With the NFL season kicking-off tomorrow night, we continue with the release of our 2023 Fantasy Football rankings for PPR leagues. Yesterday I dropped my top 25 Quarterbacks for the 2023 season. Today we'll be following it up with our Tight End rankings for now and the rest of our positional rankings later today. Keep an eye out for the top 50 running backs and wide receivers releasing later this afternoon! For now, here are the top 25 tight ends for 2023.
1. Travis Kelce (KC, 10)
*Is expected to miss week 1 after a knee injury in practice Tuesday. The injury is not believed to be a long-term issue.*
2. Mark Andrews (BAL, 13)
3. TJ Hockenson (MIN, 13)
4. George Kittle (SF, 9)
5. Darren Waller (NYG, 13)
Waller was one of the best tight ends in fantasy football during the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. But after recording back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons during the mentioned years, Waller has had issues staying on the field and producing. Over the last two seasons, Waller has missed 14 games due to injury (FantasyPros), but with a new home for 2023, there’s new optimism for Waller. The former Raider was traded to the New York Giants this offseason and will become their top pass-catching option right away. The Giants are thin at wide receiver and have had their own issues keeping their receiving options healthy over the last few years. Although there’s new optimism, there’s also the same risk with drafting Waller the last two years, that being injury concerns. Waller will turn 31 early in the season and with two straight injury-riddled years, there are concerns that his health could be starting to decline as a whole. However, the tight end position is too thin in fantasy football to overlook his talent and the upside of his situation, which is why Waller is still a top-five tight end this year.
6. Dallas Goedert (PHI, 10)
7. Kyle Pitts (ATL, 11)
The hype train for Kyle Pitts before 2022 was unstoppable as some viewed him as the TE2 behind Travis Kelce. Unfortunately, poor QB play, a lack of targets and injuries slowed Pitts down and ended his 2022 campaign after 10 games. Those 10 games were not necessarily impressive either as Pitts recorded 28 receptions, 356 yards and 2 touchdowns, a steep decline from his 1,000-yard rookie season. Some concerns with the former No. 4 pick have carried into 2023, too. It’s no secret the Falcons are a run-heavy offense and the addition of Bijan Robinson makes that even more imminent. The Quarterback play is a large question mark in Atlanta again as the Falcons will be turning to second-year QB Desmond Ridder for 2023, who has just four career starts. But even with all the uncertainties, Pitts is far too talented to have ranked any lower than TE7. At his current draft range, Pitts could be a steal if he returns to his rookie season ways but even if he doesn’t, the cost won’t hurt quite like last year.
8. Pat Freiermuth (PIT, 6)
9. Evan Engram (JAC, 9)
10. Tyler Higbee (LAR, 10)
Higbee flew under the radar in 2022, but in fairness, the tight-end position wasn’t glamorous last year. Higbee finished as the TE6 thanks to consistent targets and a late-season hot streak, but his yardage and touchdown totals ultimately held him back from a top-five or top-three finish. Higbee tallied 620 yards on 83 receptions, yet only had 3 touchdowns on the year. To make matters worse, Higbee didn’t score his first TD until week 15 (FantasyPros). But Higbee showed that without Cooper Kupp in the lineup–and sometimes no Matthew Stafford–he was the clear number two pass-catcher for the Rams. Heading into this season, the Rams’ receiving threats have gotten worse and Cooper Kupp is trending to miss week one and potentially the first few weeks of the season. With very few options to throw to in LA and Kupp’s status in the air, Higbee could be a sleeper tight end and could continue to trend upwards.
11. David Njoku (CLE, 5)
12. Dalton Schultz (HOU, 7)
13. Cole Kmet (CHI, 13)
14. Dalton Kincaid (BUF, 13)
The Bills drafted Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 Draft and he’s expected to start over Dawson Knox right away. Kincaid was regarded by most as the best receiving tight end in the Draft and was almost guaranteed to be selected in round one. However, it’s uncertain what Kincaid’s role will look like as a rookie in the Bills’ offense. Kincaid has spent some time in training camp and the preseason lined up in the slot, but regardless, he’s spent most of his time with the first-team offense. Even with Dawson Knox still in the mix and his inexperience, Kincaid’s situation with QB Josh Allen and the Bills’ high-powered offense creates plenty of optimism for the rookie from Utah. Let’s not forget that Josh Allen helped Dawson Knox rack up an 11-touchdown season just a few years ago.
15. Greg Dulcich (DEN, 9)
16. Chigoziem Okonkwo (TEN, 7)
17. Gerald Everett (LAC, 5)
18. Sam LaPorta (DET, 9)
19. Juwan Johnson (NO, 11)
20. Irv Smith Jr. (CIN, 7)
21. Hunter Henry (NE, 11)
22. Hayden Hurst (CAR, 7)
23. Trey McBride (ARI, 14)
24. Mike Gesicki (NE, 11)
25. Dawson Knox (BUF, 13)
*All stats and scores were received from ESPN Fantasy, ESPN Stats & Info. and FantasyPros.com