PPR Rankings: TE

Kelce’s name has become synonymous with consistent excellence. He reached 1,336 yards and double-digit touchdowns in three of the past five seasons, with receiving lines of 97-1,229-5 and 92-1,125-9 the other two years. Kelce’s the top target for the league’s best passer, Patrick Mahomes, and the 6-foot-5 tight end has shown no signs of slowing down at age 33, suiting up for at least 15 regular-season games every season besides his 2013 rookie campaign. Last year he had career highs for targets (152) and touchdowns (12), led the NFL in red-zone targets (32) and had 424 more yards (1,338) than any other tight end. While Father Time is bound to catch up to Kelce eventually, he hasn’t given us much reason to think it will happen this year. The gap between Kelce and the rest of the pack at tight end is even larger in full-PPR formats, as his 507 catches over the past five seasons are second most among all players behind only Davante Adams' 532, while another tight end doesn’t appear on that list until Zach Ertz with 361.

Andrews was tremendous in 2021 with 107 catches for 1,361 yards and nine touchdowns, but he’s been unable to replicate that success. In the three campaigns besides his 552-yard rookie year in 2018 and his stellar 2021, Andrews averaged 65 catches for 800 yards and 7.3 TDs. Those are strong stats but well below the gold standard set by Travis Kelce, who hasn’t dipped below 1,125 yards in a season since Andrews entered the NFL. Andrews dealt with shoulder, knee and ankle injuries in 2022, missing two games and playing only 10 snaps in another. Despite those limitations and an extended absence from QB Lamar Jackson, the tight end finished with his second-most receptions (73) and third-most yards (847). Five touchdowns were Andrews' fewest since his rookie year, even though 18 red-zone targets placed him third among TEs behind Kelce (32) and David Njoku (19). Andrews turns 28 in September and has more target competition this season after the Ravens added WRs Odell Beckham, Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor, but he also has a new offensive coordinator and playcaller (Todd Monken) who figures to throw the ball more than predecessor Greg Roman did.

Kittle’s 2022 was a mixed bag. Though he missed only two games due to injury after being absent for 11 over the previous two seasons, Kittle’s catch rate dipped to 69.8 percent after three consecutive years over 75 percent. The 29-year-old tight end’s 51 yards per game marked his lowest average since his rookie season in 2017, but he papered over that deficiency with a career-high 11 touchdowns, blowing away his previous best of six. Seven of those touchdowns came in the last four games of the season, all of which were started by rookie QB Brock Purdy. Kittle’s chemistry with Purdy suggests the uptick in scoring can’t entirely be written off as an outlier, but Purdy may not be available to start the season after tearing his UCL in the playoffs, so San Francisco could open the campaign with Trey Lance or Sam Darnold under center. The 49ers have plenty of mouths to feed, with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey all having averaged more targets per game than Kittle in 2022, so Kittle’s boom-or-bust yardage totals (five games over 80 and eight games under 30 last season) may just be the new norm. If that’s the case, Kittle will need to keep finding the end zone regularly to maintain a spot in the upper echelon of fantasy tight ends.

Waller has demonstrated one of the highest ceilings among tight ends, but numerous factors will be working against him reaching it in 2023. After consecutive seasons with at least 1,145 yards in 2019 and 2020, Waller missed 14 games due to injuries over the last two years. In 2022 under new coach Josh McDaniel, the tight end averaged only 3.1 catches and 43.1 yards per game after averaging at least 5.0 and 60.5, respectively, in each of the previous three seasons. If McDaniels’ offense was the problem, Waller should benefit from a change of scenery following an offseason trade to the Giants, though the 6-foot-6 tight end will have to establish chemistry with quarterback Daniel Jones. While Jones has averaged just 15 touchdown passes per season and hit that underwhelming number on the nose last year, Waller is arguably better than any pass catcher Jones has worked with thus far. The veteran tight end – who turns 31 in September – could become the go-to option in New York’s passing game after being overshadowed by wide receiver Davante Adams in Vegas last year.

Hockenson finished second among tight ends in targets (129), receptions (86) and receiving yards (914) last year, setting career highs in all three categories. His role changed drastically after a midseason trade to Minnesota. The 2019 first-round pick had 26 catches for 395 yards and three TDs on 43 targets in seven games for the Lions last year, averaging 6.1 targets per game and scoring about half his fantasy points (8-179-2) in a Week 4 shootout loss to Seattle. Hockenson saw more passes in Minnesota but never had a gain of more than 21 yards, averaging 8.6 targets per game and only 6.0 YPT -- 60 catches for 519 yards and three TDs. Justin Jefferson and first-round pick Jordan Addison figure to be the primary read(s) on most of Minnesota's pass plays, but last season’s usage alongside Jefferson and Adam Thielen (now in Carolina) suggests there will be plenty of targets left over for Hockenson, who turns 26 this summer.