The tight end is one of those positions that is significantly under-appreciated in fantasy football these days. While an important piece in a successful NFL offense, in fantasy football if you don’t draft one of the top 10 tight ends, you’ll be riding the streaming tight end train for the entire season. In many leagues, including the home league that I run, we have almost phased out the tight end altogether by making it tight end optional. However, in trying to re-introduce the importance of the position, I have instituted tight-end premium scoring.
If you are in a league that does not have the premium scoring, you will need to draft one of the top 10 to get good scoring at that position. Typically, that means if you’re in a PPR league, the tight ends receive 1.5 or 2 points per reception, rather than 1. Either way, here are my top 10 tight ends for the 2022 fantasy football season.
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10. Zach Ertz – Arizona Cardinals
After being traded to the Cardinals in 2021, Zach Ertz put together a respectable season. Ertz averaged 52.2 receiving yards per game once he joined the Cardinals and finished the season with 763 receiving yards, 74 receptions, and five touchdowns. This had him ranked ninth in yards, fourth in receptions, and ninth in touchdowns among all tight ends. He was also targeted 112 times, which shows he is highly used in this offense. With DeAndre Hopkins being suspended for the first six weeks of the season, I expect Ertz to continue to have a big role in Arizona.
9. T.J. Hockenson – Detroit Lions
Expectations were sky-high for T.J. Hockenson after being selected to the 2020 Pro Bowl. Look back to before the start of the 2021 season and you’ll see some lofty rankings for Hockenson and he was being drafted quite high. He started off 2021 with a bang catching 16 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns over the first two weeks of the season.
Blame injuries to the Lions offense or a difficult schedule, but his production significantly tapered off during the season and ultimately, ended with him being placed on injured reserve. He still had a career-high 48.6 yards per game and I expect that to be even higher in 2022.
8. Dawson Knox – Buffalo Bills
I think this is where I split off from many of the other tight end rankings, as many have Dawson Knox ranked in the 10-15 range. However, I have a slightly higher opinion of him for 2022.
Knox’s career trajectory has been on a steady climb since coming into the league in 2019. Last season was his best yet being targeted 71 times going for 49 receptions, 587 yards, and 9 touchdowns while also missing two games due to a broken hand. The reason why I am ranking Knox higher than most is the increased potential for usage. Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders had a combined 184 targets in Buffalo last year. In a clear-cut number two receiver role, Gabriel Davis could honestly see about 40-60 more targets, but next in line is Knox. Rookie Khalil Shakir is another name to keep an eye on with the departure of Beasley and Sanders, they also added OJ Howard from Tampa Bay.
It’s rumored that the tight end position will have a bigger role with the new offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey’s offense. I see Knox getting over 100 targets in 2022 and with that increased role, he’ll have significantly increased production.
7. Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Goedert has shown to be a very reliable target for the development of Jalen Hurts. Hurts targeted Goedert 76 times in 2021 leading to his best statistical season to date. Goedert turned those targets into 56 receptions, 830 yards, and four touchdowns. This is a decent 55.4 receiving yards per game, which is the sweet zone of what you are looking for in a fantasy tight end. Goedert tends to be very underrated and you can get him pretty late in the draft, but yet ranked fifth in yards for tight ends last season.
It’s also worth mentioning that this will be the first season that Goedert will be playing entirely as the TE1 without Ertz. Last year, Ertz had 31 targets, 189 yards, and two touchdowns with the Eagles before heading to Arizona. This could finally be the year we see him really take off. I’m high on the great value you can get out of Goedert in 2022.
6. Dalton Schultz – Dallas Cowboys
Last year around this time, we were talking about Dalton Schultz as being a late-round flyer to add to your roster. That time has come and passed, however, with his statistically relevant season in 2021. Schultz was ranked top 10 in all statistically relevant categories, finishing sixth in yards with 808, third in receptions with 78, and fifth in touchdowns with 8. The Cowboys also traded away Amari Cooper in the offseason, so I would expect Schultz’s usage only to increase.
With Schultz only being just 25, his start is only ascending at this point. If his trajectory continues, he should be one of the best in the league in no time, and this might be the season he shows this. If you want even more reason to buy into Schultz, check out this piece on how he could become the TE1 overall in 2022.
5. George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers
Don’t get me wrong, I love George Kittle. I love the way he plays the game and always looks to enjoy pancaking a defensive back. However, I am not in love with the 49ers quarterback situation currently and I think some of that could trickle down to the 49ers offensive production in the 2022 season. I like both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, but this quarterback room has the potential to be quite toxic in 2022.
Lance is a young quarterback, what if he struggles out the gate and Garoppolo is still on the roster? There will be a lot of chatter quick to pull the plug on Lance and get Garoppolo back in the starting role. The 49ers have done quite the disservice to Lance by keeping Garoppolo on this roster, and that decision can trickle down to Kittle’s offensive production. Chances are, everything will be fine in San Francisco and Kittle will be a highly productive tight end, but I have my hesitations and would draft a few others before Kittle.
4. Kyle Pitts – Atlanta Falcons
Last offseason, Kyle Pitts was everyone’s darling and was being drafted super high, and he did not disappoint! Pitts broke Julio Jones rookie season receiving yards record in Atlanta, and also became the first tight end since Mike Ditka in 1961 to break 1,000 yards in a single season. The only stat line that didn’t impress in was touchdowns, as he only caught one. This production will only continue in 2022 even with Marcus Mariota or Desmond Ridder throwing him the ball. Draft Pitts early and often.
3. Darren Waller – Las Vegas Raiders
Due to injury and missing six games in 2021, Darren Waller was slightly disappointing last season. In the games he played, he was still producing at a high level with 60.5 yards per game, ranking fifth out of all tight ends. In another amazing stat line, Waller was targeted 93 times in 2021 even though he missed those six games. Waller should also see fewer double teams or bracket coverages with Davante Adams coming to Vegas as well. Waller is going to see a ton of targets in 2022 and will be tops in the league in all statistical categories.
2. Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce is an amazing tight end that has been producing at a very high level for a long time. He currently holds the record for having six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. In 2021 he finished second in the league among tight ends with 92 receptions and 1,125 receiving yards and tied for first in touchdowns with 9. With all that being said, I have him ranked second due to the departure of Tyreek Hill.
Hill took the top off of the best defenses in the league, leaving Kelce a ton of room underneath to do damage. Yes, the chunk of Vacated Targets were to wide receivers, but Kelce is absolutely going to benefit from this too. Kelce is going to produce, he’s just too talented not to, but I could see a dip in his top-end numbers due to the departure of Hill.
1. Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens
Everyone knows that the Baltimore Ravens are a run-first offense led by Lamar Jackson. But when they do through the ball, they tend to target the tight end. Mark Andrews saw a ton of targets in 2021 with 153 and did not disappoint with his production. Andrews set the Ravens single-season receiving yards record last season with 1,361 yards on 107 receptions and 9 touchdowns. That’s top ranks for tight ends in all categories, except a three-way tie for first in touchdowns all while having Jackson missing multiple games. I love Andrews this year and expect him to have a repeat performance and lead the league again in 2022.
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