September 20, 2023

Dominick Petrillo takes a look at whether any of the current top fantasy football tight ends can take over the top slots from Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews in 2023.

T.J. Hockenson, Hunter Henry, Hayden Hurst, Evan Engram and Darren Waller. No this is not a list of late-round fliers at the tight end position for fantasy football. Instead, this is the list of the top five at the TE position for the 2023 season.

Through two weeks of the season, the likes of Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews are nowhere to be found amongst the top-producing players at the position. Despite Kelce being drafted in the first round in many fantasy drafts, due to missing Week 1, Kelce is ranked 17^th while Andrews, who also missed Week 1, is ranked 10^th.

The key question is, will this continue? Or will Kelce and Andrews retain their places at the top of the ranks and make us all seem foolish? It might be a tricky question to answer. So, we will not try to. But if one of these two does falter, which of the top five is set to take that spot? This is what we are going to look at.

The Contenders:

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Although Hockenson is the top-ranked TE this season, it is not an impressive stat line. 15 catches for 101 yards and two TDs is a great game. Not a great two-game stretch. Except at the TE position where this makes him elite.

Dalvin Cook left the Minnesota Vikings in favor of Alexander Mattison. This far into the young season, it has not gone as the Vikings hoped. With just 19 carries for 62 yards and zero TD, Mattison has been lackluster at best for a Vikings team that was hoping to recreate the magic it had in 2022 when it finished 13-4.

Starting out 0-2, Minnesota has had to rely on Hockenson alongside Justin Jefferson to move the ball. While this could bode well for the fantasy stats of Hockenson, the Vikings and Mattison will eventually realize it is not what is best for the team. He may be good for now but be careful expecting Hockenson to remain atop the ranks come the playoffs.

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Much like with Hockenson above, the ascension of Henry has as much to do with his surrounding cast as it does with his ability.

JuJu Smith-Schuster was brought over from Kansas City to be a dependable WR for Mac Jones. Instead, Smith-Schuster has a total of nine catches for 61 yards through two weeks and reports have stated he is currently the fifth option in the pass game for the Patriots offense. This is not what Bill Belichick envisioned when bringing him in.

In the run game, it has been a split backfield with Ezekiel Elliott taking work from entrenched starter Rhamondre Stevenson. Even with the two-headed attack, New England is finding it hard to be successful with Stevenson having just 75 yards on 27 attempts.

All of this is to say that, right now, Henry is the best option for Jones and the offense to find success. Talented coming out of Arkansas, Henry disappointed in Chargers blue. Season one in New England was not much better.

He has come alive in 2023 with 11 receptions for 108 yards and two receiving TD through the first two losses of the Patriots season. With the rest of the offense sputtering, Henry, with the TE room all to himself, looks to be the best option moving ahead.

While Henry does not look like a contender to finish as the top overall tight end with the lack of weapons surrounding him compared to Hockenson, he should finish higher at season's end.

Hayden Hurst, Carolina Panthers

The common saying is that a rookie QB has a best friend in the TE position. Bryce Young and Hayden Hurst are showing this to be true in Carolina early in 2023.

Despite flaming out in Baltimore, Atlanta, and Cincinnati, Hurst has found a home as a security blanket for Young early in his career. While the year is still early and the stats are not gaudy, eight receptions for 61 yards and one TD have been the largest part of the offense for the young Panthers team under first-year coach Frank Reich.

Carolina rarely has a TE on the field for most snaps. This limits the ability of any player to finish high in the position for fantasy. This has come true again in 2023 with Hurst only being on the field for 54% of the Panthers' offensive snaps. While this is not the be-all end-all of numbers, it is still great to see the TE on the field for more than 75% of snaps.

With the Panthers already struggling and the team going nowhere in 2023, this would be a dangerous play in hoping he continues to remain top three at the position.

Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars

After disappointing everyone in New York and around the fantasy world for years, Engram came to Jacksonville last season and brought his game to a new level. This made him a late-round love for many this preseason in fantasy. Thus far, currently ranked t-3 at the position, he has performed.

Being on the best offense of any player on this list, Engram will look to confirm that he was indeed worth the massive contract given him after his rebound 2022 season. With 84 receptions, 872 yards, and four TD on 111 targets from Trevor Lawrence in 2022, Engram has come out strong this season with 11 catches for 106 yards. Although a TD has not materialized, With Lawrence as his QB and a weak divisional slate of games, these should come sooner rather than later.

The biggest drawback from Engram being able to move up the ranks would be the talent of Christian Kirk, Calvin Ridley, and Travis Etienne taking targets away from him. While his TD numbers will improve, the rest of his numbers could slide a bit. This could make him a good bet to finish in the top five, but not quite the top one or two.

Darren Waller, New York Giants

The player who could be the only real contender, Darren Waller, a TE who has been top three with the Raiders, comes into this week with a top five rank...and an injured Saquon Barkley.

While the rest of this list is dealing with various impediments, the largest hurdle for Waller just went on the injured list for three weeks or more. No one likes to see someone hurt, but the injury to Barkley will leave a huge void in the offense of a team that has already struggled to be competitive this season.

While Darius Slayton is a nice downfield receiver, the steady hand of Sterling Shepard is not there, and Waller has emerged as the top receiving option for Daniel Jones. A dramatic 21-point comeback against the Arizona Cardinals aside, the Giants have a difficult schedule ahead. This starts with facing San Francisco on Thursday followed by a game at home against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football to start October.

With the Giants offense struggling, Waller has yet to record a TD. With nine Receptions for 112 yards early this season, once the touchdowns come, he will be able to replace many of the names currently listed above him on the TE fantasy ranks.

While none of these players are likely to replace Kelce or Andrews this season, Waller, of all the names listed, should be the player you want to go out and try to get on your fantasy team.

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