X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Rookie TEs in the Best Fantasy Positions

Rookie tight ends are notoriously hard to project because so much goes into the position. Players have to be able to show NFL-level blocking and receiving abilities if they want to see the field early.

While some succeed early, others take far longer. Last year was one of the most highly-rated tight end classes in recent draft history, yet only Evan Engram managed to stay fantasy-relevant throughout the season, mostly out of necessity.

That said, there is always the exception and some prodigious pass-catching tight ends could make a splash early on, based on landing spot. Here's a look at the top rookie tight ends, after the NFL Draft.

Editor's Note: Find sleeper picks, undervalued ADPs, and draft targets to help you dominate your fantasy football drafts. Try our free who to draft tool for personalized recommendations.

 

Fantasy Production from a Rookie TE?

Before we tackle this year's crop of tight end talent, let's look back at how the first three tight ends picked have fared their rookie season over the past five years (in standard scoring):

 2017  O.J Howard  TE17
 2017  Evan Engram  TE5
 2017  David Njoku  TE22
 2016  Hunter Henry  TE11
 2016  Austin Hooper  TE35
 2016  Nick Vannett  TE88
 2015  Maxx Williams  TE44
 2015  Clive Walford  TE30
 2015  Tyler Kroft  TE53
 2014  Eric Ebron  TE45
 2014  Austin Seferian-Jenkins  TE43
 2014  Jace Amaro  TE29
 2013  Tyler Eifert  TE29
 2013  Zach Ertz  TE20
 2013  Gavin Escobar  TE50

(By the way, that 2013 tight end class? Travis Kelce was the fifth tight end taken and Jordan Reed was the sixth. THE DRAFT IS BASICALLY JUST A GIANT LOTTERY.)

Henry jumps into the top 10 in PPR in 2016, but still that track record isn't great. Only two of the 15 players on this list had point totals that suggested they were worth starting on a weekly basis. That's not what you want to see if you're on the clock in re-draft and all the top tight ends are off the board and you're really intrigued by one of this season's rookies.

But look at those stats again: the two best seasons came in the last two years, and the 2017 class actually had some productive rookies at the position. Njoku wasn't consistent, but he flashed his talent, and O.J. Howard may have had a chance at finishing in the top 10 if he didn't share snaps with Cameron Brate.

So, let's look at this year's rookie tight end class. Who has a chance to perform in re-draft and, maybe more importantly based on the volatility of the position, who's a good value in dynasty leagues.

(Note: I've left off two players that I like -- Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews -- because they were drafted by the same team. I'm not ready to make any predictions about the tight end situation in Baltimore except to say that two rookie tight ends on the same team feels like a bad move in the short term, but it could pay off great down the line, especially with a new quarterback in Lamar Jackson.)

 

Rookie Tight Ends to Watch in Redraft

Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins needed a tight end and they got a potentially good one in Mike Gesicki, who projects to be a good pass catching tight end at the NFL level. With Jarvis Landry and his NFL-leading 112 catches leaving town as well as the departure of Julius Thomas and his 41 receptions, there's a place for Gesicki to see a good number of targets.

The Dolphins did already add Danny Amendola and Albert Wilson to fill that slot role that Landry leaves, but there's still room for Gesicki to make waves, especially down near the red zone. Gesicki has 14 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He's 6'6''. He's going to get a decent amount of chances down around the goal line to make plays for Miami and his track record at Penn State suggests he should be able to take advantage of that.

Take a look at some of Gesicki's college highlights. He's a huge mismatch down near the goal line and has good enough hands to make tough catches. He can score on the shovel pass like a young Travis Kelce. He's going to cause a lot of issues for defenses over his career. Will he be able to do all this as a rookie? Maybe not, especially if he struggles early as a blocker. But at the very least, the upside and opportunity are there in Miami.

Jordan Akins, Houston Texans

The Texans haven't had a consistent tight end since Owen Daniels left town, struggling through a series of inconsistent players at the position like C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin, and Stephen Anderson, who all took snaps at the position during the 2017 season. With Fiedorowicz entering an early retirement due to concussion issues, either Anderson or Griffin were expected to step into the starting role for this upcoming season. Houston fans can't love that possibility: Griffin's 2016 season was fine, when he grabbed 50 catches for 442 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Anderson's 2017 season showed promising as well, with 25 catches for 342 yards and a touchdown, but neither player has the kind of upside that Texans fans and fantasy players want.

Enter Jordan Akins, the Central Florida tight end who caught 32 balls for 515 yards and four touchdowns last season. He's on the older side already, but he's a potentially dynamic player at the tight end position. According to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, 43.7 percent of Akins's catches last season went for 20 yards or more. He has big play potential on an offense that showed in 2017 that it can make big plays. Deshaun Watson needed a weapon at the tight end position in order to keep the Texans offense running smoothly and to avoid regression in his second season; Akins can be a guy who gives Houston that. If he can surpass Griffin and Anderson during the preseason, he could be worth a late pick in deeper re-draft leagues.

Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys

This pick wouldn't mean much, except Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, a mainstay with the franchise, is rumored to be considering retirement (and by considering, I mean that it sounds like almost a done deal that Witten will leave the Cowboys and join the Monday Night Football broadcasting team.) The Witten news broke after the first round, so the team wasn't able to invest a first round pick in the position, and then the Eagles traded right in front of Dallas to take tight end Dallas Goedert. The Cowboys eventually took Schultz with the last pick in the fourth round.

So, what can he bring to the Cowboys? Let's start by looking at who he'll be competing with for playing time: Rico Gathers, Geoff Swain, and Blake Jarwin. YIKES. Witten's decision to retire after the bulk of free agency was over also means that Dallas can't grab any of the top tier free agents to replace Witten. What's left out on the market? Antonio Gates is declining and likely puts up in exact same situation a year from now. Julius Thomas was released by the Dolphins, but I don't see him as an answer. Schultz, despite being a late fourth rounder, will have a chance to win the starting role. Even if Rico Gathers beats him out, he'll get a chance to see the field on a Witten-less (and Dez Bryant-less) offense.

What can Schultz do? He's a good blocker and has good hands, though he isn't going t0 be the big play receiver that other tight ends from this class can be. But good blocking and reliable hands and good route running? There's a role for a player like that on the Cowboys, a team that was at its best last year while running the ball with Ezekiel Elliott. Schultz can't be expected to step in and be prime Jason Witten, but we could see something resembling late-stage Witten -- his 2016 season in which he had 673 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Dak Prescott's first season at quarterback. Schultz likely isn't worth a pick in re-draft right off the bat unless you play in an extremely deep league, but he's worth monitoring over the course of the preseason to see how his role develops. He doesn't have anyone ahead of him on the Cowboys depth chart that's unassailable right now.

 

More NFL Draft Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF