2022 Fantasy Football Tiers: Tight End

Jeff Ratcliffe

Contributor's Page

Tight end tiers are an important weapon in your fantasy football arsenal. Instead of the rigid approach of fantasy football rankings, tiers allow you more flexibility on draft day, which is key to dominating your opponents. With a tier-based approach, you can see how each player stacks up at his respective position.

Tight end is still thin this season. As you’ll see in the tiers below, you don’t want to wait too long on draft day because the position dries up fast. But don’t worry, these tiers will help you attack the tight end at the exact right time in your 2022 fantasy football drafts. Let’s take a look at the 2022 fantasy football tight end tiers. Of course, don’t forget that you can check out more rankings and fantasy football projections.

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(Check out the positional tiers: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Overall)

Tier 1 – Big 3

Travis Kelce
Mark Andrews
Kyle Pitts

You probably don’t need any explanation here, so I’m not going to bore you with stats you already know. These three are awesome. But the bigger question is whether they’re worth drafting at their current ADP. Kelce will likely go in the late first- or early second-round, Andrews is likely a late second-round pick, and Pitts should come off the board in the third. While having one of these guys will certainly provide a weekly advantage at the position, is that advantage enough to warrant a premium pick? I tend to lean “no” there, as there is better value to be had in the TE wheelhouse below. With that said, I wouldn’t talk you out of picking Kelce, Andrews or Pitts.

Tier 2 – Risk/Reward TE1s

George Kittle
Darren Waller

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These two come in about two rounds after the elite tier in ADP in a bit of a no-man’s land. There’s so much value at wide receiver in this range of the draft that it’s very difficult to go tight end. Add to that the fact that both of these players are coming off injury-plagued seasons, and we have enough reason to let someone else take this duo in the fourth and fifth rounds.

Tier 3 – The TE1 Wheelhouse

Dalton Schultz
T.J. Hockenson
Dallas Goedert

They aren’t top-shelf options, but this trio has enough upside to crack elite fantasy territory. Hockenson was fantasy’s No. 3 tight end before injury sidelined him for the final five games of the season. Schultz followed up his breakout 2020 season with an even bigger year last season. He’s one of the league’s highest-volume options at the position. While Goedert operates in a run-heavy Eagles offense, he’s a constant mismatch and is cemented in as the top pass-catching option with Zach Ertz out of the mix.

Tier 4a – High-Ceiling Options

Cole Kmet
Dawson Knox
David Njoku
Albert Okwuegbunam
Irv Smith
Evan Engram
Gerald Everett
Mike Gesicki
Noah Fant

If you miss on tight end earlier in your drafts, this is the group to target for upside starting in the late eighth-round. Knox found pay dirt eight times last season and finished right on the edge of TE1 territory. Despite scoring no touchdowns, Kmet took a major step forward and ranked 13th among tight ends in receptions with 57. He’s poised for a breakout year. Likewise, opportunity knocks for Okwuegbunam with Noah Fant out of the way in Denver. Yes, the Broncos did draft move tight end Greg Dulcich, but Okwuegbunam is still positioned well to make the leap.

The Dolphins added a target monster in Tyreek Hill, so consistency could still be an issue for Gesicki. However, he offers a massive weekly ceiling. The same can also be said for Fant and Njoku. As for Smith, we don’t quite know what he’ll be this year after missing all last season due to injury. However, his overall profile is very intriguing as a late-round target. Engram may not be the priority fantasy option he once was, but he has a prime opportunity in what has historically been a tight-end friendly offense under Doug Pederson. Everett may be a fantasy tease, but he’s in a prime spot with Justin Herbert throwing him the football.

Tier 4b – Low-Ceiling Options

Zach Ertz
Pat Freiermuth
Hunter Henry

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These players are going in the same range of drafts as the upside options, but they’re much less appealing given their lower fantasy ceilings. Ertz proved to be a high-volume option for Kyler Murray after being traded to the Cardinals last season, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in Arizona. Freiermuth is coming off a breakout rookie season, but quarterback issues abound in Pittsburgh. Henry tied with Travis Kelce for the position lead in touchdowns last season with nine, but he also finishes a disappointing 16th in receptions with 50.

Tier 5a – Last-Round Darts

Hayden Hurst
Austin Hooper
Cameron Brate

If you’re going to take a stab at a late-round option, it should probably be one of these three players. Each of them offers upside, so you get some bang for your buck.

Tier 5b – Late-Round Avoids

Robert Tonyan
Tyler Higbee
Logan Thomas

You know these names well if you’ve been around the fantasy football block, but that doesn’t mean you should draft them. There’s almost no ceiling with these four, so leave them on the board.