2023 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 12 Tight Ends
While the 2023 fantasy football season is still two months away, it’s never too early to prepare. The running back and wide receiver positions are full of controversy. Meanwhile, everyone agrees that Patrick Mahomes is the QB1, while Travis Kelce is the unanimous TE1. However, how should fantasy players rank the other 11 tight ends in the top 12? Check out all of our 2023 fantasy football rankings to see the other positions.
Things will change over the next two months. However, let’s look at my current top 12 tight ends for the 2023 season.
1) Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs
The future Hall of Famer has been a fantasy cheat code at the tight end position. Kelce has never finished lower than the TE8 in any year of his career. More importantly, the veteran has been the TE1 in four of the past five years, including last season. Kelce averaged 15.4 half-point PPR fantasy points per game in 2022, four fantasy points per game more than any other tight end. Furthermore, the veteran had 110 receptions, the third-most in the NFL and a career-high. Short of a significant injury, Kelce is all but a lock to end the 2023 season as the TE1 once again.
2) Mark Andrews – Baltimore Ravens
Andrews was the TE1 two years ago, averaging 14.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game, a career-high. Unfortunately, his numbers regressed last season, as the former Oklahoma star had had only five receiving touchdowns. However, Andrews had 26 receiving touchdowns over the previous three years, so fantasy players should expect positive regress.
Furthermore, the veteran averaged 12.7 fantasy points per game in the nine healthy contests with Lamar Jackson last season. Compared to only seven in the four games without his quarterback. While he won’t beat out Kelce for the TE1 finish, Andrews will likely end the season as the TE2.
3) Darren Waller – New York Giants
Unfortunately, Waller is the ultimate boom-or-bust tight end. The veteran has been a fantasy star in the past, but his value has taken a hit because of injuries. Waller has missed 41.2% of the games over the past two years. However, he averaged 14.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game in 2020, the last time he played more than 11 games. Furthermore, the veteran had back-to-back seasons with over 1,100 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020. Waller will see a massive target share in New York as the Giants lack proven wide receivers. Fantasy players have to be concerned about his injury history. Yet, I’ll take the risk, given his significant upside.
4) George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers
After missing the first two games last season, Kittle had an outstanding year. He was the TE3, averaging 11.4 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. The veteran had 11 receiving touchdowns after averaging four touchdowns per season over the final five years of his career. More importantly, the former Iowa star was the TE1, averaging 16.5 fantasy points per game during the five weeks Brock Purdy was the starter. Furthermore, Kittle had seven of his receiving touchdowns during those five weeks. Hopefully, Purdy is the Week 1 starter, which would be excellent news for the veteran tight end.
5) T.J. Hockenson – Minnesota Vikings
Last year Hockenson finished as the TE2, averaging 10.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. The veteran had 86 receptions on 129 for 914 receiving yards and six touchdowns, all career highs. Furthermore, the former Iowa star’s production improved after he got traded to the Vikings. Hockenson was the TE2 during the fantasy football playoffs, averaging 15.2 fantasy points per game.
More importantly, the veteran averaged 8.6 targets per game in the 10 contests with Minnesota. After losing Adam Thielen this offseason, Hockenson could see a slight bump in targets this year.
6) Kyle Pitts – Atlanta Falcons
Pitts was outstanding as a rookie, ending the year as the TE7, averaging 8.4 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. The former Gator joined Mike Ditka as the only two tight ends with over 1,000 receiving yards in their rookie season. Unfortunately, Pitts struggled last year. Despite having the highest target rate among tight ends (34.3%), the second-year star averaged only 6.2 fantasy points per game. However, his struggles were Marcus Mariota’s fault. Pitts’ catch rate dropped by 14.3% from his rookie season to last year. More importantly, he had only a 59.3% catchable target rate last season, one of the worst in the NFL. Pitts should bounce back in 2023 now that Mariota is gone.
7) Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles
The veteran was the TE12 last season, averaging 9.5 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. However, Goedert ended the season as the TE5 on a points-per-game basis after missing five games with a shoulder injury. Over a 17-game pace, he would have totaled 78 receptions on 98 targets for 995 receiving yards and four touchdowns. The veteran would have finished top three tight ends in receptions and receiving yards with those 17-game pace numbers.
Unfortunately, Goedert’s fantasy upside is somewhat limited. Thanks to Philadelphia’s wide receiver core that is. Last season, both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith were top-10 wide receivers. While the veteran is a solid and safe mid-TE1, Goedert lacks the upside needed to finish in the top three.
8) Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh had the worst passing offense in the NFL last year. The team had only 12 passing touchdowns, with one coming from Chase Claypool. By comparison, Patrick Mahomes had 15 passing touchdowns over the first five weeks. However, Freiermuth was the TE8, averaging 7.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game despite the team’s poor passing attack. While he finished five spots higher than his rookie season (TE13), the second-year tight end averaged fewer fantasy points per game last year than in 2021. Hopefully, Freiermuth’s touchdown production will bounce back this year. However, fantasy players shouldn’t expect a third-year breakout after the Steelers added Darnell Washington during the NFL Draft.
9) Chigoziem Okonkwo – Tennessee Titans
Okonkwo is one of my favorite late-round tight ends to draft this year. The former Maryland star barely played early in his rookie season. Yet he ended the year on fire. Okonkwo averaged 3.5 receptions on 4.3 targets for 40.5 receiving yards per game over the final six games. More importantly, the rookie was the TE8 over those six weeks, averaging 8.2 half-point PPR fantasy points per contest.
Meanwhile, the former Maryland star finished first in yards after the catch per receptions and yards per route run among tight ends with at least 30 targets last year. While Treylon Burks will be Tennessee’s No. 1 pass catcher this season, Okonkwo will likely finish second on the team in targets.
10) Juwan Johnson – New Orleans Saints
Another one of my favorite tight ends to target this year is Johnson. He had only 13 receptions in 2021 but finished third on the team with four receiving touchdowns. Meanwhile, the veteran saw his role increase last season, totaling 43 receptions for 508 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, all career highs. Furthermore, he led the team in receiving touchdowns while finishing top three in receiving yards and targets. While the Saints brought back Michael Thomas, the veteran receiver has played only 20% of the games over the past three years. Chris Olave will be the top weapon in the passing game, but Johnson will likely be the No. 2 pass catcher in New Orleans.
11) Sam LaPorta – Detroit Lions
The Lions have an underrated star wide receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown. The former USC star had 146 targets last season, more than double any other player on the team. Yet, Detroit didn’t do much to help out the star receiver until the 2023 NFL Draft. While everyone is excited about Jahmyr Gibbs, LaPorta is an under-the-radar draft target this year. He had a productive college career despite playing with awful quarterbacks, totaling 153 receptions for 1,786 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Lions got nine receiving touchdowns from their tight ends not named T.J. Hockenson last year. LaPorta should quickly become Jared Goff’s No. 2 pass catcher, especially with Jameson Williams suspended to start the season.
You can read all about LaPorta in our rookie outlook on the tight end, here.
12) Greg Dulcich – Denver Broncos
Unfortunately, Denver’s offense was a fantasy nightmare last season. However, Dulcich was a bright spot for the unit. While the rookie was only the TE30, averaging seven half-point PPR fantasy points per game, Dulcich flashed massive upside. The former UCLA star averaged 5.7 targets per game and 1.8 fantasy points per target over his first three NFL games. Furthermore, the rookie scored a career-high 11.9 fantasy points in his final contest last year. Meanwhile, the Broncos hired Sean Payton this offseason. The veteran head coach turned Jimmy Graham into a fantasy star in New Orleans and should get the most out of Dulcich.
Updated: July 15th, 2023
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