Tight End Tiers, Value Picks, Late-Round Targets, and Players to Avoid

Utilizing tiers in fantasy football provides several strategic advantages beyond simple rankings. Rankings are linear, but tiers group players of similar value together. This helps you recognize when there's a big drop-off in talent, so you don't overreact to slight differences in rank. For example, suppose multiple wide receivers are left in a tier but only one player remains in the current running back tier. In that case, you're more likely to take the running back before that tier is eliminated.

RELATED: See Quarterback Tiers and Value Picks here.
RELATED: See Running Back Tiers and Value Picks here.
RELATED: See Wide Receiver Tiers and Value Picks here.

We cover every positional tier as the preseason progresses; today, we examine the tight ends.

TE Strategy Cliff's Notes

• Don't take Brock Bowers or Trey McBride because then you can't take George Kittle or a surprising value in the top 8 tight ends (unless it's TE Premium)
• There are lots of options ranked 10 or lower who can finish in the top six. Take one of your favorites (mine is Tucker Kraft) if you grab Kittle, and two of your favorites if you don't get the 49er.

The Top 4 Values at Tight End

1. George Kittle, SF
2. Tucker Kraft, GB
3. Dallas Goedert, PHI
4. Jake Ferguson, DAL

The 4 Tight Ends to Avoid at ADP

1. Brock Bowers, LV
2. Trey McBride, ARI
3. Travis Kelce, KC
4. Evan Engram, DEN

4 Late-Round Targets at Tight End

1. Zach Ertz, WAS
2. Pat Freiermuth, PIT
3. Elijah Arroyo, SEA
4. Chig Okonkwo, TEN

2025 Tight End Tiers

Elite TE1s

• Brock Bowers, LV **AVOID AT ADP**
• Trey McBride, ARI **AVOID AT ADP** 
• George Kittle, SF **VALUE PICK**

ADP only has Bowers and McBride in this tier. In fact, Bowers is regularly in the second round - even first half of the second round, and McBride in the early third (26 overall), and Kittle in the late third (35 overall) - per Footballguys consensus ADP. That's a free discount for the player who actually had the highest PPR scoring average of the three. It's hard to justify taking Bowers or McBride early when Kittle is so cheap. It's especially hard to justify taking Bowers or McBride when they are decisively outscored by the wide receivers and running backs going in the same range of your draft. The last time I checked, you win fantasy matchups by scoring more points.

Bowers was everything we could have hoped for and more as a rookie. His quarterback play, supporting cast, and offensive coaching should all be improved this year. He could improve and pull away from the pack this year, but it would take a monumental season to justify his ADP.

McBride finally found paydirt in Week 17 after a nearly season-long touchdown drought, and he is clearly the foundational target in the Cardinals' offense. If Marvin Harrison Jr.'s usage and play improve in year two, McBride could take a step forward in efficiency, which is good, because that prodigious volume will probably take a hit in any event.

Kittle's outstanding 2024 is grossly underappreciated in the fantasy community. Use that to your advantage. He posted the most efficient season of his career per target and is showing no signs of decline, even though he is available 1+ rounds later than younger tight ends he outscored last year.. Brandon Aiyuk won't be full speed until mid-season, and Jauan Jennings has missed most of camp with a calf injury aggravation. Kittle could be in for a peak target season.

Bounce Back TE1s

• Sam LaPorta, DET 
• T.J. Hockenson, MIN

Both of these tight ends have been drafted in the top three in the last two years, but they are coming off of seasons that were disappointing because of injuries. LaPorta was going off the board as the #1 tight end in some drafts last year, but he has fallen multiple rounds after a slow start made his 2024 a letdown. Hockenson returned midseason from a late 2023 ACL tear, but didn't look like himself. The hope is that both of them can return to 2023 form and outproduce ADP.

One of the glass-half-empty takes on LaPorta last year was that Jameson Williams could cut into his target share if he broke out in 2024. Williams' increase (27) over the target total of 2023's #2 wideout, Josh Reynolds, was close to LaPorta's drop (37) in targets, and the Lions' pass attempts also dropped by about 3.5 per game. LaPorta was banged up early in the season, but leveled off closer to expectations in the second half of the season and playoffs. If he carries that over to 2025, he'll be a hit at ADP. The seventh round seems to be about where LaPorta is hard to pass on, but he's rarely available there.

Hockenson's return to the field in 2024, following a catastrophic knee injury in late 2023, was a victory, but he didn't help us notch many fantasy victories. He'll be better this year and an important target for J.J. McCarthy as he learns the ropes, but the growing pains for the young quarterback will probably lower fantasy outcomes across the board. He's only a little less expensive than LaPorta, but with a lower ceiling and more uncertainty, although he could start the season hot with Jordan Addison sitting out the first three games due to a suspension.

Boom/Bust TE1s