard, and at the tight end position, Travis Kelce is the standard. Travis Kelce has somehow led the position in points SIX out of the last seven years and the one year he didn’t finish first he dropped all the way to second in scoring behind only Mark Andrews career year in 2021.

Its gotten to the point where the only negative you can bring up with Travis (other than going Mike Tyson mode and punching his teammates in practice) is his age as he does turn 34 this year. While this is an age where tight ends usually see a decline in production Kelce seemed to have only gotten better as the season went on last year (his playoff numbers were off the charts). Also having the perfect scheme fit, hall-of-fame coach, and the best QB on the planet might help him continue his amazing run as tight end king.

It seems safe to assume Travis will reign for at least another year, at least until Brock Bowers gets drafted next year. 

Draft: Middle Round 1

2. Mark Andrews (BAL)

If there is going to be someone to take over for Kelce this year at the #1 spot then look no further than the only other tight end to finish #1 in the last 7 seasons. Andrews had a phenomenal start to last season but unfortunately, it ended in injury.

From Week 1 – Week 6 Mark Andrews had a 33% target share, 75.8 receiving yards per game, and was TE2 in PPR points per game (19.1).  Now that he is healthy, he is hoping to produce those numbers over a full season. Andrews does have more variables going into this year than ever before as the Ravens have a new offensive coordinator, drafted wide receiver Zay Flowers in the first round, and signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a nice new contract.

With the perceived uptick in passing attempts for the Ravens this year, it might just be Andrews’s year to overtake Kelce.

Draft: Round 3 

3. T.J. Hockenson (MIN)

The former top-10 pick of the NFL draft finally seemed to have his breakout season last year, especially after being traded to the Minnesota Vikings. After the trade, T.J. Hockenson saw his targets uptick from 6.1 a game to 8.6, a number that could increase even more this year after a whole offseason with his new team.

In a world without many “safe” weekly starting TE options Hockenson looks like a safe bet to finish top 5 while also giving you some spike weeks to help win you some games. When Justin Jefferson is double or triple-teamed the Vikings should be able to create mismatches for Hockenson all over the field.

Draft: Late Round 4/Early Round 5 

4. George Kittle (SF)

Maybe the best overall TE in the entire NFL (if only you got fantasy points for good blocking), George Kittle has the ceiling to match any other TE in points on a weekly basis.

The talent is never a question for Kittle but his health and lack of opportunities are what drags him down to the 6^th round. Having to compete for targets with CMC, Deebo, and Aiyuk really limits how many points Kittle can expect to rack up. However if one or two of those players go down for a stretch (something that history says may happen) then Kittle becomes at minimum a top 3 TE.

If his TDs regress it could be a tough year for Kittle but I expect the chemistry he showed at the end of last year with Brock Purdy to continue. 

Draft: Middle Round 6

5. Dallas Goedert (PHI)

I view Dallas Goedert and Kittle as very similar fantasy players, both phenomenally talented players who are at best No. 3 options in their offense’s passing attacks. Goedert has been the most efficient TE in the last two years but it’s hard to get an abundance of targets when you play with a superstar like AJ Brown and someone who is about to become a superstar in DeVonta Smith.

While Goedert has averaged an astounding 13.8 yards per catch over the last two seasons, his low TD numbers hold him back from fantasy greatness. If he can get into the endzone more and add a couple more targets he can break into that top echelon of TEs.

Draft: Middle Round 6

6. Darren Waller (NYG)

Finally a TE with a little offseason hype to him, after a trade to the Giants it appears Darren Waller is in for a rebound.

When looking at the Giants WR room it becomes pretty clear that Waller can lead the team in targets. While this is very good those targets are still coming from Danial Jones which caps his ceiling. Factoring in Waller’s injury risk and age as well you can see how Waller can be a polarizing player to draft but at the scarce position that is TE, he’s worth the shot.

Missing 14 games over the last two seasons is scary to see when investing a 6/7 round pick but the upside of Waller is worth it when looking back at his 1,000-yard seasons.

Draft: Late Round 6

7. Kyle Pitts (ATL)

Having Kyle Pitts last year was as painful as having a Lamborghini that you can only drive in your garage. The highest-drafted TE prospect in the modern era was wasted last year playing with Marcus Mariota who seemingly couldn’t get the ball to Pitts even though he was solid in separation. To fix their passing issues Atlanta has given the reigns to unproven 2nd-year passer Desmond Ridder and drafted a top 10 first-round running back.

Wait what? 

Yes, it appears that Atlanta will go against today’s modern NFL and go all in on their rushing attack this year which may lead to another wasted year for Pitts’s potential. With the added negative that he must share his small amount of targets with Drake London as well you can see how there is a repeat of last year for Pitt’s.

If you believe that Ridder is the answer at QB and the Falcons will throw more this year then Pitts can be the steal of the draft, I myself am not buying it though. 

Draft: Early Round 7

8. Pat Freiermuth (PIT)

If Kenny Pickett can take the next step as a QB it will be with the help of Freiermuth. The good for Freiermuth is that he almost had 100 targets last season showing how much his QB looked his way. The bad is that he only finished with 2 TDs.

With the Steelers’ offense looking a lot more competent this preseason, it would be natural to think they will have more red zone opportunities which would lead to more TDs for Freiermuth. Betting on Kenny Pickett to take the second-year leap seems like a bet worth taking and with that a nice uptick in production for his third-year TE. 

Draft: Round 8

9. David Njoku (CLE)

Njoku just got the bag showing how much the Browns truly believe in his talent. If Deshaun Watson can get back to his old form, then Njoku could be in for his breakout season. While Amari Cooper will soak up a lot of targets it’s not hard to see Njoku being Watson’s second read, something that is crucial for TE fantasy success.

Still only 27 years old, David Njoku is still in his prime football years along with having the best QB he’s ever played with (if Watson returns to old form). This can finally be the year Njoku breaks out and reaches his big potential.

Draft: Round 8

10. Evan Engram (JAC)

Let me tell you a little secret about Doug Peterson, HE LOVES TIGHT ENDS! So much so that Evan Engram got re-signed to the Jaguars to a three-year, $41.25 million contract.

A former first-round pick Engram has the talent to be in the upper tier of TEs and now has an ascending QB that can take his game to the next level. Engram would have been higher on this list if not for the Jaguars adding Calvin Ridley to their stacked offense this year. When you factor in those additional targets Ridley will get (especially in the red zone) it really caps the upside that Engram can have this year.

Luckily if you go back to the first sentence of this section, you’ll see that his coach loves to use him. That along with the GM believing in him as well with a new contract, and I can get on board with Engram being a weekly TE starter with weekly upside.

Draft: Round 8

The next best 5 fantasy tight ends

Cole Kmet (CHI)

Speaking of getting paid the Bears also gave Kmet a big contract this offseason but unlike Engram, he still has more to prove. With the Bears adding DJ Moore it appears the target pie will shrink again for the former Notre Dame TE which isn’t great as the Bears are already one of the run heaviest teams in the NFL. If Kmet can find his way into the end zone more often he has a shot at cracking the top 10 TEs this year.

Draft: Round 9

Dalton Schultz (DAL)

If you like a peanut butter sandwich plain with no jelly then Dalton Schultz is the TE for you. Nothing about picking him screams “exciting” but week to week he can still get the job done. We hear it every year, “A TE is a QB’s best friend”. This is especially true for a rookie QB, I expect CJ Stroud to look Schultz’s way early and often.

Draft: Round 9

Dalton Kincaid/Dawson Knox (BUF)

Along with other rookie Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid is trying to break the curse of rooking TEs not contributing to fantasy. The argument for Kincaid breaking out as a rookie is that he will be playing more WR than TE where he will be a matchup nightmare in the slot against slow LBs and smaller DBs. 

I also included Dawson Knox here as his blocking and experience will still keep him on the field when the Bills’ offense goes double-tight end. Knox can still be a touchdown or bust TE in fantasy, which can be nice for a bye-week fill-in.

Draft: Round 10

Tyler Higbee (LAR)

While Tyler Higbee doesn’t excite anyone drafting him, he does get a healthy Matthew Stafford back along with being arguably the second target for his QB behind Cooper Kupp. If Higbee can find his way into the end zone more often he might surprise some people and break into the top 10 this year.

Draft: Round 12

Sam LaPorta (DET)

Rookie TE’s rarely hit but LaPorta gets dropped into a very nice situation to start of his NFL career. He already appears to be the heir to Hockenson and with Jameson Williams suspended for the first 6 games he has a chance to carve out a nice target share. If he builds some chemistry with Goff, he could be a surprise weekly TE starter this year.

Draft: Round 13

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