ADF Early Fantasy Football Rankings – TE Top 20

It’s never too early to project where the top fantasy performers should reside for upcoming fantasy football drafts. ADF is providing our insight to where current players should be ranked as of today for re-draft leagues. This listing will of course be modified as the offseason continues to move forward.

Projections are based upon 2018 PPR formats. 

TOP 20 Fantasy Tight Ends:

Travis Kelce | KC | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 18.4 | Rank 1

With all the tribulation surrounding the Chiefs Tyreek Hill, moving forward with the pass catchers on this roster could see something of a letdown. While one man’s issue normally results in another man triumph, if Hill does in fact miss time, Travis Kelce will be relied upon that much more.

While Kelce has planted himself as one of the best tight ends in the league over the past three seasons, playing with Patrick Mahomes lifted his game to again another level which should continue in 2019. As we speculate over the Hill situation, and if he indeed finds himself on the wrong side of league disciplinary action, moving forward with Sammy Watkins and Travis Kelce as their one-two punch will be an interesting sight.

With Kelce receiving a whopping 150 targets a season ago, that number could surely increase with added defensive attention dictated to his side. With that said, Kelce should remain a top three fantasy producing tight-end in 2019. 

George Kittle | SF | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 16.2 | Rank 2

While most will have the Eagles Zach Ertz as the second best tight end entering the season, we must place the 49ers George Kittle in this slot simply due in part to his phenomenal 2018 campaign.

It no surprise that under coach Kyle Shanahan the 49ers were able to expel the most of certain talents even without their starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on the field. With backup passers filling in for most of the season, Kittle became the primary target in this offense and didn’t disappoint. Seeing career highs in nearly every statistical receiving category, Kittle was an absolute machine and should pick up where he left off.

Value is extremely high for the 49ers to finally turn a corner and George Kittle should again be a major factor.   

Zach Ertz | PHI | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 17.5 | Rank 3

The only reason we placed the Eagles Zach Ertz as the third best tight end on our early rankings is simply due to the added talent now employed on this roster.

With the additions of DeSean Jackson and Jordan Howard to help make this offense more dynamic, the amount of touches / targets could be redirected to others dropping the top end outlook for Ertz. While Ertz did see career highs in every category, we find it hard to believe he will find that prowess to match those levels again in 2019. Touchdown and PPR upside will definitely dictate terms for Ertz, but seeing the Eagles become more multi-dimensional could lower the output.

Eric Ebron | IND | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 13.9 | Rank 4

Being pegged as a colossal draft bust in his time in Detroit, Eric Ebron was allowed to hit the open market and found his way to the Colts last offseason. Proving his abilities could be exploited in a new system with a quarterback that was more than capable of getting him the ball, Ebron flourished in the Frank Reich offensive system.

While the Colts did employ many duel tight-end sets over the course of the season, Ebron found his area of domination in the redzone piling up a healthy 13 touchdowns on the season. Finding himself fortunate to entertain over 100 targets for the first time in his career, Ebron made the most of almost every opportunity. With more playmakers certainly to be added over the course of the offseason, Ebron may find fewer openings, but should still remain a key cog in this offense.    

Hunter Henry | LAC | 2018 Fantasy PPG: N/A | Rank 5

Expectations were incredibly high last year for the Chargers Hunter Henry to finally take over from the hall of famer Antonio Gates. Unfortunately for Henry and the Chargers, a preseason ACL injury removed any prospects of him having that break out season.

Looking forward to 2019 based on talent and the offense he plays in, Henry should find his way to having a glorious year with all the weapons employed on the Chargers offense. Ranking Henry with the number five placement could be a little ambitious given he will still be recovering from his injury, but with all the potential he expels, it’s warranted.   

OJ Howard | TB | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 12.1 | Rank 6

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers OJ Howard was an ADF favorite coming out of the 2017 NFL draft, but to date his accomplishments, he hasn’t seen the great overall achievements thus far.

Heading into the 2019 season, the outlook for this Bucs offense does receive an uptick with more stability from the coaching staff. While the offensive system should command a similar approach in the pass game as the season prior, the biggest obstacle will be to witness Howard staying away from the medical room. No one can question the athletic ability he possesses, which is why the rational is justified for the sixth rank on this early listing.  

Jared Cook | NO | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 12.1 | Rank 7

While we fully understand the notion to lift the newly acquired Saints tight end Jared Cook up the list, we chose to take a more conservative approach until we see more to suggest an increase.

Cook has now bounced around the league enough to warrant the skepticism in our eyes to believe he’s good enough to be a sound producer, but not good enough to warrant high end consideration. Though playing in the Saints offense with Drew Brees should be a welcomed situation for any fantasy team, we do feel better options could be had at the price it would take to secure Cook. 

Vance McDonald | PIT | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 8.9 | Rank 8

One of our largest dark horses for the tight end position entering the 2019 season is the Steelers Vance McDonald. The suggestion to lift McDonald up the ranks simply rests with the amount of free targets now available on this Pittsburgh offense.

With the Antonio Brown trade now in the rear-view, the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger will have an opportunity to recreate the offensive system to include McDonald to have a more prevalent role. Barring any injuries, McDonald could become a fantastic weapon in this offense. Heavy upside to value ratio exists here.     

Evan Engram | NYG | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 11.5 | Rank 9

Having placed large expectations on the Giants Evan Engram last season, the overall output did leave much to be desired.

The main issue for Engram from last year was his inability to suit up for the entire season. Even as the Giants are in somewhat of a transitional phase for their offense, this season could be one for the ages for Engram. With the loss of Odell Beckham Jr to the Browns, the overall dynamic of how the ball will be distributed will be extremely interesting.

More red flags are attached to Engram heading into 2019, but the ceiling has also increased.  

David Njoku | CLE | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 9.6 | Rank 10

Throughout the early stages of this offseason, the hype for the Browns David Njoku has been flying around with extreme optimism. While we would love to jump on board and share this attitude, we can’t seem to endorse Njoku higher than rank 10 at this point.

The Browns have the makings of becoming a NFL leader in many statistical categories this season with the additions of Odell Beckham and Kareem Hunt. Our concern at this point would suggest - if Baker Mayfield can appropriately support so many weapons. It’s not that Mayfield hasn’t shown ability to become an electric playmaker, but seeing the options at his disposal, Njoku should slot in as his fourth or fifth target on this offense.

Depending on how things shake out, single coverage should be the normality leaving all to have the chance at holding top flight production. As of today, Njoku sits right at rank 10.   

Kyle Rudolph | MIN | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 9.5 | Rank 11

When the Vikings signed Kirk Cousins to the fold, our endorsement for Kyle Rudolph increased to levels never seen before from ADF for the average producing tight-end.

Moving forward into 2019, Rudolph takes quite a backseat to his counterparts as Minnesota proved the reliance on pass catchers would be from the receiver position rather than the tight end. Rudolph should again manage to be decent in most contests, but will again lose out to the top-end appeal. While there is some level of matchup play upside, Rudolph is somewhat touchdown dependant.    

Trey Burton | CHI | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 9.2 | Rank 12

As the Chicago Bears move into year two of the Matt Nagy installation, this ranking of Trey Burton should increase, but at this point we are forced to stand pat.

While obvious overhype was the issue heading into last season, appropriate evaluation for Burton should commence this year as we get closer to offseason activities. The Bears are a club on the rise as Mitchell Trubisky did improve and show good progression in his second season in the NFL. Burton will be utilized more frequent now that the Bears look to employ a more spread offense approach. It’s not out of the question to see us move Burton up the list to potentially the seventh spot before the season kicks off.    

Jimmy Graham | GB | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 8.2 | Rank 13

The Green Bay Packers believed they hit the jackpot when they signed Jimmy Graham off the open market to provide an over the middle weapon Aaron Rodgers hasn’t had in many years.

Disappointment is the only phrase we can put when describing the 2018 season for Jimmy Graham. Witnessing basically all his numbers drop to the lowest levels of his career (aside from his rookie season), one does wonder if Graham is falling victim to age. While wear and tear is also a grave concern, this may be the final season where Graham is spoken of in any positive light.

At this point, it’s extremely difficult to lift him higher than 13^th on the list.   

Jordan Reed | WAS | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 9.2 | Rank 14

Our infatuation for Jordan Reed also went on the high note when “captain check down” – Alex Smith was signed to the club. Unfortunately for Redskins fans and the fantasy community who placed a great level of hope in Reed, all was lost when Smith suffered what could be a career ending injury.

Heading into the 2019 season, the Skins will be going back to the drawing board in hopes to provide more receiving talent to help draw coverage from Reed. The greater issue for Reed is his inability to play a full 16 game slate and we question if that will ever occur.

With Case Keenum the starting quarterback as of today, we could see Reed’s value increase simply due in part to the amount of short passes Washington should provide.   

Jack Doyle | IND | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 10.1 | Rank 15

After witnessing Jack Doyle erupt in 2017 as the lead tight end with the Colts, his 2018 season was filled with injury which left the door open for his teammate (Eric Ebron) to steal the show.

Moving forward in hopes to appropriately predict his outlook, we at ADF feel the 15^th spot is fair given what the Colts have become. It’s not out of the question to again see a duel tight end set be the fabric of this offense, but the way Ebron played last year, Doyle could be hard pressed to gain traction.

Doyle should find room to be productive, but we must caution over drafting the talented player this season.   

Austin Hooper | ATL | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 10.2 | Rank 16

While we at ADF realize the Falcons Austin Hooper has been something of a consistent performer in his NFL career, we still can’t get him higher on the board. Seeing his target share increase year over year in the Falcons offense, we truly question how sustainable it will be.

Hooper has a limited athletic skillset but does possess great size creating those mismatches. Seeing another season of 10.2 points per game isn’t something we feel strongly in endorsing, but he does hold decent value in matchup play.

Delanie Walker | TEN | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 9.2 | Rank 17

Having lost his 2018 season to a catastrophic injury, the Titans Delanie Walker will try his best to get back on the field and suit up for what will be his 14^th NFL season.

In having many miles on the tires and having to deal with that hard recovery, we wouldn’t be surprised to witness Walker take a backseat to other players on the roster. As we sit and wait to witness Walker take his talents back on the field, we have no choice but to place him here with descending value.

Chris Herndon | NYJ | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 8.1 | Rank 18

This year high hype train player at the tight end spot is the Jets Chris Herndon. While we do appreciate his overall game, the Jets still have many hills to climb overall as an offense before we adequately feel he will become a game changer.

While this Jets offense does now employ pieces we believe will take them to another level, the overall progression of Sam Darnold needs to be realized for Herndon to be taken seriously in fantasy football. At this point, he’s nothing more than flyer pick with decent upside and good potential.  

Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NE | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 5.2 | Rank 19

Making it back on the list when it appeared his NFL future was in doubt, Austin Seferian-Jenkins has landed in an absolute prime spot with the New England Patriots.

With the retirement of all world tight end Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots needed to fill this enormous hole and will give ASJ every opportunity to win the job. Thankfully this listing is coming out before the NFL draft which could drastically change things if New England chooses to select a young player at the position.

However if things remain the same after the draft, ASJ could be in for a massive role with value oozing from his ADP.  

Greg Olsen | CAR | 2018 Fantasy PPG: 8.9 | Rank 20

Concluding the early listing of tight ends, this is a player we never would’ve thought would sit at the backend of a 20 player ranking.

The Panthers Greg Olsen has once again chosen to forgo retirement and suit up for potentially one last campaign in hopes to end on a high note. Our fear right out of the gates is that Olsen has far past his prime where injuries have become the constant. Playing only half the year in the past two seasons while seeing his productivity take a sharp decline, holding onto a player with his past accomplishments would be fool’s gold.

When healthy, Olsen should find ways to produce in matchup play, but given the fact that retirement was on the menu, we are likely staying away until the later rounds of fantasy drafts.