For those in leagues combining wide receivers and tight ends into one “receiver” position, where do you take those first tight ends? How do guys like George Kittle and Travis Kelce stack up against the best wide receivers.
Some tight ends will catch plenty of balls. Kittle (pictured), Kelce and Zach Ertz are in that group. Darren Waller caught 90 balls last year.
But there are a lot of quality wide receivers, and those guys tend to get downfield for more chunk plays.
In the last 20 years, only 12 tight ends have finished with top-10 numbers. That’s using PPR scoring. And only 39 have finished with top-20 production (an average of about two per year).
They’ve been on the upswing recently. In the last two years, six tight ends have finished with top-20 production (when compared to wide receivers).
TIGHT ENDS FINISHING WITH TOP-20 NUMBERS (last 20 yrs) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Rec | Yds | TD | PPR | Rk |
2011 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 90 | 1,327 | 18 | 330.9 | 3 |
2013 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 86 | 1,215 | 16 | 303.5 | 7 |
2018 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 103 | 1,336 | 10 | 296.6 | 9 |
2011 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 99 | 1,310 | 11 | 296.0 | 4 |
2018 | Zach Ertz, Phil. | 116 | 1,163 | 8 | 280.3 | 11 |
2009 | Dallas Clark, Ind. | 100 | 1,106 | 10 | 271.7 | 8 |
2004 | Tony Gonzalez, K.C. | 102 | 1,258 | 7 | 270.3 | 9 |
2000 | Tony Gonzalez, K.C. | 93 | 1,203 | 9 | 267.3 | 11 |
2014 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 82 | 1,124 | 12 | 266.4 | 10 |
2008 | Tony Gonzalez, K.C. | 96 | 1,058 | 10 | 261.8 | 8 |
2005 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 89 | 1,101 | 10 | 259.1 | 10 |
2018 | George Kittle, S.F. | 88 | 1,377 | 5 | 258.7 | 15 |
2019 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 97 | 1,229 | 6 | 256.3 | 8 |
2015 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 72 | 1,176 | 11 | 255.6 | 13 |
2004 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 81 | 964 | 13 | 255.4 | 12 |
2007 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 96 | 1,145 | 7 | 252.5 | 12 |
2009 | Vernon Davis, S.F. | 78 | 965 | 13 | 252.5 | 13 |
2010 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 94 | 1,002 | 9 | 250.2 | 9 |
2015 | Jordan Reed, Was. | 87 | 952 | 11 | 248.2 | 16 |
2007 | Tony Gonzalez, K.C. | 99 | 1,172 | 5 | 246.2 | 13 |
2015 | Delanie Walker, Ten. | 94 | 1,088 | 6 | 244.4 | 18 |
2009 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 79 | 1,157 | 8 | 242.7 | 15 |
2015 | Gary Barnidge, Cle. | 79 | 1,043 | 9 | 237.3 | 19 |
2012 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 85 | 982 | 9 | 237.2 | 17 |
2017 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 83 | 1,038 | 8 | 235.5 | 10 |
2012 | Tony Gonzalez, Atl. | 93 | 930 | 8 | 234.0 | 18 |
2014 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 85 | 889 | 10 | 233.9 | 15 |
2012 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 110 | 1,039 | 3 | 231.9 | 19 |
2007 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 75 | 984 | 9 | 227.4 | 20 |
2017 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 69 | 1,084 | 8 | 227.4 | 12 |
2018 | Eric Ebron, Ind. | 66 | 750 | 14 | 224.2 | 19 |
2014 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 69 | 821 | 12 | 223.1 | 20 |
2019 | Darren Waller, Oak. | 90 | 1,145 | 3 | 223.0 | 20 |
2016 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 85 | 1,125 | 4 | 223.0 | 18 |
2003 | Tony Gonzalez, K.C. | 71 | 916 | 10 | 222.6 | 17 |
2009 | Brent Celek, Phil. | 76 | 971 | 8 | 221.1 | 20 |
2006 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 71 | 924 | 9 | 217.4 | 19 |
2011 | Aaron Hernandez, N.E. | 79 | 910 | 7 | 216.5 | 20 |
2017 | Zach Ertz, Phil. | 74 | 824 | 8 | 204.4 | 19 |
—Ian Allan