2022 Punt Tight End Candidates for Best Ball

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That means you need to nail your picks. One of the biggest advantages of best ball is not having to set your starting lineup. This becomes especially critical at a volatile position such as tight end. Historically, tight end scoring has been difficult to predict and doesn’t really move the needle for your roster. If you don’t draft a tight end early, you’re better off punting the position altogether and throwing darts in the later rounds. Last season, Zach Ertz (TE5), Dalton Schultz (TE5) and Dawson Knox (TE8) finished inside the top eight among tight ends despite often going undrafted. In this article, I’m going to highlight some of my favorite late-round tight end options available after the first 12 rounds. When punting the tight end position, I recommend taking 3-4 in the final rounds, hoping to ping pong weeks or potentially hitting on a breakout. You can track ADPs and rankings using the Underdog tool on FTN Fantasy. Sign up for Underdog Fantasy with promo code “FTN” for a 100% deposit match up to $100.

David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns

(ADP: 160.4, TE17)

A former 2017 first-round pick, David Njoku signed a four-year, $56.75 million contract extension this offseason to remain in Cleveland through 2025. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has publicly acknowledged Njoku’s development as an all-around tight end and has made it clear that he will be a focal point of the offense. Money talks in the NFL, and the Browns’ decision to sign Njoku to the fourth-highest annual deal among all tight ends bode well for his future. Through five seasons, Njoku has totaled 148 receptions for 1,754 yards and 15 TDs, primarily as a part-time player. Last season, he saw only 64% of the offensive snaps, splitting time with Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant. During the offseason, the Browns released Hooper and traded for All-Pro quarterback Deshaun Watson. In Njoku’s only preseason game with Watson, he played 100% of snaps with the first team and ran a route on every dropback. Although Watson is set to miss the first 11 games of the season to suspension, Njoku will still be viable with Jacoby Brissett under center. In Brissett’s last full season as a starter with the Colts, tight end Jack Doyle led the team in targets and finished top three in receptions and receiving yards. Backup tight end Eric Ebron finished fifth in all three categories. Njoku is in line for a breakout year on a Browns team that has targeted tight ends at a top-three rate in back-to-back seasons.

Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

(163.3, TE18)

After spending the first four seasons as the TE2 for the Rams, Gerald Everett finally landed a starting gig with Seattle in 2021. He had a career year, catching 48 passes for 478 yards and four touchdowns. During the offseason, Everett returned to Los Angeles and signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Chargers. Second-year head coach Brandon Staley was the defensive coordinator for the Rams in Everett’s final season in LA. Everett immediately steps in as the TE1 for the Chargers, replacing Jared Cook. Last season, Cook finished as the TE16 despite finishing fourth on the team in targets — Cook’s 83 total targets were 20 more than Everett’s career high (63). Everett receives a significant boost playing alongside one of the league’s best young quarterbacks in Justin Herbert and a pass-friendlier offense. In 2021 the Chargers ranked top three in pass attempts as opposed to the Seahawks, who finished in the bottom two. When asked about his new tight end, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said, “The good thing about Gerald is that we kind of look at him as a complete tight end. He’s a good blocker. He’s a good receiver. The thing that jumps out on the tape, really — because he was a free agent the last two years, so we watched him with the Rams and then in Seattle — when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s a weapon. That’s an exciting thing to add, that element. He’s a good receiver, as well. Blocker, receiver, running after the catch, there are a lot of things that we like.” Since entering the league, Everett ranks third in forced missed tackles at the position behind only Travis Kelce and George Kittle.

Robert Tonyan, TE, Green Bay Packers

(165.3, TE19)

Former UDFA Robert Tonyan broke out in 2020, finishing as a top-three tight end. He caught a career-high 52 passes for 586 yards and 11 scores. Tonyan was a favorite of Aaron Rodgers in the red zone, catching 10 of 11 targets for seven touchdowns on a 16.4% target share. However, he took a significant step back in 2021 before suffering a season-ending ACL injury. Through eight games, Tonyan never caught more than four passes and surpassed 10 receiving yards just three times. He had a 57.2% route participation rate while leading a tight end committee. The Packers re-signed Tonyan in the offseason, hoping to have him back for the start of the season. He progressed well through rehab and was recently activated off the PUP list. Tonyan finds himself in an ideal situation on a Packers team that ranks top-five in vacated targets (248) and third in vacated air yards (2,807). He’ll once again have to play a critical in the red zone following the departure of Davante Adams, who has led the league red zone targets (28) and receiving touchdowns (29) since 2020.

Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams

(168.7, TE20)

Tyler Higbee was in line for a breakout year after the Rams let Gerald Everett walk in free agency and made a significant upgrade at quarterback, replacing Jared Goff with Matthew Stafford. Unfortunately, Higbee failed to live up to expectations, finishing as the TE14 on the season. He saw the second-most targets of his career (83) but averaged only 6.6 yards per target, his lowest since his 29-target rookie season in 2016. Only 3.7% of Higbee’s targets were thrown 20 or more yards downfield, which ranked 43rd among tight ends with at least 25 targets. Despite a disappointing season, Higbee had the peripherals of a TE1. He was second in snap share, seventh in red zone targets and fifth in end zone targets. During the offseason, the Rams traded Robert Woods and let Odell Beckham walk in free agency. In 2021, the two combined for 19.3% of the team’s targets, 17.7% of catches, 17.6% receiving yards and 22.0% of receiving touchdowns. Although the Rams signed Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson is questionable to start the season after undergoing knee surgery. Higbee will have a chance to operate as the No. 3 option on a Rams team that finished first passing touchdown percentage (80.39%).

Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars

(179.3, TE23)

Former 2017 first-round pick Evan Engram signed with the Jaguars this offseason on a one-year contract after an abysmal 2021. He caught 46 passes in 12 games for a career-low 408 receiving yards. A change of scenery should help Engram in a Doug Pederson-led offense that has had a history of featuring the tight end position. From 2017 to 2020, the Eagles ranked third in tight end targets and had a top-five TE finish in four out of five seasons. Pederson’s offenses have also finished top-10 in pass attempts and top-12 in scoring in all but one season. Engram has already displayed a TE1 ceiling in his first two seasons and will finally have stability at quarterback in 2022. No pass catcher on the Jaguars roster has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards outside of Marvin Jones, who will be 32 at the start of next season.

Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints

(191.0, TE25)

After spending the first five seasons as gadget player/quarterback under Sean Payton, new Saints head coach Dennis Allen announced that Taysom Hill would be changing to tight end. He also stated, “He’s going provide multiple roles for us. … He’ll take some snaps from the quarterback position.” Drafting Hill in the final rounds of drafts, is a swing for the fences with a lack of certainty regarding his usage. However, Hill has untapped potential and could be a league winner available in the final rounds of drafts. When punting the TE position, there are few players that possess the same sort of upside as Hill that can compete with the elite tier. He’s a low-risk, high-reward play worth tacking on to the back end of rosters.