3 Dynasty Fantasy Football Buys for 2021: Tight Ends

In this article, Ryan Kirksey will reveal his Top 3 Dynasty Fantasy Football Buys for 2021 at the Tight End position. If you enjoy this article, give Ryan a follow on Twitter here. You can also discuss it with him. Ryan’s DMs are always open for fantasy football conversation.

In your typical dynasty football format, the tight end position is more of an afterthought. In a recent dynasty startup draft I participated in, the first tight end wasn’t selected until 3.01. Compare that to your high-stakes redraft leagues on a site like NFC where three tight ends usually go in the first two and a half rounds.

Why the dichotomy between dynasty and redraft? The answer is twofold.

First, tight ends usually mature into elite players at later stages than running backs and wide receivers. Pro Football Focus found a couple of seasons ago that the average age of the top-12 PPR tight ends is typically about 27.7 years old while, which is a year older than wide receivers (26.8) and two years older than running backs (25.7).

Similarly, they found the average age of a tight end’s first top-12 PPR season is at 25. So when even the most hyped tight-end prospects come out of college, the likelihood they contribute more than similar backs and receivers is very small.

Second, running backs and wide receivers are typically thought of as your league-winners. They are elite skill players with tremendous opportunities for volume or targets. So few tight ends get enough volume to win a league. Only five tight ends were in the top 40 in total targets last year. And with Travis Kelce entering his age-32 season and Darren Waller being a sneaky 29 years old, the young difference makers at tight end are rarer than you might think.

With that in mind, there are still several guys who can break this mold and be long-term dynasty assets at the tight end position. One is a name that is flying up draft boards this year, but a couple of others provide sneaky value that could easily turn a profit for years to come.

Kyle Pitts

The #1 dynasty tight-end conversation starts and ends with Kyle Pitts in 2021. Sure, if you want to have the highest probability to win just this season, go with Kelce, Waller, or George Kittle. But in terms of a sure-fire dynasty asset, Pitts is as good as they come.

It’s possible the NFL has never seen a tight end as well-rounded as Pitts come in as a rookie. According to Player Profiler, he ranks 99th percentile in both the 40-yard dash and speed score and ranks 85th percentile in catch radius. Basically, he can chase down and catch almost any ball thrown to him.

But Pitts also walks into potentially the best possible situation in the league. The Atlanta Falcons have to find someone who can gobble up the 9.8 targets per game that Julio Jones averages in his career. Russell Gage? Maybe. Olamide Zaccheaus? Meh.

Only two tight ends have ever demanded over 100 targets in their rookie seasons (Jeremy Shockey and Evan Engram), but it seems almost a lock that Pitts will reach that number this year. And he is not even 21 years old.

Even at his third-round dynasty draft cost, this is one of those special players who will be worth the investment.

Noah Fant

Another young tight end who was considered a can’t-miss prospect coming out of college was Noah Fant. Now in his third year – but only 23 years old – many are still waiting for the big breakout season to occur. But did it actually already happen?

In 2020, Fant ranked sixth among all tight ends in targets, sixth in target share, seventh in receptions, sixth in receiving yards, and third in yards after the catch. A low touchdown total (three) skewed the overall fantasy production. However, this is clearly a player on the ascent even with his quarterbacks being Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel, and practice squad hero Kendall Hinton last season.

Now, it looks like Teddy Bridgewater will take over for the Broncos for 2021, which could accelerate the fantasy production for Fant. Bridgewater had the seventh-highest catchable pass rate last season (Drew Lock was #42). He also had the highest accuracy rating in the league.

A Bridgewater-Fant partnership this season has the potential to make Fant look like a steal as the ninth tight end taken in dynasty drafts.

Irv Smith Jr.

It feels like we have been hearing about Big Irv for years now as the heir apparent to Kyle Rudolph in Minnesota, but the truth is he was just drafted in 2019 (with second-round draft capital) and only turns 23 on August 9th and now has a starting gig for the Vikings.

It has already been reported that, despite the presence of Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen, Smith may actually be in line for increased red-zone usage. Despite the presence of Rudolph and the other Viking weapons, Smith ranked 17th among all tight ends in red-zone targets (12) and brought five of those down for touchdowns.

In the last three weeks of 2020, when Kyle Rudolph was inactive, Smith was on the field for 83% of the snaps and saw a 15% target share. He should be in line for a full workload this season and is a strong dynasty buy at his cost outside the top 125 players in drafts.