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Everyone wants to draft the new kids on the block in fantasy football. They're young, exciting, explosive, and provide a ton of upside to your team. Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson are just a few rookies that fantasy managers love to target throughout fantasy drafts.
Not many people talk about selecting rookie tight ends, and for good reason. Since 2013, only two tight ends have finished inside the top-12 at the tight end position: Evan Engram (2017) and Kyle Pitts (2021). Engram finished as the TE5 in PPR formats in his rookie season, while Pitts finished as the TE6 in PPR formats in his first year. Outside of that, though, rookie tight ends fail to produce in fantasy right away.
Some big names like George Kittle (TE20 PPR), Mark Andrews (TE18 PPR), and T.J. Hockenson (TE32 PPR) also struggled to make a fantasy impact in year one. Tight ends always take some time to develop in the NFL. Here are three rookies who could make a difference right away.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
Nobody landed in a better spot as a rookie than tight end Dalton Kincaid. The Buffalo Bills selected the former Utah star with the 25th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Kincaid was a massive target in the passing game in college, primarily working in the slot in his final college season. He had 70 catches for 890 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kincaid lined up in the slot over 55% of the time at Utah and caught 77.2% of his passes from there. So, where do the Bills plan to use the rookie in his first season? That's right, the slot. With Dawson Knox still in Buffalo, the Bills have the flexibility on offense to move Kincaid all around. The team is also lacking a WR3/slot receiver, so the rookie could easily fill that void. We should really be looking at the tight end as a slot receiver for one of the best offenses in the NFL.
Kincaid has been working the slot all throughout training camp and the preseason. If the rookie can get to his spots and be a reliable middle-of-the-field target for quarterback Josh Allen, he could be in store for a solid fantasy season. There's going to be bumps along the way for him. If he can catch 50-60 passes this season -- which could happen in a fast-paced Bills offense -- a top-10 tight end fantasy finish might be attainable.
His ADP is well past the 10th round. So if you completely punt the tight end position early in your drafts, Kincaid is a nice target in the double-digit rounds.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Just four years ago, Detroit drafted Hockenson with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. After the Lions traded him to the Minnesota Vikings last season, they selected Sam LaPorta in the second round (34th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. The rookie has a great chance of making a big impact in year one.
According to various reports, LaPorta has played with the first-team offense all summer and has been making consistent plays in the passing game. The rookie is coming off back-to-back solid college seasons at Iowa, combining for 111 catches, 1,327 yards, and four touchdowns in 2021 and 2022.
It's a positive sign to see LaPorta already comfortably running with the Lions' first-team offense. But it's not really a surprise after he beat out Brock Wright and James Mitchell for the starting tight end spot. Still, there's plenty of room for the rookie to grow in this position and become an impactful fantasy rookie in his first year.
For starters -- outside of wide receiver Amon Ra St. Brown -- Detroit really lacks another strong weapon in the receiving game. Wide receiver Jameson Williams is suspended for the first six games of the season. Marvin Jones Jr. and Josh Reynolds will have to fill that void for the time being. However, LaPorta could also really thrive early on because of it.
Quarterback Jared Goff threw 12 touchdowns to tight ends last year: four to Wright, four to Shane Zylstra, three to Hockenson, and one to Mitchell. With LaPorta stepping into the TE1 role right away, he will be a nice red-zone target for Goff all season. If he is able to bring down four to six touchdowns in year one, a top-12 fantasy tight end finish could be in sight.
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
I could have gone with Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Michael Mayer here at the final spot. Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave will have more of a fantasy impact in his first season. The Packers selected the rookie in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Musgrave doesn't have the college stats to back up his potential in the NFL. He only has 47 catches for 633 yards and two touchdowns in four years at Oregon State. The rookie also played in just two games last season following an MCL tear. What the tight end does have is an athletic build.
At 6-foot-6, 253 pounds, Musgrave is a tall playmaker who should be able to thrive in the middle of the field for young quarterback Jordan Love. With the rookie working exclusively with the first-team offense all summer, he has a chance to make some noise in his first NFL season.
It will definitely take time for Musgrave to develop at the tight end position, and he likely won't have a large role to begin the year. As he gets more comfortable down the stretch, he can be an impactful rookie tight end. He has the length and speed to be a mismatch in the passing game for Love right away.
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