2021 Fantasy Football - 1st PPR Ranks - Tight Ends

Tight end is the last position to have a large drop off point after 3 or 4 tiers and then have a solid stretch. Quarterback has gotten deeper with an influx of youth, same goes for running back but as we’ve said that could change quickly again, wide receiver is full of young guns and old vets who still produce, but Tight End… Well Pitts, Fant, Hockenson, and Andrews are young, but the rest of the elite range from to old to sneaky old. Which makes strategy much like we used to do with QB, either really early or wait til you’re at the end of your last good tier.

 

Tier 1 – Kelce Tier
Rank	Player	Tm	ADP	PADP	Diff
TE1	Travis Kelce	KC	6	1	0

 

Kelce, until he falls off the cliff edge, is the TE1 in redraft.

 

Tier 2 – The Elites
Rank	Player	Tm	ADP	PADP	Diff
TE2	George Kittle	SF	26	3	-1
TE3	Mark Andrews	BAL	48	4	-1
TE4	Darren Waller	LVR	23	2	2

 

Quibble with order, maybe even with Andrews being in this tier and Pitts not, but I don’t think you go broke with any of these guys.

 

Tier 3 – Very Good Starters
Rank	Player	Tm	ADP	PADP	Diff
TE5	Kyle Pitts	ATL	60	6	-1
TE6	TJ Hockenson	DET	58	5	1
TE7	Robert Tonyan	GB	104	10	-3
TE8	Dallas Goedert	PHI	82	7	1

 

Tonyan is lower than I expected, and I figured I’d be low on him. Pitts is the only guy in this tier that has TE1 upside this year but fuck if I’m not bold enough to put him in the tier above.

 

Tier 4 –Good Starters
Rank	Player	Tm	ADP	PADP	Diff
TE9	Logan Thomas	WAS	91	9	0
TE10	Hunter Henry	NE	126	14	-4
TE11	Noah Fant	DEN	84	8	3
TE12	Tyler Higbee	LAR	130	16	-4
TE13	Zach Ertz	PHI	172	21	-8

 

I think both NE TEs can be fantasy relevant and I’m a big believer in Henry’s talent. Higbee no longer has Everett concerns and Stafford coming to town make him a fringe TE 1 this year. If Ertz stays in Philly this rank is probably right but on the top end of his range, if he gets shipped, landing spot matters but I think this may be conservative as he’s still a quality player.

 

Tier 5 – Solid Starters with Questions
Rank	Player	Tm	ADP	PADP	Diff
TE14	Evan Engram	NYG	123	13	1
TE15	Blake Jarwin	DAL	200	25	-10
TE16	Mike Gesicki	MIA	111	11	5
TE17	Rob Gronkowski	TB	129	15	2
TE18	Jonnu Smith	NE	137	17	1
TE19	Cole Kmet	CHI	175	22	-3
TE20	Gerald Everett	SEA	208	26	-6
TE21	Eric Ebron	PIT	157	20	1
TE22	Austin Hooper	CLE	150	18	4
TE23	Dawson Knox	BUF	304	35	-12
TE24	Anthony Firkser	TEN	183	24	0
TE25	Drew Sample	CIN	327	41	-16
TE26	Irv Smith Jr	MIN	117	12	14
TE27	Mo Alie-Cox	IND	237	28	-1
TE28	Chris Herndon IV	NYJ	255	30	-2
TE29	Chris Manhertz	JAX	327	41	-12

 

I don’t quite understand why the community is as low on Jarwin as they are. Last season he finished up TE17 in ADP, this year he’s currently TE25. Yes he missed the season, but Schultz wasn’t anything special last season and if we were as high on Jarwin this time last year, why not again this year. Knox at TE35 seems absolutely bonkers. He’s never quite hit the heights I’d thought he would get to but he’s still the top TE on an offense we love and after Buffalo’s bye week last year (wk 11) he was TE12 in total points and TE17 in points per week (results may vary, this was in a tiered PPR league). All-in-all I’m still willing to take a bet on his upside. Same goes for Irv Smith, I’m just not sure that the Vikings are as enamored. They held onto Rudolph ‘til the bitter end, the two combined for 80 targets, 12 yards per carry and 6 touchdowns but the emergence of Jefferson really took the upside out of the TE position. If they continue to play predominantly 2 TE sets Smith is most likely going to continue to be the 4^th target on the team behind Jefferson, Thielen, and Cook and that’s not to mention potentially whomever takes over the WR3 role. I’m just sick of betting on rational coaching and distribution of targets on a team that only really plays and targets 2 receivers. The Manhertz rank comes from the fact that someone will need to start at TE for the Jaguars, and Lawrence should spread the ball and make the offense move. That’s it and as I write this he should probably be in the next tier.

 

Tier 6 – A Very Large Tier of Lottery Tickets
Rank	Player	Tm	ADP	PADP	Diff
TE30	OJ Howard	TB	280	33	-3
TE31	Hayden Hurst	ATL	220	27	4
TE32	Harrison Bryant	CLE	326	41	-9
TE33	Foster Moreau	LVR	327	41	-8
TE34	Jimmy Graham	CHI	296	34	0
TE35	Maxx Williams	ARI	327	41	-6
TE36	Will Dissly	SEA	327	41	-5
TE37	Jared Cook	LAC	156	19	18
TE38	Jordan Akins	HOU	306	36	2
TE39	Pat Freiermuth	PIT	271	31	8
TE40	Adam Trautman	NO	181	23	17
TE41	Donald Parham	LAC	327	41	0
TE42	Nick Vannett	NO	327	41	1
TE43	CJ Uzomah	CIN	327	41	2
TE44	Dalton Schultz	DAL	274	32	12
TE45	Jack Doyle	IND	323	40	5
TE46	Jace Sternberger	GB	327	41	5
TE47	Dan Arnold	CAR	314	38	9
TE48	Hunter Long	MIA	327	41	7
TE49	Kyle Rudolph	NYG	312	37	12
TE50	Ian Thomas	CAR	327	41	9
TE51	David Njoku	CLE	320	39	12
TE52	Luke Farrell	JAX	327	41	11
TE53	Kahale Warring	HOU	327	41	12
TE54	Albert Okwuegbunam	DEN	327	41	13
TE55	Kenny Yeboah	NYJ	327	41	14

 

No land of misfit toys as this tier contains everyone being taken in ADP so I figured I’d include it all. Let’s try and actually rapid fire this tier. Bryant & Moreau are promising youngsters behind veterans but in offenses that use enough 2 TE formations to make them at least relevant to talk about. Jared Cook is old, had 500 yards on 60 targets and reverted to his previous production. The TD output could sink my ranking. Freiermuth is getting a lot of hype, especially dynasty but that’s a different article, but Ebron is still there and Ben’s arm could fall off at any time. Adam Trautman, I’m not sure what to do about the Saints TE spot. Vannett is listed as the starter, Trautman was insanely efficient which can’t continue but he seems more likely to be the new starter but what will the TE involvement be going forward. I’m low on Dalton Schultz because I’m betting on Jarwin being what we thought he could be heading into last year. It’s not Schultz hate, it’s Jarwin optimism. Arnold is “starting” in Carolina. Whoever starts is at best the 5th receiving option on the team. Rudolph is getting a lot, we relatively a lot, of hype but it makes more sense to think that Engram will be the move tight end and Rudolph being the in-line blocker type. Kenny Yeboah is my dark horse to make a contribution in his rookie year because he’s that athletic move type in the vein of Evan Engram coming out. Keep an eye on camp reports where Herndon is already shitting the bed.