Travis Kelce Fantasy Football's Top Tight End To Draft Based On ADP
The tight end positon is very shallow. If you miss out on one of the top three guys, you may miss out on having a player you can count on. For that reason, it can sometimes be worth pouncing on an elite option at the most competitive position in fantasy football. Travis Kelce has been the consensus top option for the last several years but Lamar Jackson’s go-to guy, Mark Andrews, might have something to say about that heading into the 2022 fantasy football season. Let’s take a look at the top five tight ends to target based on ADPs (Average Draft Positions).
Please Note: These ADP values are based on PPR leagues.
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Top Five Fantasy Football Tight Ends Based On ADP
TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (ADP: 13.13)
Travis Kelce is the Aaron Donald of tight ends. For six consecutive seasons (2015-2021), Kelce has caught at least 80+ passes and produced 1,000+ receiving yards. Last season, he caught 92 passes for 1,125 yards and nine touchdowns. The Kansas City Chiefs made some huge changes to their offense this offseason. Notably, they lost their best receiver to the Miami Dolphins. Tyreek Hill (aka “The Cheetah”) has carried the Chiefs offense for years. Without him on the roster, the pass-catchertcher on the Chiefs is no longer a receiver but a tight end. Although the Chiefs added some receivers to the depth chart such as JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and rookie Skyy Moore, the Chiefs’ offense surely won’t look the same without Hill running posts downfield. Kelce now has an astounding connection with Mahomes and has proven that the duo's chemistry is impalpable, evidenced by their success in the postseason. There is no reason to expect Kelce to slow down in 2022. Fantasy owners should snag Kelce before the end of the first round. Those owners will possess a massive advantage and edge at the most shallow position in fantasy football.
TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (ADP: 24.05)
Mark Andrews had a massive season with the Baltimore Ravens last year. After recording 701 yards for seven touchdowns in 2020, Andrews caught 107 passes for nine touchdowns and 1,361 yards last season. Similar to the Chiefs, the Ravens got rid of their best offensive weapons this offseason. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who recorded 1,008 yards and six touchdowns last season (21 touchdowns in his first three seasons in Baltimore), was traded to the Arizona Cardinals. The chemistry established by Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews last season will roll over into 2022. Expect Andrews, like Kelce, to pump out similar or even bigger numbers than last season, as a result of the Ravens’ loss of Marquise Brown. At the moment, the Ravens have Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay as their two best receivers on the depth chart. Bateman flashed some upside last season but Duvernay is nothing more than a WR4. Heading into this fantasy football season, Mark Andrews looks to be Lamar Jackson’s best offensive weapon and should provide fantasy owners with immense value at the end of the second round. The dropoff in talent after Andrews is significant. George Kittle (33.43), Kyle Pitts (35.93), and Darren Waller (42.38) won’t come anywhere close to out-producing Andrews.
TE Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills (ADP: 63.33)
While Dawson Knox only caught 49 receptions and produced 587 yards last season, nine of those catches were touchdowns. With Josh Allen slinging the rock in Buffalo, the Bills remain one of the most lethal offenses in the game. At receiver, the Bills still have Stefon Diggs who will continue to be caught in double coverage, especially since the Bills lost Emmanuel Sanders in free agency. Buffalo still has talented and speedy Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie, each of whom came on late in the 2021 season. Still, neither one of those players are ball hogs and the recently acquired Jamison Crowder is far from his prime. Knox should lock in as Allen’s second or third option in the passing game. With Knox as the primary tight end and O.J. Howard still nowhere near pushing Knox for TE1 reps, Knox should easily finish as a top-10 tight end in fantasy football this season based on Buffalo’s potent offense alone.
TE Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys (ADP: 86.80)
This offseason, the Cowboys got rid of Amari Cooper and sent him to the Cleveland Browns. With Cooper gone, the field will open up for other Dallas pass-catchers. In addition, Ezekiel Elliott has slipped out of his prime as he has regressed significantly over the last few seasons. Furthermore, the Dallas Cowboys have shifted away from the typically running-intensive game plan they are accustomed to playing in recent years. In his first two seasons in the NFL, Schultz has recorded 154 catches for 1,545 yards and 12 touchdowns. In his third year as a Cowboy, Schultz should have a bigger season than last year where he still recorded 808 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
TE Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (ADP: 82.53)
Everybody knows that a rookie quarterback’s best friend is his tight end. Freiermuth should serve as rookie Kenny Pickett’s primary check-down option in the short passing game as the Steelers look to revamp their organization in 2022. Despite a slow start in his rookie year (rookie tight ends are famously known for getting off to slow starts), Freiermuth had a monster stretch in the middle of the season in which he found the end zone six times over seven weeks (Week 8 to Week 14). That was with a dinosaur throwing him passes out of the pocket. Ben Roethlisberger was nowhere near himself last year and struggled immensely throwing the ball more than 20 yards. He also was Pittsburgh’s top red-zone threat as he saw 20 targets inside the 20-yard line and scored seven touchdowns despite suiting up for a mere 62% of offensive snaps. Diontae Johnson led the team with 21 red-zone targets but he played 91% of snaps. However, there is a legitimate chance that Friermuth surpasses Chase Claypool as the second option in the passing game, which means more offense snaps and more red-zone looks.
The young tight end should see a lot more catchable targets in 2022 from a much more accurate signal-caller. For these reasons, it’s not hard to see why the second-year tight end’s ADP has skyrocketed from 105.2 on May 10 to 82.53. If you want to get this kid on your squad, you will likely have to spend decent draft capital in the sixth or seventh round.
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