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

Top Candidates To Dethrone Sam LaPorta As The Fantasy Football TE1 In 2024

Trey McBride - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Andrew Ball analyzes which fantasy football tight ends could dethrone Sam LaPorta as the fantasy TE1 in the 2024 season. He looks at three options.

If you polled 100 fantasy football analysts before the 2023 season and asked who would finish as the top-scoring tight end, none of them would have answered Sam LaPorta.

On the back of 10 touchdowns, the Lions’ rookie racked up 239.3 PPR fantasy points, nine ahead of second-place finisher Evan Engram. A double-digit touchdown season is tough to replicate, especially when we’ve only seen LaPorta do it once.

There are a handful of candidates that have the potential to boot LaPorta from his throne. Below, we highlight three names that can finish as the TE1.

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

 

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

From Week 10 through the end of the regular season, McBride posted 14.9 PPR points per game, third among the position. That coincided with Kyler Murray’s return to the lineup. With Marquise Brown either sidelined or hampered by injury, McBride led the team in targets (106).

The Cardinals prioritized offensive weapons in the offseason. Will that help or hinder the opportunities for McBride? The Cardinals selected Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft. He’s slated to be atop the wide receiver depth chart. Rondale Moore was replaced by Zay Jones on the roster (although they have vastly different play styles). Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch will also mix in. Defenses won’t be able to focus all of their attention on McBride this year.

McBride is aiming for a 1,000-yard season, and fantasy managers hope the touchdown total (3 in 2023) will jump. Other red zone options and a full season of Murray under center will help that cause.

 

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Does Travis Kelce have more juice, or is it nearing time for one of the league's greatest tight ends to ride off into the sunset with a certain celebrity pop star? Although he appeared to be slowing down last season, the 34-year-old scored 14.6 PPR points per game, tied for first at the position.

It’s impossible to ignore the sustained, elite production. Kelce has finished as the TE1 in six of the last eight seasons. One of those misses came last season (TE3 finish) when the Chiefs turned to Isiah Pacheco and their defense to win football games. Patrick Mahomes and Kelce had little help in the passing game until Rashee Rice broke out midway through his rookie season.

The Chiefs are making up for their past mistakes by signing Marquise Brown and spending a first-round pick on Xavier Worthy. Both possess world-class speed, which should open the middle of the field for Kelce.

 

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

Opposite of the other tight ends in this article, the Bills didn’t add talent around Dalton Kincaid. Rather, they lost a pair of quality pass catchers.

Stefon Diggs was traded to Houston, and the Bills let Gabe Davis return to Florida in free agency. Curtis Samuel and rookie Keon Coleman join incumbent Khalil Shakir in upstate New York. None of those receivers command targets quite like the former All-Pro Diggs.

Kincaid is a dark horse TE1 candidate on potential volume alone. From Weeks 7 through 14, Kincaid secured at least five receptions in every matchup on 7.6 targets per game. A steady PPR floor is all but guaranteed if the target numbers increase by one or two per game.

The touchdowns will have to increase for Kincaid to crack the top five, let alone the top one. He only found paydirt twice in his rookie season. The red zone pass rate for the Bills dropped to 32.5% with offensive coordinator Joe Brady on the job. While being connected to Josh Allen is a tremendous advantage for Kincaid, the quarterback is just as likely to rush it in himself or, even worse, hand it off to a running back not named James Cook.

Still, Kincaid could be the target leader for the Bills in 2024, and his consistency could propel him toward the top of the tight end leaderboard.



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 Fantasy Football Analysis




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

De'Aaron Fox

Sidelined For Spurs Season Opener
Jonathan Marchessault

Remains Absent Against Ducks
Darcy Kuemper

Available Tuesday
Corey Perry

Makes Season Debut Tuesday
Matt Duchene

Misses Tuesday's Action
Kevon Looney

Unavailable For Season Opener Versus Memphis
Alexander Romanov

Unavailable Versus Sharks
Brock Boeser

Remains Out Tuesday
Jared McCann

Out on Tuesday
Daniel Gafford

Not Expected to Play Versus San Antonio
Darius Garland

Unavailable For Wednesday
Kel'el Ware

Questionable for Wednesday Night
OG Anunoby

Likely Available on Wednesday Evening
Mitchell Robinson

Out Of Action For Knicks Season Opener
Karl-Anthony Towns

Questionable for the Opener
Josh Hart

Unavailable For Knicks Season Opener on Wednesday
Jaylen Brown

Questionable for Celtics Season Opener
Tari Eason

Not Signing His Rookie Extension with the Rockets
Maxi Kleber

Sidelined at Least Two Weeks
Jason Day

Making a Spot Start at Bank of Utah Championship
Luke Clanton

Looks to Build on Momentum This Week in Utah
Los Angeles Angels

Kurt Suzuki to be the Angels' Next Manager
Bo Bichette

Plans to be Ready for World Series
Tyrod Taylor

Aaron Glenn "Moving Toward" Naming Tyrod Taylor the Starting QB
Zach Charbonnet

Finds the End Zone Twice on Monday Night
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Continues Elite Production
Dorian Finney-Smith

Officially Out for Season Opener
Chris Godwin

Bucky Irving May Not Play This Week
Isaiah Joe

Out Tuesday
Michael Penix Jr.

Expected to Be "Good to Go" for Sunday
Alex Caruso

Good to Go for Season Opener
Darius Garland

"Ahead of Schedule" But Unlikely to Play Against Knicks
De'Andre Hunter

Questionable for Season Opener
Ty Jerome

to Miss at Least Four Weeks
Aaron Nesmith

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Pacers
Nick Foligno

Back With Blackhawks
Pierre-Luc Dubois

Remains Sidelined Tuesday
Alexander Romanov

a Game-Time Call for Tuesday
Niko Mikkola

Cleared for Tuesday
Matt Duchene

Probable for Tuesday's Game
Adin Hill

Suffers Lower-Body Injury Monday
Nico Collins

Ruled Out Late on Monday Night With Concussion
Nico Collins

Suffers Head Injury on Monday Night
Jahmyr Gibbs

Blows Up For 218 Total Yards, Two Touchdowns in Win
Mike Evans

to Miss Most of the Year With Broken Clavicle
Jalen Williams

Ruled Out for Season Opener
Brandon Woodruff

Expects to Be Ready for Opening Day
Mike Evans

Ruled Out Monday With Concussion, Shoulder Injury
Mike Evans

Making his Return in Primetime Against Detroit
Emeka Egbuka

Officially Active on Monday Night
Dereck Lively II

Mavericks Exercise Fourth-Year Option on Dereck Lively II
Patrik Laine

Remains Out Monday
Jared McCann

Out Against Flyers
Carson Soucy

Ready to Return Monday
Zach Bogosian

Unavailable Against Rangers
Marco Rossi

Misses Monday's Action
Shayne Gostisbehere

Sits Out Monday's Game
Mark Stone

Out Week-to-Week
Michael Penix Jr.

Dealing With Bone Bruise in Foot, Considered Day-to-Day
Jayden Daniels

Avoids Long-Term Injury, Status Unknown for Week 8
Tua Tagovailoa

Dolphins Sticking With Tua Tagovailoa as Their Starting QB
Brock Bowers

Expected Back After the Bye
Darren Waller

Week-to-Week Following MRI
Kendre Miller

Out for the Year After Suffering Torn ACL
Bryce Young

Expected to Miss Week 8
Justin Fields

to Lose Starting Job After Week 7 Benching?
Reinier de Ridder

Reinier De Ridder Suffers His First UFC Loss
Brendan Allen

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kevin Holland

Drops Decision
Mike Malott

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Jordan Addison

Leads Minnesota With 128 Receiving Yards in Loss
Marlon Vera

Loses Third Consecutive Fight
Aiemann Zahabi

Gets A Razor-Thin Split Decision Win
Jasmine Jasudavicius

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Manon Fiorot

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ryan Donato

Leads Blackhawks to Victory Sunday
Davey Grant

Suffers Submission Loss
Charles Jourdain

Gets First-Round Submission Win
Matt Frevola

Gets Dominated At UFC Vancouver
Matt Frevola

Kyle Nelson Dominates Matt Frevola
George Springer

Returns to Lineup for Game 6 of ALCS
CFB

Colorado State Fires Head Coach Jay Norvell After Four Seasons
CFB

Florida Fires Head Coach Billy Napier After Four Years
Chase Elliott

Can Chase Elliott Deliver Another Clutch Win to Make Championship 4?
William Byron

Seeks First Win at Talladega to Overcome Las Vegas Crash
Chase Briscoe

Likely to Finish Worse Than he Starts
Kyle Larson

Despite No Wins on Drafting Tracks, Kyle Larson is Improving
Tyler Reddick

Despite Winning at Talladega, Tyler Reddick's Drafting Record Is Not So Hot
Ross Chastain

Poor Qualifying Makes him a Strong DFS Option at Talladega
Chris Buescher

Excellent Crash Avoidance Could Reap Dividends at Talladega
Ty Gibbs

If Ty Gibbs' Team Executes a Better Strategy, he Could Win at Talladega
Daniel Suarez

Hopes for Clutch Talladega Win to Remain in the NASCAR Cup Series
Josh Berry

Might Contend at Talladega
Austin Dillon

Doesn't Lead Enough at Talladega to Contend for Wins
Brendan Donovan

Undergoes Sports Hernia Surgery
George Springer

Exits Game 5 Early After HBP on his Knee
Jackson Chourio

Back in Game 4 Lineup Against Dodgers
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Has Bone Spurs Removed From his Elbow
Brendan Allen

Set For UFC Vancouver Main Event
Reinier de Ridder

Reinier De Ridder A Favorite At UFC Vancouver
Mike Malott

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Kevin Holland

Set For UFC Vancouver Co-Main Event
Aiemann Zahabi

Looks For His Seventh Consecutive Win
Marlon Vera

Returns At UFC Vancouver
Jasmine Jasudavicius

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Manon Fiorot

Looks To Bounce Back
Aoriqileng

Aori Aoriqileng Looks To Rebound
CFB

Curt Cignetti Signs Eight-Year, $11.6 Million Extension With Indiana
Carlos Rodón

Carlos Rodon Unlikely to Be Ready for Opening Day After Elbow Surgery
Anthony Santander

Removed From ALCS Roster With Back Injury
Jackson Chourio

Aggravates Hamstring, Pulled Early in Game 3 of NLCS
Aaron Judge

Will Not Need Elbow Surgery
Anthony Volpe

Won't be Ready for Start of Next Season
Gerrit Cole

Won't be Ready for Opening Day Next Year
CFB

Jermod McCoy Officially Out for Alabama Matchup
CFB

Jam Miller Questionable to Face Tennessee

RANKINGS

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