The NFL Draft is now over, so now fans can look ahead to their fantasy football drafts. The following rankings will help fantasy football players have a good idea of who to target in their draft and when they should target them. These rankings are best used for standard scoring leagues and will be updated sporadically before the season starts. Here are the 2019 fantasy football tight end rankings.
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
With Gronk retiring, Kelce should be the first tight end drafted this year. He finished as the top tight end last season and with Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball, will likely finish there again this season. With Tyreek Hill’s status being unknown, Kelce could get even more targets this season.
George Kittle (photo by usatoday.com)
2. George Kittle, San Francisco
Kittle took the world by surprise last season, finishing second in fantasy points for tight ends. He produced a lot even though the 49ers shuffled quarterbacks last season. With Jimmy Garoppolo back healthy, Kittle should have another great season.
3. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
After registering 116 catches last season, Ertz ranked third in fantasy points for tight ends. If Carson Wentz can stay healthy, Ertz will produce, as Wentz locks onto Ertz and doesn’t spread the ball out a lot.
4. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers
Henry tore his ACL last season, but was a solid target for Philip Rivers before that. He’ll need to stay on the field, but if he does, he should put up some good numbers this season. If he can match his yardage total from 2017 and add a few more touchdowns (which shouldn’t be too hard now that the Chargers aren’t trying to get Antonio Gates records), and Henry will be a top-five tight end.
5. Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans upgraded their offense a lot with the signing of Jared Cook. He finished fifth among tight ends last season and now has a better quarterback throwing him the ball. Cook will be the best tight end Brees has had since Jimmy Graham.
6. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In 10 games last season, Howard was still able to rank as the 10th best fantasy tight end. His production should go up naturally with 16 games this season, but he’ll also have an offense that is run by Bruce Arians.
7. Evan Engram, New York Giants
Without Odell Beckham Jr., Engram’s role should increase a little bit. Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard will still get targets, but Engram will create mismatches. He averaged 7.4 fantasy points per game last season in 11 games. If that’s what he can do for a full 16 game season, Engram will rank just outside of the top five.
8. Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers will need to utilize McDonald more now that Antonio Brown is in Oakland. McDonald ranked just outside the top 10 for fantasy tight ends last season and with the added targets, should move into the top 10.
9. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Baker Mayfield liked throwing the ball to David Njoku, who finished last season as the eighth-best fantasy tight end. He will have to sacrifice some targets to Beckham Jr., but should still be considered a fantasy asset.
10. Trey Burton, Chicago Bears
Burton scored the sixth-most fantasy points for tight ends last season. With Mitch Trubisky’s continued development, Burton should have another season as a top 10 fantasy tight end.
11. Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans
Walker has been a consistent tight end over his career, but the quarterback play could hold him out of the top 10 for the upcoming season. Marcus Mariota hasn’t developed as much as he was projected to and the offense doesn’t generate a lot of scoring opportunities.
Greg Olsen (Photo by bleacherreport.com)
12. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers
While he has battled injuries in the past few seasons, when he is on the field, Olsen produces. He averaged 5.9 fantasy points per game last season. If he and Cam Newton can stay healthy, he’ll be near the top 10 once again.
13. Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons
Hooper ranked eighth for tight ends last season, but has inconsistent production due to the amount of talent the Falcons have at the skill positions. He’ll be a solid option over the season, but should not be relied upon every week.
14. Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts
Ebron has only had fantasy football success with Andrew Luck as his quarterback. Without Luck, it is best to keep an eye on the situation before trusting him.
15. Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers
A lot has been made of how Aaron Rodgers doesn’t use his tight ends, which is somewhat true. Graham is a talented player, but ranked as the 14th tight end last season. Even with a new offense, he’ll probably finish in the same range.
16. Chris Herndon, New York Jets
Sam Darnold and Chris Herndon were on the same page last season and Herndon had the 15th most fantasy points for his position. If they can grow together, Herndon should be a solid streaming option for this season.
17. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
With their first-round pick the Lions selected Hockenson who is a good all-around tight end. Stafford will have to utilize Hockenson now that he won’t have Golden Tate to throw to.
18. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings
There is a lot of uncertainty concerning Kyle Rudolph right now. He is in negotiations for an extension, but has also been in trade rumors. The Vikings also drafted Irv Smith Jr. in the second round. Rudolph is usually a quality tight end in fantasy, but it is best to watch his situation over the next few months.
19. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Last season, Andrews had a good rookie season and ranked 16th for tight ends. Lamar Jackson will have Marquise Brown to throw to on the outside, but not much else, so Andrews should be in store for a big season.
20. Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts
Doyle was injured for a lot of last season, but when he played he was effective at 5.8 fantasy points per game. If he is able to play 16 games, both he and Ebron should be able to be top 20 tight ends this season.
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