In this article, I’ll be giving you some tight ends that you should be targeting in fantasy football for the 2023 NFL season. These tight ends are nearly there when it comes to breaking out for fantasy football purposes.

Every year some players set career highs, moving up in the tiers of tight-end rankings. Additionally, the top-12 changes year in and year out. Evan Engram was drafted as the TE23 last season and is now listed as the TE10 per  FantasyPros. 

While there is no sure hit on tight ends outside of Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews to an extent, we look at production. Provided that we also look at youth, draft capital, and other underlying metrics like our Consistency Score. All rankings below are based on FantasyPros PPR ADP.

We’re only a couple of weeks away from the 2023 NFL Draft, free agency is in full swing, and best ball tournaments are kicking off. What a great time to look at early breakout candidates for the 2023 season. Continue reading for the best breakout candidates for fantasy football at the tight end position in 2023.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons (TE4)

While most of you will raise an eyebrow at this, hear me out. We’ve all been extremely high on Kyle Pitts since the 2021 NFL Draft. Pitts appeared in all 17 games of his rookie year and finished with 68 receptions (110 targets) for 1,026 yards and a touchdown. However, Pitts only had two top-5 games in his second year and finished as the TE33.

Certainly, we thought the streak would continue going into his second year with the addition of Drake London. As can be seen, Pitts only played in 12 games catching 28 balls for 356 yards and two touchdowns. Now I get it, you’ll say he broke out his rookie year. Do you know who else broke out their rookie year? Evan Engram. Do you know who broke out last year and finished as a top-5 tight end? That’s right, it was Evan Engram.

All in all, you may call this a “bounce back” for Pitts. But if we’re putting him in the top-3 of our rankings after a down and injured season finishing as the TE33, then a third-year breakout for Pitts is a must. A player of his caliber should be pushing Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews as the #1 tight end in fantasy football or he’s a bust.

Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills (TE12)

Knox scored nine touchdowns in 2021 but finished the season no higher than TE11 for his career. However, his Consistency Score of 2.74 (No.10 among all tight ends) was higher than that of Pat Freiermuth (2.52) and Dalton Schultz (2.49). Mind you the point differential may not seem much with a .25 gap, but if you want a consistent weekly starter Knox was your guy.

Furthermore, the Bills have no true No.2 wide receiver and are quite vested in Knox till at least 2025. Knox was on a touchdown streak to end the season. Additionally, he scored not only in his final four games of the regular season but also in the first playoff game. Now, the Bills may want Josh Allen to not run as much as he led the league in quarterback fumbles. Seeing Knox get back to that nine-touchdown season would be great along with going over 600-plus yards. That alone could push him near if not into the top-5 conversation.

Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos (TE14)

While the Denver Broncos as a whole was a disaster, Greg Dulcich made his presence known being third on the team with 55 targets, good for second among rookies. Appearing in 10 games he turned that into 33 receptions for 411 yards and two touchdowns.  Looking into 2023, Sean Payton is now the head coach and looking to turn this team around.

While Dulcich is no Jimmy Graham, Payton knows how to get the most out of his tight ends. Of course, Russell Wilson is no Drew Brees but Peyton will know how to get the best out of his pass catchers. One player I see Dulcich being like in this offense is Marques Colston. Both are the same size (6’4), but Dulcich has about 20 pounds on him but has very similar athleticism.  Most of the time we don’t see right ends in his range breakout until year three. I see Dulcich bucking that trend.

Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans (TE18)

With Austin Hooper and Robert Woods leaving in free agency, Chigoziem Okonkwo is looking to be the #2 receiving option in this Titans offense. The top fantasy rookie tight end (Greg Dulcich was second) showed flashes with 32 receptions (46 targets) along with three touchdowns. With 150-plus targets opening up and an offense that has no true #2 receiver, Okonkwo is looking like that option.

Furthermore, over the last seven games, Okonkwo averaged 4.4 targets, 3.42 catches (77% catch rate), and 40 receiving yards. Add to his total of three touchdowns and extrapolate it over the season and you’re looking at 75 targets, 58 catches for 680 five touchdowns. Mind you this was with Woods and Hooper on the team. Looking at him now, we could have a top-10 tight end by the season’s end.

Mike Gesicki, New England Patriots (TE21)

When Mike McDaniel became the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, I assumed Mike Gesicki would be the non-blocking version of George Kittle. Seeing that Gesicki was drafted as a back-end TE1 he was barely used going on to finish as the TE22. Although he did play in all 17 games, Gesicki finished with 32 receptions (52 targets) for 362 yards and five touchdowns. While the touchdowns helped, two of them came in one game.

Now, Gesicki signed a 1-year prove-it deal with the New England Patriots and I love it! Being the blocker he never was, Hunter Henry can stay into a block while Gesicki lines up in the “slot”. Furthermore, rumor has it that Gesicki has been practicing with the wide receivers. While he won’t be a wide receiver, Bill Belichick should use his new weapon well. Hopefully, we see a new and improved Gesicki who can find the endzone consistently and come to TE1 territory. In the meantime, please work on the gritty.

Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks (TE22)

Testing as one of most athletic tight ends at the combine per Player Profiler posting a 95th-percentile 128.8 SPARQ-x, Noah Fant has not lived up to expectations. Many thought last season was going to be his prime time to shine, altered by a trade to the Seattle Seahawks. 

Though through his four-year career, he has shown low-end TE1 value, the athleticism has never fully translated to an elite fantasy option. Finishing as TE22 in Consistency Score, he only finished .04 points and one spot behind… Greg Dulcich. 

Furthermore, with Fant’s workout metrics being best comparable to George Kittle, maybe the fifth-year tight end out of Iowa finally leaps, but I think it would have to come at the cost of Tyler Lockett taking a step back. 

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints (TE24)

Until last season, many didn’t know who Juwan Johnson was. Johnson took over more as the tight end over Taysom Hill, playing in all but one game. He also totaled 42 catches (65 targets) for 508 yards and seven touchdowns for the season. 

After leading the team in touchdowns and posting a 65/508/7 stat line, Juwan Johnson signed a 2-year, $12M contract to stay with the New Orleans Saints. Transitioning from wide receiver to tight end was very beneficial for the third year who was undrafted. 

Furthermore, Derek Carr signing a four-year deal with the Saints should lead many to take Johnson with a late-round pick. Carr has been known to target his tight ends often. Look at what he did with Darren Waller and even Jared Cook. Like Waller, we could be seeing the stars line up for Johnson this season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a top-7 finish in Johnson’s future. 

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