Getty Images. Pictured: T.J. Hockenson, Darren Waller, Kyle Pitts
Sean Koerner — the No. 1 fantasy football draft ranker of 2019 — breaks down the final edition of his 2021 TE Draft Tiers. This series is part of our Action PRO subscription, which will not only grant you access to these Tiers, but also to Koerner’s real-time rankings in our 2021 Fantasy Draft Kit.
The tight end position illustrates why it’s crucial to sort fantasy rankings into tiers in order to build our draft strategy.
Not all positional rankings should be treated equally — the key is to identify how much the position drops off after a player is off the board, and tiers help us do that. That’s why I’ve outlined the final version of my 2021 TE Draft Tiers below — they’re based on my rankings as of Sept. 3, but reminder to check our 2021 Draft Kit for real-time rankings between now and the end of the season.
Fantasy TE Rankings & Tiers
| » Click here to download a PDF version of these tiers featuring notes for your drafts « | |
| Tier | Players |
| 1 | Travis Kelce (KC) |
| 2 | Darren Waller (LV) |
| 3 | George Kittle (SF) |
| 4 | Mark Andrews (BAL) Kyle Pitts (ATL) T.J. Hockenson (DET) |
| 5 | Noah Fant (DEN) Logan Thomas (WAS) Tyler Higbee (LAR) Robert Tonyan Jr. (GB) Mike Gesicki (MIA) |
| 6 | Dallas Goedert (PHI) Jonnu Smith (NE) Hunter Henry (NE) |
| 7 | Evan Engram (NYG) Anthony Firkser (TEN) Gerald Everett (SEA) Jared Cook (LAC) Austin Hooper (CLE) Rob Gronkowski (TB) Cole Kmet (CHI) Zach Ertz (PHI) Blake Jarwin (DAL) |
| 8 | Eric Ebron (PIT) Hayden Hurst (ATL) Adam Trautman (NO) Tyler Conklin (MIN) Dawson Knox (BUF) |
Tier 1
Travis Kelce (KC)
Tier 2
Darren Waller (LV)
Tier 3
George Kittle (SF)
Tier 4
Mark Andrews (BAL)
Kyle Pitts (ATL)
T.J. Hockenson (DET)
It’s even more critical to land a TE from Tiers 1-4, considering the “TE2 tier” is getting decimated by injuries (see: Irv Smith Jr., Adam Trautman and Evan Engram).
I’ve found that having a pick in the 7-12 range makes it difficult to land a Tier 2-4 TE without “reaching.” That’s why if Travis Kelce falls to you at the end of Round 1, he’s the optimal pick.
Having a top-six pick allows you to target Waller at the Round 2/3 turn or any one of Tier 4 tight ends in Round 5.
T.J. Hockenson going as the TE6 still represents the most significant drop-off in the middle of the draft, making him extremely valuable at ADP.
Tier 5
Noah Fant (DEN)
Logan Thomas (WAS)
Tyler Higbee (LAR)
Robert Tonyan Jr. (GB)
Mike Gesicki (MIA)
I still think we want to avoid this tier because the tight end position levels off here. We would need to spend Round 8-11 draft capital to lock in a player who may become droppable in-season.
Look no further than last season for an example: The TE6-11 by ADP in 2020 were Rob Gronkowski, Engram, Hunter Henry, Jared Cook, Austin Hooper and Tyler Higbee. Most of them became “droppable” last season, but given that you had to spend mid-round draft capital on them, you probably hung on to them for too long and missed out on acquiring “league winners” like Robert Tonyan or Logan Thomas who were readily available.
For “onesie” positions like QB and TE, I prefer to either have a stud or a late-round option who I’m OK dropping early in the season to either stream the position and/or land a “league winner.”
Tier 6
Dallas Goedert (PHI)
Jonnu Smith (NE)
Hunter Henry (NE)
Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry jump to Tier 6 now that Mac Jones will start Week 1 for the Patriots. Both TEs have built-in top 10 upside if either one of them were ever to miss time, making them worth targeting at ADP.
Tier 7
Evan Engram (NYG)
Anthony Firkser (TEN)
Gerald Everett (SEA)
Jared Cook (LAC)
Austin Hooper (CLE)
Rob Gronkowski (TB)
Cole Kmet (CHI)
Zach Ertz (PHI)
Blake Jarwin (DAL)
Tier 8
Eric Ebron (PIT)
Hayden Hurst (ATL)
Adam Trautman (NO)
Tyler Conklin (MIN)
Dawson Knox (BUF)
Injuries have decimated the “waiver wire” that are Tiers 7-8 over the past couple of weeks with Irv Smith Jr. (out for the season), Adam Trautman and Evan Engram expected to miss time. It leaves streamers with fewer options to choose from early in the season and makes it more critical to land an elite TE.