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
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Tight End Best Ball Tiered Rankings and Analysis

TE rankings, tiers, and analysis for best-ball fantasy football leagues in 2021. Pierre Camus evaluates tight ends in each tier to determine whose ADP is too high or low.

Tight end isn't everyone's favorite position in fantasy football. Beyond the top tier, we encounter uncertainty, frustration, and the need to stream. There is no such option in best-ball leagues, though. Securing a high-end TE, especially in an FFPC format that uses TE-Premium scoring, is very appealing but not everyone can have Travis Kelce, nor is spending a first-round pick on a tight end always the best choice.

For that reason, we're sharing our staff best-ball rankings at the tight end position with analysis on each tier to help you through draft season. Of course, you can find our frequently updated best ball rankings for every position live on RotoBaller throughout the preseason.

After you're done here, catch up on RB rankings analysis part one and part two for best ball formats.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

TE Best-Ball Rankings

Position Rank Position Tier Player Overall Rank Overall Tier
1 1 Travis Kelce 10 2
2 1 George Kittle 24 3
3 1 Darren Waller 36 4
4 2 Mark Andrews 52 5
5 2 T.J. Hockenson 59 6
6 2 Dallas Goedert 73 6
7 2 Noah Fant 75 7
8 3 Robert Tonyan 85 7
9 3 Logan Thomas 99 8
10 3 Kyle Pitts 101 9
11 3 Mike Gesicki 104 9
12 3 Irv Smith Jr. 112 10
13 4 Hunter Henry 115 10
14 4 Jonnu Smith 118 10
15 4 Rob Gronkowski 121 10
16 4 Evan Engram 128 10
17 4 Austin Hooper 130 10
18 5 Zach Ertz 145 11
19 5 Tyler Higbee 146 11
20 5 Anthony Firkser 151 12
21 6 Cole Kmet 160 13
22 6 Eric Ebron 166 13
23 6 Blake Jarwin 167 13
24 7 Hayden Hurst 169 13
25 7 Gerald Everett 178 14
26 7 Jared Cook 188 14
27 7 Dan Arnold 205 15
28 7 Kyle Rudolph 216 15
29 7 Pat Freiermuth 220 15
30 8 Dawson Knox 223 16
31 8 Chris Herndon 225 16
32 8 O.J. Howard 232 16
33 8 Donald Parham Jr. 233 16
34 8 Adam Trautman 236 16
35 8 C.J. Uzomah 238 16
36 9 Jack Doyle 243 16
37 9 Jimmy Graham 244 16
38 9 Tyler Eifert 266 18
39 9 Brevin Jordan 280 18
40 9 David Njoku 281 18
41 9 Will Dissly 285 18
42 9 Dalton Schultz 286 18
43 9 Albert Okwuegbunam 297 18
44 9 Ian Thomas 307 19
45 9 Jordan Akins 319 20
46 9 Harrison Bryant 323 20
47 9 Richard Rodgers 332 20
48 9 Trey Burton 341 20
49 9 Cameron Brate 342 20

 

Tier 1

Does Travis Kelce belong in a tier by himself? Based on last year's stats, yes. But three years ago, George Kittle set the record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,377 (until Kelce broke it last year). Now he has a new quarterback that is presumably an upgrade over Jimmy Garoppolo. The only issue with Kittle is health, seeing as how he missed half of last season. The optimistic view is that he will be fine and his offense will be better, cementing him as the No. 2 tight end.

Kelce is simply a machine, playing all but two possible games in the last seven years while averaging 101 receptions and 1,307 yards the past three seasons a.k.a. the Patrick Mahomes era. It's impossible to argue against Kelce in round one of any draft, but he is a potential top-five pick in FFPC formats that utilize TE premium scoring. Kittle can be considered in round one of FFPC leagues based on upside.

In FFPC leagues, Darren Waller has a higher ADP than Kittle, going on average as the ninth player selected overall. Kittle's ADP has remained fairly constant but drafters seem to be picking up interest in Waller as usurping him for the TE2 spot.

image taken from RotoViz FFPC Dashboard

The fact that the Raiders didn't do much to their receiving corps other than swapping Nelson Agholor for John Brown might make the tight end look like a safer option whereas we don't quite know what to make of San Fran's offense going into 2021. In early best-ball drafts and mocks, I've seen these two swapped interchangeably depending on format. In FFPC, don't expect any of these players to last beyond the first 15 picks.

 

Tier 2

If you want a productive, high-end tight end without spending a first or second-round pick, Hock it. The Lions won't be a dynamic offense but that might work in the favor of T.J. Hockenson. Like Waller, teams without great receiving options tend to target the tight end more frequently. Hockenson was already rock-solid last season with 67 receptions, fourth among all tight ends. The move from Jared Goff to Matthew Stafford can't be played off as an improvement but it's not a rookie at QB either.

The biggest difference is that Stafford had options like Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, neither of which are in Detroit any longer. No offense to the current WR corps, but the talent level has taken a huge step down. Tyrell Williams was last seen putting together a third straight mediocre season after moving to Oakland in 2019 and then opted out of 2020. Breshad Perriman joins his fifth team in the past five years in a continued attempt to justify his first-round selection. Amon-Ra St. Brown is a fourth-round pick with unspectacular measurables who will try to make an impact. Hockenson could very well lead the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He should be taken within the first five rounds in best ball with a move up to the fourth or late third in FFPC formats.


Noah Fant has as high a ceiling as any player at this position. The question is who will be throwing him the ball in 2021? Drew Lock might get another shot but Teddy Bridgewater is waiting to take over snaps. Then there's the Aaron Rodgers saga that keeps linking him to the Broncos...

Regardless, Fant will be heavily involved but may not be as consistent as Hockenson. Fant was second on the Broncos with 93 targets last year, although that was without Courtland Sutton. They also drafted Javonte Williams to complement Melvin Gordon in order to form a strong running game. If Denver's defense is as good as it looks on paper, they may not have a high-volume passing attack. It's also concerning that Fant has only scored three touchdowns in each of his first two seasons. Fant is due to have his share of "booms" which is great in best-ball but a high-floor TE2 is recommended for those down weeks.

 

Tier 3

Kyle Pitts became the highest-drafted tight end ever when the Falcons took him fourth overall. He was sure to be involved heavily in the offense even before we knew Julio Jones was going to be traded. Now, with Jones in Tennessee, the sky seems to be the limit.

Before we decide that he's going for 2k yards as a rookie, a word of caution. For every Vernon Davis, there is a Rickey Dudley. There have been 56 tight ends selected in the first round and 20 of them, or 35.7 percent, finished with less than 2,000 receiving yards for their career. Pitts looks to be an athletic freak of nature and is going to be in a great situation but keep in mind he is still 20 years old. It's not out of the realm of possibility that it takes him a little bit of time, maybe even a year or two, to develop into a fantasy stud. Then there's the thought that Pitts could move outside to WR while Hayden Hurst stays at TE, therefore changing Pitts' eligibility in fantasy leagues similar to Chase Claypool last year. Not saying it's going to happen, just throwing it out there.

Irv Smith is becoming the fallback option for those who wait on their first tight end. He is being drafted as TE11 in FFPC and TE13 in Fanball drafts in the early portion of summer. The aforementioned lack of WR depth beyond Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen could benefit Smith now that Kyle Rudolph is gone to the Big Apple. Smith only caught 30 balls for 365 yards last year, which was almost the same as his rookie numbers. The difference is that he missed three games due to injury last season and he saw most of his action over the final four weeks when he saw 20 of his 43 targets. He may not inherit every one of Rudolph's 37 vacated targets but he'll see enough action to threaten top-12 TE production.

 

Tier 4

I'm not going to broach the Hunter Henry vs Jonnu Smith debate just like I'm not touching this duo in best ball. If you want a piece of either, it makes more sense in best ball because the concerns about lineup decisions are alleviated. But it begs the question: why do you want a piece of this TE duo?

The Pats targeted tight ends a league-low 8% of the time in 2020. Naturally, that's why they sought improvement after losing Gronk and not seeing what they wanted in rookies Devin Asiasi or Dalton Keene. With Cam Newton still at quarterback, there may not be a huge turnaround. His past three seasons with Carolina, the tight end was targeted 18% of the time, below the league average of 20%. New England did somewhat upgrade at receiver too, so let's not pretend this is the second coming of 2011 when the Pats had two TEs go over 900 receiving yards.

Austin Hooper stands out as one of the best value picks once it's time to seek a TE2. He fell from a career-best 787 yards with Atlanta in 2019 to 435 in his first year with Cleveland. With Odell Beckham Jr. coming back, it would seem Hooper is inconsequential in fantasy circles but this simply isn't true. Hooper missed Week 7-8 due to an emergency appendectomy and was ineffective for the next four weeks upon returning with a total of eight receptions for 81 yards, good (bad) for an average of two catches and 20 yards per game. He missed another game with a neck injury and was an afterthought in fantasy leagues at that point. He then taunted us by posting three straight games of 14+ PPR points through Week 15-17 a.k.a. the fantasy playoffs.

People will say that the Browns are a run-first team now and target volume won't be there. That was true in the middle portion of 2020 but down the stretch, Baker Mayfield averaged 38.4 pass attempts per game over the last five games. As with most teams, their run-pass balance will be dependent on game script. Hooper stands to see more targets than Henry, Smith, Gronkowski, and Engram.

 

Tier 5

Many drafters have cast Zach Ertz out of their minds because he is a malcontent who spent most of last season injured. A trade could thrust him up the rankings, especially if he lands in a desirable spot like Buffalo, as is heavily rumored, or reunites with Carson Wentz in Indy. At his current ADP of 147 (TE24) in FFPC leagues, there is plenty of potential reward compared to the risk.

Anthony Firkser is one of the biggest risers in the post-NFL Draft draft period due to the lack of pass-catching options in Tennessee. Also, thanks to reports like this:

Now that generational talent Julio Jones is in town, the Firkser hype will die down as it should. The Titans are reportedly still weighing options at tight end and may bring in a free agent like Trey Burton, Tyler Eifert, or even Delanie Walker. Don't overspend for Firkser, especially now.

 

Tier 6 and Lower

If this were a Tweet, it would say "Gerald Everett is the starting tight end in Seattle, has Russell Wilson as his quarterback, and is about to break out. Am I the only one talking about this?" He is being drafted as the TE22 in FFPC leagues and TE26 in Fanball, inexplicably being taken after Hayden Hurst and Eric Ebron, who were just replaced in the NFL Draft. Everett wasn't a major factor with the Rams, totaling 1,389 receiving yards over four seasons. That's less than Travis Kelce gained last year alone. Everett has the athleticism to be a receiving threat, he just needs an expanded opportunity and this may afford it to him.

Dan Arnold won't cost more than a last-round flier pick in best ball but he's worth it. He is a former wide receiver that could be fourth in line for targets in Carolina after CMC and the top two wideouts. In a one-year stint as a Cardinal, he caught 69% of his targets and averaged 14.1 yards per reception. He should have no trouble surpassing Ian Thomas on the depth chart.

Dawson Knox, on the other hand, does not intrigue me whatsoever. It's a pass-first offense with a now-elite quarterback but one that has no interest in tight ends. Plus, Zach Ertz seems destined to be traded to Buffalo any day now, especially since the franchise made room by shifting Stefon Diggs' contract around. Gotta love NFL salary cap loopholes.


C.J. Uzomah is the ultimate sleeper TE3. Drew Sample was drafted mainly to block and that's what he does. Last year, despite having the TE position all to himself while Uzomah was injured for the final 14 games, he ran a route on 79.3% of his snaps. There are very few fantasy-relevant tight ends below that threshold. By contrast, Uzomah ran a route 92.5% in two games of 2020 and could be back to a pass-catching role with Joe Burrow at the helm

I refuse to rank or discuss Tim Tebow. End of story.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Best-Ball League Strategy


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jameson Williams

Records Long Touchdown in Week 2, Still Limited to Downfield Role?
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Jayden Daniels

Considered "Day-to-Day" with Knee Injury
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Jonathan Taylor

Tops 200 Yards From Scrimmage in Week 2 Win
Joe Burrow

Could Miss Three Months if he Requires Toe Surgery
Davante Adams

Headlines Rams Receiving Corps Sunday
Wan'Dale Robinson

Explodes for 142 Yards, Touchdown in Overtime Thriller
Joe Flacco

Browns Not Considering Benching Joe Flacco After Week 2
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Lamar Jackson

Throws for Four Touchdowns in Week 2 Win
James Cook

Scores Two Touchdowns in Rout of Jets
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Rome Odunze

Scores Twice in Loss
Ja'Marr Chase

Snags 14 Receptions, Finds End Zone in Week 2
Russell Wilson

Throws for 450 Yards, Three Touchdowns in Loss
Jared Goff

Throws Five Touchdowns
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Scores Three Touchdowns
Joe Burrow

Suffers Turf Toe and Torn Ligaments in Win
Malik Nabers

Explodes for Two Touchdowns in Overtime Thriller
Joe Burrow

Seen with Boot and Crutches Postgame
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
Justin Fields

Diagnosed With Concussion Sunday
Tyrod Taylor

Justin Fields Evaluated for Concussion, Tyrod Taylor Enters Game
Joe Burrow

Ruled Out for Remainder of Week 2 With Toe Injury
Joe Burrow

Questionable to Return in Week 2 with Toe Injury
Luis Arraez

Takes a Seat on Sunday With Head Injury
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Activated, Starting on Sunday
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
Bryan Woo

Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
Max Muncy

Exits Early on Saturday
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Salvador Perez

Reaches 300 Home Runs, 1,000 RBI
Jose Altuve

Exits Early With Foot Discomfort
Trey Yesavage

Heading to Big Leagues
Will Smith

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
Ryan Preece

Seems Slower on Concrete Than on Asphalt
NASCAR

Legacy Motor Club's Short-Track Speed Will Likely Hold John H. Nemechek Back
Erik Jones

Definitely Faster This Year, but Short Tracks Still a Liability
Daniel Suarez

Despite Poor Qualifying Run, Daniel Suarez Might Not Be a Great Choice
Noah Gragson

Unlikely to Be Fast at Bristol but Still Might Be Worth Considering for DFS
Tarik Skubal

Avoids Serious Injury, Expected to Make Next Start
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
Tanner Bibee

Fans 10 in Two-Hit Shutout
Zach Neto

Dealing With Wrist Soreness
Masyn Winn

Shut Down for Rest of Season
Tarik Skubal

to Undergo Imaging on Saturday
Tyler Soderstrom

Scratched on Friday With Groin Tightness
Tarik Skubal

Exits with Side Tightness
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
Ketel Marte

Scratched From Friday's Lineup
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Kyle Tucker

"Unlikely" to Return When Eligible on Tuesday
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Ketel Marte

Expected to Return on Friday
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Alexander Hernandez

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Quang Le

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Card Opener
Santiago Luna

Set For His Debut At Noche UFC 3
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
CFB

Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Jesús Luzardo

Jesus Luzardo Strikes Out 10 in Win
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
Charles Oliveira

Not Eyeing Retirement
CFB

Ryan Williams Expected to Play Against Wisconsin
CFB

Billy Edwards Jr. Unlikely to Play on Saturday
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Questionable to Make Debut Against Georgia
Lauri Markkanen

Big at Both Ends as Finland Books Place in EuroBasket Semis
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Notches 39 Points in Losing Effort
NBA

Cam Reddish Expected to Move to Europe
NBA

Trey Lyles Joins Real Madrid
Charles Bassey

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Hawks
Sacramento Kings

Terence Davis Waived by Kings
Matthew Knies

Ready for Bigger Role With Maple Leafs
Jack Eichel

Unbothered by Lack of Extension
Sidney Crosby

Not Thinking About Leaving Pittsburgh
SJ

Michael Misa Signs Entry-Level Contract With Sharks
Rutger McGroarty

Nursing an Injury
Cameron Champ

the Ultimate Wild Card at Procore
Cameron Young

Looks to Extend Momentum in Napa
Davis Thompson

Searching for a Spark at Procore
Sahith Theegala

Looking to Reignite Form at Procore
Mackenzie Hughes

Aims for Another Strong Showing at Procore
Luke Clanton

Brings Ball-Striking Upside to Napa
Seamus Power

Looking to Overcome Poor Course History at Procore
Joe Highsmith

Hoping to Find Form in Napa
Kristaps Porzingis

Reportedly Still Not Completely Healthy
Kelly Oubre Jr.

Reportedly on the Trade Block
Andre Drummond

Future in Philadelphia in Doubt
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Helps Greece Reach Semis at EuroBasket
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Posts Historic Triple-Double
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For 15 at Wyndham Championship
Bud Cauley

Finishes Tied for 33rd at BMW Championship
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied for Seventh at Tour Championship
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Tied for 25th at Tour Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied for 19th at Tour Championship
Keith Mitchell

Misses Cut at Wyndham Championship
Ben Griffin

Finishes Tied for 10th at Tour Championship
Patrick Cantlay

Finishes Tied for Second at Tour Championship
Gary Woodland

Could Hang Around at Procore Championship
Karl Vilips

Ready for Napa Valley This Weekend
Taylor Montgomery

Heating Up at the Right Time
Jackson Koivun

May Be a Little Rusty at Procore Championship
Doug Ghim

Looking to Rise Up at Napa Valley
Josh Giddey

Re-Signs With Bulls for Four Years
Shakir Mukhamadullin

Joins Informal Skate
William Eklund

Skates With Sharks
Owen Power

Back at 100 Percent
Tyler Seguin

Cleared for Action
Mathew Barzal

Good to Go for Season Opener
Dustin Wolf

Signs Seven-Year Extension
NBA

Mason Jones Takes His Talents to Australia
NBA

Talen Horton-Tucker Joins Reigning EuroLeague Champions
Malcolm Brogdon

on Knicks' Radar
Andrew Wiggins

Attracting Interest From Lakers

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP