Jeff Ratcliffe’s Fantasy Football Tight End Tiers

Tight end tiers are an important weapon in your fantasy football arsenal. Instead of the rigid approach of fantasy football rankings, tiers allow you more flexibility on draft day, which is key to dominating your opponents. With a tier-based approach, you can see how each player stacks up at his respective position. 

Tight end is still thin this season. As you’ll see in the tiers below, you don’t want to wait too long on draft day because the position dries up fast. But don’t worry, these tiers will help you attack the tight end at the exact right time in your 2022 fantasy football drafts. Let’s take a look at the 2022 fantasy football tight end tiers. Of course, don’t forget that you can check out all of our fantasy football rankings and fantasy football projections.

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(Check out all our fantasy football position tiers: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver)

2023 Fantasy Football Tiers: Tight End

Tier 1

You probably don’t need any explanation here, so I’m not going to bore you with stats you already know. These two are awesome. But the bigger question is whether they’re worth drafting at their current ADP. Travis Kelce will likely go in the middle of the first round, and Mark Andrews is likely a late second-round pick. While having one of these guys will certainly provide a weekly advantage at the position, is that advantage enough to warrant a premium pick? I tend to lean “no” there, as there is better value to be had in the TE wheelhouse below. With that being said, I wouldn’t talk you out of picking Kelce or Andrews.

Tier 2

They aren’t top-shelf options, but these four players have enough upside to crack elite fantasy territory. Sure, Kyle Pitts was a disappointment last season, but he flashed a massive ceiling in his rookie season and should have a better quarterback situation with Desmond Ridder under center. George Kittle showed elite fantasy ability down the stretch last season, though he hasn’t proven to be the most durable option during his career. The same can be said for Darren Waller, but he also figures to be the clear top target in the Giants’ offense. While Dallas Goedert operates in a run-heavy Eagles offense, he’s a constant mismatch and is cemented in as the top pass-catching tight end option.

Tier 3

This group doesn’t quite have the same elite potential as Tier 2, and they often come off the board in the area I refer to as the TE Dead Zone. That’s roughly rounds 8-10 in 1QB leagues. Yes, Evan Engram is coming off a big year, but he offers limited touchdown upside, and the Jags have another mouth to feed with Calvin Ridley in place. Likewise, David Njoku isn’t one to rack up touchdowns and offers a limited ceiling. Pat Freiermuth should see reasonable volume, but he enters the year with a somewhat suspect quarterback situation. Dalton Kincaid is the wild card of the bunch. The rookie showed a dynamic skill set at the college level, but first year players notoriously underperform at this position.

Tier 4

If you miss on tight end earlier in your drafts, Tier 4A is the group to target for upside in the late rounds. Admittedly, some of the deeper names (Noah Fant, Jelani Woods, Luke Musgrave) won’t be drafted, so it’s wise to stick to the top of the tier. These guys are far from stable assets, but every year we see high upside late-round right ends make the leap into TE1 territory. This group gives you your best shot of hitting.

The players in Tier 4B are going in the same range of drafts as the upside options, but they’re much less appealing given their lower fantasy ceilings. It’s wise to avoid this group and let others in your leagues draft them.