As we all know, fantasy football for tight ends is a shallow pool. Only one tight end averaged double-digit fantasy points. TJ Hockenson likely won you some fantasy games after his move to Minnesota. So, that streaming is a thing, huh?
If you play fantasy football on the PPR formats, two top-10 fantasy tight ends are in free agency. If you play fantasy in the standard format, only one tight end ended up in the top 10.
The landing spot for this tight-end class is monumental. Evan Engram sparkled under Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Mike Gesicki, under Mike Mcdaniel’s offense in Miami, flickered and faded away.
So, let’s look at some stats and see where we might find a tight-end gem for the 2023 season.
Teams In Need of Tight Ends
Embed from Getty ImagesCarolina Panthers
$-10,312,644 cap space
New head coach Frank Reich, Thomas Brown, offensive coordinator, and Jim Caldwell, assistant head coach, are some of the new additions in Carolina.
Brown is coming from Los Angeles Rams, where he was an assistant head coach/tight ends coach.
Reich on tight ends, “…it is just the great athleticism of tight ends, where they are almost like a receiver, and you just get matchups, you like… it’s a team game, but within the game, there are these little matchups that you have to try and find, create, and take advantage. One of those, I think, is at the tight end position.”
Tennessee Titans
$-28,047,933 cap space (29th)
The new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly was promoted after serving as passing game coordinator in 2022. Under Kelly, the Texans were top-5 in snaps in 12 personnel for three seasons. Before coming to Tennessee, Kelly was in Houston.
Green Bay Packers
Currently $-13,233,478 cap space (23rd)
With Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis, the Packers have utilized two tight ends, one blocking, and one pass-catching. Both Lewis and Tonyan are free agents.
Love our content? Check out the GoingFor2 Live Podcast Network!
Cincinnati Bengals
$34,989,599 cap space
Michael Fabiano computed that Joe Burrow threw to the tight end position only 14.6% of the time, one of the fewest amounts.
Jacksonville Jaguars
$-37,361,191 cap space (30th)
The Jaguars’ tight end last season had 98 targets, 73 receptions, 17.1% target share, 22.6% target rate, and 300 slot snaps (#1).
Pro Football Focus PBLK and RBLK Grades
| NAME | PBLK | RBLK | FANTASY FINISH |
| Evan Engram | 59.4 | 60.1 | TE5 |
| Dalton Schultz | 51.1 | 65.9 | TE10 |
| Robert Tonyan | 35.3 | 46.3 | TE20 |
| Hayden Hurst | 41.0 | 58.7 | TE21 |
| Mike Gesicki | 54.9 | 42.3 | TE23 |
| Austin Hooper | 24.2 | 46.7 | TE24 |
| Irv Smith Jr. | 44.4 | 56.2 | TE43 |
Landing Spot For the Top 7 Fantasy
Okay, the men above are the top seven free-agent tight ends (you knew that). Smith is in for the potential because he hasn’t shown much just yet.
But here is the thing, there are five “open spaces” and seven tight ends, do the math.
So, let’s do this.
Embed from Getty ImagesEvan Engram, Fantasy Landing Spot: Jacksonville Jaguars
Those stats for the Jacksonville tight end were Engram. Can you imagine an offense with Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Engram next season? It makes my heart flutter.
Yes, Ridley will dent someone’s fantasy value, but it will not be Engram. The last time Ridley was on the field, he had 13.1% slot snaps (39). Yes, Ridley’s stat was from only five games…but Engram had a career-low 3.9% dropped pass percentage, and he had 481 yards after the catch was second. Engram set the franchise record for the Jaguars with his 766 receiving yards and most receptions by a tight end (73).
Mike Gesicki, Fantasy Landing Spot: Carolina Panthers
Gesicki needs to be somewhere that allows him to let his inner wide receiver fly free. Last season he had 52 targets compared to the season before 111. Last season he had 32 receptions compared to the season before 73.
His yards went from 780 to 362.
Reich’s offense’s focus on the tight end is what Gesicki needs to regain his TE8 status (that he had in 2021) as opposed to the TE23 status of a Mike McDaniel offense.
Dalton Schultz, Fantasy Landing Spot: Green Bay Packers
Schultz had an uncharacteristically bad year in 2022. He had six drops, the most among tight ends. Schultz was penalized five times, the fourth most, and only averaged 3.3 yards after the catch.
The Packers may or may not be in a rebuild. They may lose a couple of wide receivers, two tight ends, and maybe a quarterback.
Schultz was Dak Prescott’s security blanket and can do the same for Jordan Love or whoever the Packers trot out for quarterback. And with Schultz’s down year, he could be affordable. The Packers can pick up another tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Irv Smith Jr., Fantasy Landing Spot: Cincinnati Bengals
Hayden Hurst is 30 and will likely command $6.8 million per Spotrac.com. Smith is 24 and has had a career riddled with injuries.
In Cincinnati, Smith would not be asked to do too much. Last season the Bengals were the fourth worst per receiving yards to the tight end.
Smith would be the TE1, but he would also be in the shadow of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
His fantasy value is not great, but he could be worthy of streaming in this offense. The Bengals will play Seattle, Arizona, and Tennessee next season, teams that gave up the most, second, and fifth most fantasy points to the tight end position last season.
Robert Tonyan, Fantasy Landing Spot: Tennessee Titans
Here is the thing, the Titans already have a potential tight-end fantasy hopeful in Chigoziem Okonkwo. But with the new offensive coordinator, they will likely play two more tight end sets.
Tonyan is a passing threat, but it was a down year like most of the Packers last season. Tonyan ranked 35th out of 43 yards per catch (8.9) last season for tight ends. He also was 31st in aDOT (6.0), 32nd in snap share (55.1%), and 24th in target share (12.5%).
Okonkwo averaged 14.1 yards per reception, with a 7.9 average depth of target on a 10.6% target share.
It is a Tight End Market, You Know
Per usual, Travis Kelce led the tight ends in PPR fantasy points (18.6), and coming in second was TJ Hockenson (12.7). The rest of the top-five averaged also averaged double figures. They were George Kittle, Mark Andrews, and Evan Engram.
If you are playing standard, it’s a crap shoot. Only Kelce averaged double figures (12.1). And of the free agents, only Engram made the top 10.
In either format, Engram, Gesicki, and Schultz landing spots will be of the utmost importance and could give you a fantasy sleeper or a dud.
ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.
