Top Five Fantasy Football Tight Ends for 2023

Preparation for fantasy football is starting to ramp us as preseason games are starting to get underway. We continue the fantasy football rankings at each position looking at the tight end position. Getting a positional advantage is always a premium when thinking about when to take a tight end. Travis Kelce has been flying off draft boards in the first round as he continues to be at the top of the tight end rankings. Heading into the 2023 season, Kelce’s gap between him and the rest of the field remains to be wide. With that, here are the top five fantasy football tight ends for the 2023 season.

5. Darren Waller, New York Giants

Giants TE Darren Waller (12) – Danielle Parhizkaran/USA Today Network

Darren Waller will have a change of scenery heading into his season as he was traded in the offseason to the New York Giants. Waller has been a popular name to draft at the tight end position in recent years, but the end of his tenure in Las Vegas didn’t end well. Waller was heavily talked about during the 2019 and 2020 seasons when he quickly became an elite tight end for fantasy football.

During the 2019 season, Waller hauled in 90 receptions for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns. In 2020, Waller caught 107 passes for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns. Waller was right up there with Kelce in those two seasons, but he hasn’t been the same since. He dealt with injuries that kept him sidelined. The injuries have derailed him from not only seeing the field, but he hasn’t been able to recover. That was one of the key reasons the Raiders shied away from him and traded him in the offseason.

Waller will be hoping to revive his career with the Giants. He can immediately play a key role in this New York offense that has some uncertainty at the wide receiver position. They were able to add Jalin Hyatt in the 2023 NFL Draft in hopes of bolstering that position. The wide receiver position has been lacking for the Giants, and they are hoping Waller can play a pivotal role for them in 2023. He will have the opportunity to be the main guy in this offense and brings upside for fantasy owners looking to draft Waller after the top four tight ends fly off the board.

4. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

49ers TE George Kittle (85) – Cary Edmonton/USA Today Sports

George Kittle relied heavily on his touchdown production in the 2022 season, that kept him at the top of the rankings. He is hoping to continue the momentum from a monster 2022 season, where he finished second among tight ends in PPR formats. During the 2022 season, Kittle hauled in 60 receptions for 765 yards and 11 touchdowns. He saw an increase in touchdowns from the 2021 season to the 2022 season. Scoring 11 touchdowns won’t come every year, but it definitely was an eye-opening stat for Kittle last season.

With the injury to Deebo Samuel last season, Kittle saw his target share increase. If Samuel is able to stay healthy, expect that target share to go down a tick. Other variables in this offense that can take away from Kittle’s elite production is Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk. McCaffrey wasn’t inserted into the 49ers’ offense until the middle of the season when he was traded from the Carolina Panthers. Even with the quarterback carousel last season, Kittle was able to stay consistent throughout the year.

Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect Kittle to have 11 touchdowns in 2023, but he still provides the upside that you are looking for when taking a tight end. If Brock Purdy is ready to go in week one, that will only be a positive for Kittle heading into this season. In the games that Purdy has played, Kittle was very productive and remained one of his top targets.

3. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson (87) – Bailey Hillesheim/Getty Images

The Minnesota Vikings offense showed what they were capable of during the 2022 season as Kevin O’Connell was able to have success in his first year as a head coach in Minnesota. The Vikings’ offense is filled with talent at the wide receiver position, with Justin Jefferson leading the way. T.J. Hockenson wasn’t able to have a full season with the Vikings’ offensive system, as he was traded from the Detroit Lions in the middle of the season. With a full offseason, Hockenson is expected to be a viable option at the tight end spot.

Hockenson was able to end the 2022 season with 129 targets, 86 receptions, and 914 yards. The real concern that fantasy managers when bringing up Hockenson is that there are too many mouths to feed in this Minnesota offense. Jefferson is going to be a fantasy monster this season, and the Vikings added Jordan Addison through this year’s NFL Draft. Even with the additions to the offense, this shouldn’t deter fantasy owners from taking Hockenson in the middle rounds. The Vikings have an opportunity to be one of the top passing offenses in the NFL this season.

Minnesota did lose Adam Thielen in the offseason, and that leaves 143 targets on the table to distribute to the other pass catches still on the roster. Hockenson was able to develop a key role in the Vikings’ offense and will do so in 2023. Take Hockenson in the middle rounds before the tight end drop-off starts to creep up on you.

2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Ravens TE Mark Andrews (89) – Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The gap between the tight end two and the tight end one is drastic, as Kelce has distanced himself when looking at the positional rankings. Mark Andrews and the Baltimore Ravens are looking to have a bounce-back season after dealing with multiple injuries that slowed down this offense in 2022. Lamar Jackson was out for most of the season, that left Tyler Huntley to take over the starting quarterback role last season. The Ravens’ offense wasn’t able to reach their ceiling in 2022 as injury derailed this team.

Andrews received a lot of hype heading into the 2022 season as he was coming off a career year in 2021. In 2021, Andrews caught 107 passes for 1,361 yards and nine touchdowns. He was able to lead all tight ends in fantasy points per game in 2021, but his production would drop next season. In 2022, Andrews got off to a great start to the year, but with injuries piling up with the Ravens offense, it wouldn’t be able to recover.

If everyone can stay healthy on the Ravens’ offense, they are poised to have a breakout year heading into 2023. Outside of Andrews, the notable wide receivers on the roster are Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, and Odell Beckham Jr. This shouldn’t worry fantasy managers as Jackson has shown time-and-time again that Andrews is his go-to target. Andrews is flying off the board in the third round of fantasy drafts and still remains a viable option for an every-week starter at the position.

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (87) – Jason Behnken/AP Photo

Travis Kelce has been a machine in fantasy football as he has finished as the TE1 in six of the last seasons. Kelce has been getting some recognition in the first round of fantasy drafts this season, as he is a step above his fellow counterparts. He remained to be one of the Chiefs’ top targets in the 2022 season, as he had 110 catches on 152 targets for 1,338 yards. Kansas City had to answer some question marks heading into last season as Tyreek Hill was no longer in the picture. There wasn’t much of a drop-off as Kelce slotted into the “WR1” for the Chiefs.

The 33-year-old tight end still remains an elite option at the position heading into the 2023 season. He is worthy of a first-round pick, especially in PPR formats. When trying to notice red flags with every player we are zoning in on fantasy football, there aren’t many when looking at Kelce. The only glaring alert is that Kelce will be 34 in October, but he has shown that age hasn’t been much of a factor in his production in this offense. The gap between Kelce and the other tight ends has only gotten bigger.

He continues to be Patrick Mahomes’ favorite target, and fantasy managers shouldn’t sweat it taking Kelce in the first round of this year’s draft. There isn’t much outside of Kelce that Kansas City has at the wide receiver position that will limit the volume the 33-year-old tight end will continue to produce under Andy Reid.