Fantasy Football: Top 50 Dynasty TEs

Fantasy football managers shouldn't forget about the tight end position when building a dynasty team. Here's who you should build around.

Matt De Lima | May 28, 2020

The dynasty format elevates fantasy football by making the game more closely resemble the real world. There’s no reset button every season. Your decisions have lasting consequences and benefits that ripple out for years into the future.

Other Dynasty Rankings: QB | RB | WR | DL | LB | DB

1. George Kittle - 49ers - Age: 26

Although Travis Kelce is a touch better right now, Kittle gets the nod for having a presumably longer career ahead of him. It also helps that the 49ers don’t have a dominant WR1 to compete with him for targets.

2. Travis Kelce - Chiefs - Age: 30

I wouldn’t fault you for having Kelce in the top spot. He’s been the most reliable and productive member of the Chiefs offense for years now. And that offense looks like it’ll be at or near the best in the league as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center.

3. Mark Andrews - Ravens - Age: 23

This goes to show how volatile the TE position can be. Andrews has one good year and he’s more or less everyone’s No. 3 or 4 dynasty TE. He looked promising as a rookie and flew past expectations last year to become Lamar Jackson’s go-to guy. I think we’ll see small regression in his numbers, but the sky’s still the limit with the Ravens looking so good a year ago.

4. Hunter Henry - Chargers - Age: 25

It’s crazy to think he’s about to enter his fifth season. First we had to wait for Antonio Gates to move on, then he got hurt and missed all of 2018. And even last year, Henry had a good year (55-652-5) and that came in just 12 games. The departure of Philip Rivers is a tiny downgrade for me and why I have him fourth instead of third.

5. Evan Engram - Giants - Age: 25

If you told me that Engram would only miss a handful of games over the next few years, I’d be more than happy to push him up to the No. 3 spot. It just hasn’t all clicked together for him yet between injuries and a bad offense. It probably will eventually, but I wouldn’t feel super comfortable with him as my TE1.

6. Austin Hooper - Browns - Age: 25

If he was still in Atlanta, I’d have him a touch higher. Hooper has steadily improved every year and should command plenty of attention from Baker Mayfield. I expect to see a lot of two-TE sets with him and David Njoku.

7. Zach Ertz - Eagles - Age: 29

Between his age, Miles Sanders' emergence, draft picks spent on WRs, and the burgeoning share of targets going to Dallas Goedert, I’m fading away from Ertz. Still a special player though who will get the job done for win-now dynasty teams.

8. Noah Fant - Broncos - Age: 22

He looked explosive in some moments as a rookie, but this ranking is mostly about who he will be two and three years down the line.

9. T.J. Hockenson - Lions - Age: 22

I thought the Lions would be more willing to get him involved last year. He will probably be the top dynasty TE a couple years from now, it’s just hard to project how long it’ll take from him to get there.

10. Darren Waller - Raiders - Age: 27

We’ve known Waller had the tools and athleticism, but off-the-field problems soured his reputation and probably kept him in the doghouse while he was in Baltimore. He exploded in 2019, yet I’m still skeptical because I find it hard to trust anybody on the Raiders. They’ve hardly been able to sustain anybody worthwhile in fantasy for years..

11. Dallas Goedert - Eagles - Age: 25

Until he finds a new home or Ertz moves on, Goedert will never have the upside I’m looking for at the position. He’s very good, but a backup tight end lacks the consistency I prefer for my starting fantasy tight end.

12. Tyler Higbee - Rams - Age: 27

It feels like we’ve been waiting for either Higbee or Gerald Everett to separate from each other for a few years now. It looks like Higbee finally took that step forward in the back half of 2019. The Rams seem to be getting the TEs more involved as the position group saw over 150 targets a year ago. There’s a tier (or two) jump possible if he continues to edge out Everett.

13. Hayden Hurst - Falcons - Age: 26

I’m bullish here given the Falcons’ willingness to put their TEs to work. Hooper was very productive here last season. With Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones commanding so much attention outside, then you have Todd Gurley challenging the defensive front, Hurst should be too much to handle over the middle. The situation excites me more than his individual talent.

14. Ian Thomas - Panthers - Age: 23

Another bullish ranking, but I prefer Thomas even more now because Teddy Bridgewater is here. Greg Olsen’s departure was going to come eventually and in his third year, Thomas will have every opportunity to make the leap. It hasn’t clicked yet for him, but for most of the guys in this range, that is the case for them as well.

15. Mike Gesicki - Dolphins - Age: 24

We saw a nice step forward for Gesicki in Year 2, but now we have to see how the development Tua Tagovailoa fleshes out and how long the Dolphins may or may not stick with Ryan Fitzpatrick.

16. Jack Doyle - Colts - Age: 30

We saw what Philip Rivers did with Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates. Doyle is going to get a ton of looks and I love him as a low-risk backup which allows me to also chase the upside of some of these youngins in the No. 15 to 25 range.

17. Irv Smith Jr. - Vikings - Age: 21

The presence of Kyle Rudolph shouldn’t be a major concern. He’s been an afterthought in the offense for some time now. We just need Smith to see growth in playing time because he can be a beast in the slot.

18. Chris Herndon - Jets - Age: 24

We thought the breakout was coming, but a suspension and hamstring injury turned 2019 into an extra redshirt year. The upside is still there, you just have to be patient.

19. Jonnu Smith - Titans - Age: 24

If the Titans weren’t running the NFL equivalent of a wishbone offense, Smith could probably challenge for low TE1 status.

20. O.J. Howard - Buccaneers - Age: 25

Most of this ranking is tied to the hope that the Bucs trade him. I think we’re underestimating how marginal his role will become with Rob Gronkowski coming back.

21. Eric Ebron - Steelers - Age: 27

We knew 2018 was an outlier because of his touchdown dependency. 2019 reminded us of the old Ebron. A healthy return to form for both he and Ben Roethlisberger could spell for something special, I’ve just seen it play out at his floor too often to hope for his ceiling.

22. Gerald Everett - Rams - Age: 25

With Brandin Cooks gone, I’m expecting a lot more two-TE sets that’ll keep Everett on the field. The Rams seem to be trending towards a more physical, run-minded play style with the addition of Cam Akers. All that in mind, I think Everett is a solid TE2 to roster.

23. Dawson Knox - Bills - Age: 23

The size and athleticism of Knox are really appealing. The offense? Not so much. In this range, you should be looking for upside in the future and Knox checks that box for me.

24. Will Dissly - Seahawks - Age: 23

The Seahawks have had a merry-go-round at TE. That said, Dissly is all upside and if given the lion’s share of snaps and targets he could easily be a top 10 player.

25. David Njoku - Browns - Age: 23

Like Howard, Njoku’s ranking holds up because there is big value to be had if he is traded.

26. Jace Sternberger - Packers - Age: 23

A very raw player who will need time to marinade on your bench. Not too worried about Green Bay drafting Josiah Deguara, as he is more of an H-back.

27. Blake Jarwin - Cowboys - Age: 25

Too many mouths to feed in this offense for Jarwin to make the leap up the rankings. He will have his weeks and provide the red zone upside to keep him in the TE2 conversation.

28. Rob Gronkowski - Buccaneers - Age: 31

I think he’ll be really great, as great as he was just a few years ago, until he gets hurt again. I’ll let someone else deal with that.

29. Adam Trautman - Saints - Age: 23

If you can wait two years, Trautman looks like a great fit in New Orleans. One of my preferred TE3 stashes in dynasty.

30. Cole Kmet - Bears - Age: 21

Another preferred stash on an offense with inconsistencies at WR. There are about nine too many TEs on the Bears roster, but Kmet is the one you want to hold.

31. C.J. Uzomah - Bengals - Age: 27

32. Trey Burton - Colts - Age: 28

33. Kyle Rudolph - Vikings - Age: 30

34. Jared Cook - Saints - Age: 33

35. Jordan Thomas - Texans - Age: 23

36. Harrison Bryant - Browns - Age: 22

37. Devin Asiasi - Patriots - Age: 22

38. Brycen Hopkins - Rams - Age: 23

39. Hunter Bryant - Lions - Age: 21

40. Albert Okwuegbunam - Broncos - Age: 22

41. Kaden Smith - Giants - Age: 23

42. Dalton Keene - Patriots - Age: 21

43. Jacob Hollister - Seahawks - Age: 26

44. Kahale Warring - Texans - Age: 23

45. Josh Oliver - Jaguars - Age: 23

46. Foster Moreau - Raiders - Age: 23

47. Vance McDonald - Steelers - Age: 29

48. Tyler Eifert - Jaguars - Age: 29

49. Greg Olsen - Seahawks - Age: 35

50. Darren Fells - Texans - Age: 34

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Published May 28, 2020

MATT DE LIMA