Redraft Strategy, When to Draft TEs

Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn, USA Today Sports

Redraft content is part of the PRO package for Footballguys Premium Subscriptions. We're making this preview available so you can see the edge these subscribers are getting. Sign up here.

The Re-Draft Roundtables Series

The Footballguys staff looks at various strategies to help you in redraft leagues.

Participating in a redraft league is a process that starts with the draft and hopefully ends with a championship. The Footballguys staff has answered several questions about various strategies to help you achieve your championship dreams. From the beginning to the end and everything in between, we've got you covered to give you the tools and knowledge needed to dominate your redraft league.

Is there a sweet spot for tight ends this year? Where would you prefer to take your starting tight end this year?

Ben Cummins

Unlike quarterback, I hesitate to say there is a sweet spot with tight ends. I see Travis Kelce providing an advantage over the field, but he requires Round 1 draft capital. I see advantages to going both early and late-round tight end as I have many targets in both ranges, including Kelce, Kyle Pitts, George Kittle, Dalton Schultz, Irv Smith, Albert Okwuegbunam, Robert Tonyan Jr, Cole Kmet, Tyler Higbee, etc.

Jason Wood

You don't want to be the person who reached for a tight end after Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews are drafted. Either target one of those guys or wait until at least a dozen tight ends are off the board. Is there a chance someone like Kyle Pitts or T.J. Hockenson can break through and match the Big 2? Sure, but for everyone one of those guys, there will be six to eight early-round picks who barely outperform the guys taken five+ rounds later. Most of the tight ends in fantasy are touchdown-reliant. When they score, they help your team. When they don't, they hurt.

Christian Williams

While the value dictates everything on the board, leaving a draft without one of the top five tight ends always feels like a missed opportunity. Late-round tight end strategies have faltered in recent years, though there's always one surprise guy that emerges (e.g., Dalton Schultz in 2021). I don't mind selecting a tight end in the second or third round if that presents me with a positional advantage over my league mates. Leaving with Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews is ideal.