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Jackson Sparks identifies NFL players at the tight end position that broke out for fantasy football managers in 2022 and looks at their fantasy prospects in 2023.
The tight end position as a whole is always a wasteland of mediocre production, so identifying players in that role who can outperform ADP gives fantasy managers an edge over opponents. While tight end breakouts often aren't nuclear and league-winning, they can provide a boost to fantasy teams in search of a championship.
The difference between the TE1 (Travis Kelce) and TE2 (T.J. Hockenson) was larger than the points gap between the TE2 and TE18 (Zach Ertz) on the season in PPR formats. Needless to say, Kelce was a ridiculous advantage for fantasy managers and no one comes close to his 2022 production.
However, there were a handful of guys who ended up being a solid return on investment from preseason drafts, even if their breakouts weren't as obvious as players at other positions like quarterback and wide receiver. Without further ado, let's dive into the top breakout tight ends of 2022!
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Biggest Tight End Breakouts of 2022
Note: Listed ADPs are from National Fantasy Championship from Aug. 8 to Sept 8, 2022; TE ranking based on PPR scoring
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings - ADP: TE7; 2022 Rank: TE2
Hockenson showed plenty of glimpses of upside during his first three-and-a-half seasons in Detroit, but a trade to the Minnesota Vikings unlocked a big-time fantasy ceiling. He posted one TE1 week with 39.9 PPR fantasy points with the Lions in Week 4 but sat around the TE2 range in all other games while catching passes from Jared Goff. Once he landed in Minnesota, his fantasy impact was immediate.
Hockenson caught all nine of his targets for 70 yards en route to a TE5 week in his first game with Kirk Cousins. After that, he produced six more TE1 weeks and did not score below the TE19 spot in any game up to Week 17. He was a true advantage at the position, at the time it was desperately needed. With Mark Andrews, George Kittle, Kyle Pitts, Darren Waller, and Dallas Goedert all underperforming or out of action for big stretches, Hockenson became a Tier 2 tight end in fantasy and he was arguably in that tier alone. He fell just short of 1,000 yards (914), but that's in his range of outcomes in a full season with the Vikings.
He is set to enter his fifth season, which means he could be due for an extension this offseason. Minnesota traded a second-round pick and more to acquire Hockenson from their NFC North rival, so surely, they plan to keep him around long-term. Justin Jefferson will always be the dominant target hog in his offense, but Hockenson has the opportunity to stay as the No. 2 option. Minnesota will likely bring in some wide receiver help to replace an aging Adam Thielen, so that's something to keep an eye on in relation to Hockenson's fantasy outlook in 2023.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars - ADP: TE19; 2022 Rank: TE5
Engram produced a top-five tight end season as a rookie with 722 yards and six touchdowns in 2017, but he never followed that year up with another big year as a New York Giant. This offseason, he had some sleeper buzz as quarterback Trevor Lawrence was expected to take the next step, but Engram was still drafted as a low-end TE2.
In his first season in Duval County, Engram caught 73 of his 98 targets for 766 yards and four touchdowns. On the year, he posted eight TE1 weeks, including four top-five performances. His mega-breakout came in Week 14 as he caught 11 of his 15 targets for 162 yards and two touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans. He wasn't a consistently dominant player, but that's rare at tight end and he well outperformed expectations.
Engram is set to be a free agent this offseason, so it'll be interesting to see if the Jaguars bring him back after a career year. It might seem like a no-brainer, but Jacksonville could want to spend their money elsewhere as wide receiver Calvin Ridley enters the offensive attack. If he's back, his upside will likely be hindered by Ridley, but he should be a top-12 tight end once again.
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers - ADP: TE21; 2022 Rank: TE13
It's worth noting Everett cooled off after an explosive start to the season, but he posted a career-high in receptions (58), receiving yards (555), and touchdowns (five) in his first season as a Los Angeles Charger. Fantasy managers have been waiting on a full Everett breakout for years, and although he didn't produce earth-shattering numbers, he exceeded expectations enough to be considered a breakout tight end.
Everett posted four top-eight tight end weeks in his first seven games but finished higher than TE12 just twice in his final seven fantasy-relevant weeks. Hopefully, fantasy managers knew when to move on, but since he was a game-changer early on in the fantasy season, he fits in this article.
Everett is expected to be a cut candidate and cap casualty this offseason and it's hard to imagine a better situation for him than he was in this season. If he ends up in a great offense with a high-end quarterback, he has upside. However, there are plenty of landing spots that would hurt his fantasy value, so it's a situation worth monitoring this offseason.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers - ADP: TE12; 2022 Rank: TE6
The second-year tight end from Penn State finished tied for the fifth-most targets at the position with 98 and caught 63 of them for 732 yards and two touchdowns. He was a much better PPR option since his production was largely volume-based and he failed to score touchdowns in bulk, but he had a nice return on investment in those formats.
Freiermuth finished as the TE1 in seven of his 14 games through Week 17. Although he was another guy who didn't provide boom weeks that won matchups, he was a steady presence who was usually good for double-digit scoring outings. Sometimes, that's all you can hope for at tight end if you didn't draft an elite stud.
As quarterback Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense improves, Freiermuth should maintain his volume but will have much more touchdown upside. If Pickett takes a year-two leap, Freiermuth could be the best value among tight ends at his 2023 ADP.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints - ADP: TE78; 2022 Rank: TE10
Johnson takes the cake for exceeding expectations and ADP by a wide margin, but it just goes to show how much touchdowns are weighted in relation to tight end production. Finding the end zone just over half a dozen times can bring a tight end to fantasy relevance since the tight end position as a whole doesn't come close to running backs and wide receivers in touches, receptions, or yards.
Despite catching just 42 passes for 508 yards, he finished as a top-10 tight end in all formats thanks to seven touchdown grabs. He posted five weeks as the TE8 or better but was often outside the top 30 players at the position when he didn't find the end zone. Ultimately, touchdowns are nearly impossible to predict, so no one could've imagined a part-time tight end in an offense that was expected to be lackluster to end up as a TE1.
While he could certainly prove us all wrong next season, his 2022 campaign seems more like a fluke. Especially in PPR leagues, we can't simply chalk him up for another high-touchdown season in 2023. It's worth noting he will be a restricted free agent this offseason. He should be drafted way before the TE78 depending on where he lands, but be careful getting too high on the soon-to-be fourth-year pro.
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams - ADP: TE18; 2022 Rank: TE7
Higbee is another player who was far more valuable in PPR leagues, as he caught 72 of his 108 targets for 620 yards, but just three touchdowns. Higbee played in 16 games, while quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receivers Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and Van Jefferson missed significant chunks of the season.
Ultimately Higbee became the last man standing, so he was able to get enough volume to pay off in fantasy, even while catching passes for John Wolford, Bryce Perkins, and Baker Mayfield for much of the season. He posted nine top-15 weeks and was a steady presence in fantasy lineups. However, much like Freiermuth, he failed to score enough touchdowns in a bad offense to become a real edge at the position.
Higbee is locked in with the Rams for 2023, so he'll continue to be on the fantasy radar. If L.A. can get healthy and fix the offensive line issues, he could be in for another solid year, hopefully with more touchdown upside this time. That said, he shouldn't be expected to see 100 targets if Kupp is healthy and the team adds more offensive firepower.
Honorable Mentions
- Tyler Conklin, New York Jets - ADP: TE30; 2022 Rank: TE14
- Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos - ADP: TE88; 2022 Rank: TE27
- Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans - ADP: TE70; 2022 Rank: TE28
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