Sean Koerner — FantasyPros’ most-accurate draft ranker from 2019-21 — is breaking down his positional rankings and draft strategy for 2022.
This series is part of our PRO subscription, which will not only grant you access to these Tiers, but also to his real-time rankings as part of our 2022 Fantasy Draft Kit.
The tight end position perfectly illustrates why it’s important to think of “tiers” when drafting.
You’ll typically see these tight ends go in the same order I have listed below in your draft (with a few exceptions). Once you get to a given tier, they’ll all go fairly quick once the first TE from that tier is selected. That’s why it’s critical to understand when it makes the most sense to lock in a tight end based on your overall draft strategy.
One added wrinkle to the tight end position is that the waiver wire usually has a couple “league winners” on it every season. This has to do with most leagues only having 12-14 tight ends rostered at any given time. Therefore, tight ends like Dalton Schultz, Dawson Knox, Hunter Henry, Zach Ertz, and Pat Freiermuth were all widely available during the 2021 season.
If you cannot get a stud TE early, do not panic. It’s quite possible you will eventually end up with a reliable TE1 during the season and not have to spend any draft capital in order to do so. I go more in-depth on this in my tiers.
For season-long formats: In general, my approach is to grab either TE in Tier 1. If I miss out on them, I’m more than willing to punt the position and wait to draft one in the later rounds with the intention of playing the waiver wire until I land a reliable TE1. Of course, if a tight end falls too far in the draft, I will snatch him up. In a sense, I let the tight end position come to me instead of “reaching” for anyone.
For Best Ball formats, it’s a fairly similar approach. You probably want to land at least one TE in Tiers 1-4 (no more than one) and target 1-2 TEs from Tiers 5-8. The TE position tends to be fairly TD-depedent and trickier to project week-to-week. However, you don’t have to figure out when a tight end will have a spiked week considering that aspect is taken care of with Best Ball scoring. It makes it easier to target a stud + a couple of cheaper options later on and be set at the position.
When thinking of my Tiers below, it helps to think of visually using my projected points chart above. Here are the high-level takeaways I have when referencing this chart:
- Tier 1 carries a ton of value. The drop-off from Tier 1 to Tier 2 is the biggest drop-off at any position. Kelce & Andrews are extremely valuable because of this.
- Tier 2 does give you an edge against waiting until later. However, the market is drafting this tier a bit too close to Tier 1.
- Dalton Schultz is the sixth dot, and you can see why I consider him sort of in “No Man’s Land.”
- Tier 4 is three tight ends who are all fairly even in terms of projections, but one of these guys usually falls way too far.
- Tier 5-6 represent the tight ends we might see on the waiver wire to begin the season. If you do spend draft capital to land any of these TEs, do not feel like you need to hold on to them. Early in the season, we will want to be on the lookout for the next Schultz or Knox. Quickly pivoting to a TE in the middle of a breakout season is key when managing the position in-season.
With that, let’s dive into my initial tiers!
Fantasy TE Rankings & Tiers
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| Tier | Players |
| 1 | Travis Kelce (KC) Mark Andrews (BAL) |
| 2 | Kyle Pitts (ATL) Darren Waller (LV) George Kittle (SF) |
| 3 | Dalton Schultz (DAL) |
| 4 | T.J. Hockenson (DET) Zach Ertz (ARI) Dallas Goedert (PHI) |
| 5 | Pat Freiermuth (PIT) Dawson Knox (BUF) |
| 6 | Mike Gesicki (MIA) Tyler Higbee (LAR) Cole Kmet (CHI) Irv Smith Jr. (MIN) Noah Fant (SEA) Hunter Henry (NE) David Njoku (CLE) |
| 7 | Gerald Everett (LAC) Albert Okwuegbunam (DEN) |
| 8 | Hayden Hurst (CIN) Robert Tonyan Jr. (GB) Logan Thomas (WAS) Austin Hooper (TEN) |
| 9 | Cameron Brate (TB) Mo Alie-Cox (IND) Evan Engram (JAX) Brevin Jordan (HOU) |
| 10 | Adam Trautman (NO) Jonnu Smith (NE) C.J. Uzomah (NYJ) Jared Cook (FA) Harrison Bryant (CLE) Tyler Conklin (NYJ) Dan Arnold (JAX) Ricky Seals-Jones (NYG) |
Tier 1
Travis Kelce (KC)
Mark Andrews (BAL)
Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews were already in a tier of their own, but after both of their teams decided to move on from their No. 1 wide receiver, they are now in their own stratosphere.
The drop-off between Tier 1 and Tier 2 at the tight end is the most significant at any position. Therefore, if your draft slot is in the 6-12 range (in 12-team leagues), you will be in a prime position to land one of these tight ends.
I am willing to take either of these TEs as early as pick 10, but considering their ADP is in the 14-21 range, you may be able to get them in Round 2. It’s possible to pair a Ja’Marr Chase or Davante Adams with Travis Kelce or pair Justin Jefferson with Mark Andrews. Either of those situations would be the optimal start for draft slots between 6-12.
Takeaway: Target at ADP. Ideally, you will want to pair them with a WR in most formats. You can survive not drafting a RB through the first couple of rounds, but it’s critical to land at least one stud WR.
Tier 2
Kyle Pitts (ATL)
Darren Waller (LV)
George Kittle (SF)
In terms of talent, these tight ends are on par with Kelce & Andrews, but the situation around them limits their ceiling. Kyle Pitts will be catching passes from Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder this season, Darren Waller will see his target share drop with Davante Adams in the mix, and the 49ers will feature a more run-heavy offense with Trey Lance under center.
I’m ok with targeting this tier in spots, but you’re better off waiting once Tier 1 is off the board.
Takeaway: Be careful targeting at ADP. Once Tier 1 is off the board, it’s usually better to wait at the position.
Tier 3
Dalton Schultz (DAL)
Schultz separates the high-end TE1 tier from the low-end TE1 tier. In terms of raw talent, he’s arguably the worst TE in the top 12. However, he is in an ideal situation where he will likely be Dak Prescott’s No. 2 target this season.
I’m in line with Schultz’s TE6 ADP, but he’s typically going around pick No. 65, and I have him ranked No. 55 in my overall rankings.
Schultz represents a critical part in the draft: If you want a TE1, draft him, but if you are comfortable in your ability to draft a TE late or pick one up in-season who produces like a TE1, you should wait at the position. Every season, you can get 1-3 TEs for free that post TE1 value like Dalton Schultz did last season.
Takeaway: Schultz offers value at ADP and represents a critical point in the draft where you can either lock in a TE1 or roll the dice that you can find one later in the draft or on the waiver wire. Make your decision based on how well you think you are at finding value later in the draft or in-season.
Tier 4
T.J. Hockenson (DET)
Zach Ertz (ARI)
Dallas Goedert (PHI)
This tier typically goes a bit earlier than it should as fantasy managers scramble to get a TE1 before the position starts to dry up. However, there are reasons to be down on all three of them.
T.J. Hockenson will have serious competition for targets with D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Chark and first-round pick Jameson Williams once he’s healthy enough to suit up.
Zach Ertz will have more value in the first six weeks of the season with DeAndre Hopkins serving his suspension, but with Marquise Brown now in the mix for targets, Ertz might be on the TE 1/2 cusp once Hopkins returns. Not to mention, second-round rookie Trey McBride could eat into Ertz’s snaps, especially later in the season. McBride is considered to be the top TE of the 2022 class.
Dallas Goedert will also have more target competition this season after the Eagles traded for A.J. Brown.
I have noticed that in most drafts, you will typically see one of these three fall outside of the top 80. In that event, I would consider scooping one of them up.
Takeaway: Careful targeting this tier at ADP. However, it’s worth targeting if anyone slips outside the top 80-85.
Tier 5
Pat Freiermuth (PIT)
Dawson Knox (BUF)
These TEs have 8-10 TD upside, which makes them just a cut above the Waiver Wire Tier (Tier 6). I would be OK targeting either if you feel your team is in a good place and if you particularly like Freiermuth or Knox.
However, this is where fantasy managers can get into trouble. If you draft either of the TEs, it would be ok to have a short leash on them and drop them for a potential TE1 early in the season. An example from last year would have been someone who drafted Noah Fant in this range and held onto him instead of swapping him for a Schultz or Ertz once it looked like they could be a potential every-week TE.
Takeaway: You can target this tier at ADP, but do not get too attached if someone catches your eye on the waiver wire early in the season.
Tier 6
Mike Gesicki (MIA)
Tyler Higbee (LAR)
Cole Kmet (CHI)
Irv Smith Jr. (MIN)
Noah Fant (SEA)
Hunter Henry (NE)
David Njoku (CLE)
In leagues where you start one TE, many of these TEs will be on the waiver wire to begin the season. However, they all have TE1 upside and will be essential to monitor.
This tier offers a ton of value in TE premium or Best Ball leagues where it’s normal to draft 2-3 tight ends. The position drops considerably after these guys are off the board, making this tier pretty valuable. Based on current ADP, my favorite targets in this group are Tyler Higbee, Irv Smith Jr. and Hunter Henry.
Takeaway: Target Higbee, Smith and Henry at ADP.
Tier 7
Gerald Everett (LAC)
Albert Okwuegbunam (DEN)
Gerald Everett has seen his receptions and receiving yards go up every season in his five-year career. I would say that trend will continue now that he is in an elite offense led by Justin Herbert. If he can earn a 70%+ routes run rate in this offense, he will return TE1/2 value.
Albert O’s fantasy stock went soaring after the Broncos essentially traded Noah Fant (& others) for Russell Wilson. However, the Broncos drafted a talented rookie in the third round, Greg Dulchich. It typically takes TEs 2-3 years to adjust to the NFL fully, so I’m not expecting him to be too big of a hit to Okwuegbunam value.
Takeaway: Target Gerald Everett at ADP.
Tier 8
Hayden Hurst (CIN)
Robert Tonyan Jr. (GB)
Logan Thomas (WAS)
Austin Hooper (TEN)
Hayden Hurst is one of my favorite late-round TEs. He will essentially replace C.J. Uzomah in the Bengals offense, which means he has a chance to become Joe Burrow’s No. 4 target and should offer some spiked weeks. We must remember that Hurst is a first-round talent who only had a quiet 2021 because he played behind a generational talent last season in Pitts. Do not sleep on Hurst.
Takeaway: Target Hurst at ADP.
Tier 9
Cameron Brate (TB)
Mo Alie-Cox (IND)
Evan Engram (JAX)
Brevin Jordan (HOU)
John Metchie was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, likely preventing him from playing in his rookie season. It’s devastating news, and hopefully, we will see the second-round pick make a full recovery and be able to suit up in 2023. As a result, the Texans are very thin at WR, so we could see Brevin Jordan step up as Davis Mills’ No. 2 or 3 target this season. He’s worth a late-round flier.
Takeaway: Target Brate and Jordan at ADP.
Tier 10
Adam Trautman (NO)
Jonnu Smith (NE)
C.J. Uzomah (NYJ)
Jared Cook (FA)
Harrison Bryant (CLE)
Tyler Conklin (NYJ)
Dan Arnold (JAX)
Ricky Seals-Jones (NYG)
Hunter Henry made Jonnu Smith irrelevant in fantasy last season, and it’s fair to assume that trend will continue in 2022. However, if Henry misses anytime, Jonnu will have high-end TE2 upside, making him worth a flier in deeper leagues.
Jared Cook is a player to keep an eye on. He’s a free agent who may end up in a situation where a team becomes TE needy after a key injury and carry TE2/3 depending on his landing spot. I like the idea of taking a flier on a player like that in deeper leagues.
Takeaway: Target Jonnu Smith and Jared Cook in TE premium season-long formats. I would stay away from them in Best Ball formats, given they both carry a very low floor, and you would be stuck with them all season.