Kyle Pitts has caught only one touchdown in his first 20 games as a pro. But he’s probably still the first tight end you would take in a dynasty league – with teams not only getting players for this season but for as long as they choose to keep them around.
Pitts hasn’t popped yet, but the talent is apparent. He’s more of a wide receiver than a tight end, and he’ll get more productive as he further masters the pro game and gets a better supporting cast around him. He’s only 21 years old (turning 22 in less than a week) and could have another dozen good seasons ahead of him.
That youth makes Pitts a better choice than Travis Kelce. Kelce is better than Pitts right now, but he’ll be turning 33 on Wednesday – nearing the end of his brilliant career.
Mark Andrews, not Kelce, looks like the only other tight end who would merit consideration as the best of the tight ends in a dynasty draft. He’s also better than Pitts right now, and he’s only 4 years older. One could reasonably select Andrews believing he’ll put up better numbers than Pitts in the upcoming seasons. When Andrews turns 32, Pitts will be only 28, but that’s a long ways off.
My top 40 tight ends appear below. Unlikely our weekly and season-long projections, these rankings aren’t numerically based. On these ones, I’m just going by what feels right. I’m assuming it’s a 12-team dynasty league using PPR scoring, with teams typically carrying about three players at the position. So you’ll see some rookies who have only nominal value right now (Trey McBride, Jelani Woods, Greg Dulcich) ranked above some veterans who will be more productive in October of 2022. But with these youngsters, they have a better chance of maybe being a top-10 tight end in a future season.
Rookies are tagged with black dots.
| DYNASTY LEAGUE TIGHT ENDS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Tm | Player | Age |
| 1. | ATL | Kyle Pitts | 22.0 |
| 2. | BAL | Mark Andrews | 26.1 |
| 3. | DAL | Dalton Schultz | 26.2 |
| 4. | KC | Travis Kelce | 33.0 |
| 5. | PIT | Pat Freiermuth | 24.0 |
| 6. | PHI | Dallas Goedert | 27.8 |
| 7. | DET | T.J. Hockenson | 25.3 |
| 8. | LV | Darren Waller | 30.1 |
| 9. | BUF | Dawson Knox | 25.9 |
| 10. | SF | George Kittle | 29.0 |
| 11. | CHI | Cole Kmet | 23.6 |
| 12. | LAR | Tyler Higbee | 29.8 |
| 13. | CLE | David Njoku | 26.2 |
| 14. | ARI | Zach Ertz | 31.9 |
| 15. | MIN | Irv Smith | 24.2 |
| 16. | JAC | Evan Engram | 28.1 |
| 17. | LAC | Gerald Everett | 28.3 |
| 18. | NYJ | Tyler Conklin | 27.2 |
| 19. | BAL | • Isaiah Likely | 22.5 |
| 20. | CIN | Hayden Hurst | 29.1 |
| 21. | GB | Robert Tonyan | 28.4 |
| 22. | NE | Jonnu Smith | 27.1 |
| 23. | DEN | Albert Okwuegbunam | 24.5 |
| 24. | ARI | • Trey McBride | 22.9 |
| 25. | WAS | Logan Thomas | 31.3 |
| 26. | IND | • Jelani Woods | 24.0 |
| 27. | SEA | Noah Fant | 24.9 |
| 28. | MIA | Mike Gesicki | 27.0 |
| 29. | KC | Jody Fortson | 26.8 |
| 30. | NYG | • Daniel Bellinger | 22.0 |
| 31. | TB | Cameron Brate | 31.3 |
| 32. | NE | Hunter Henry | 27.8 |
| 33. | DEN | • Greg Dulcich | 22.5 |
| 34. | NO | Taysom Hill | 32.1 |
| 35. | IND | Kylen Granson | 24.5 |
| 36. | TEN | Austin Hooper | 27.9 |
| 37. | HOU | Brevin Jordan | 22.2 |
| 38. | IND | Mo Alie-Cox | 29.1 |
| 39. | SEA | Will Dissly | 26.2 |
| 40. | TB | • Cade Otton | 23.5 |
I turn my attention to dynasty leagues each Saturday, rotating between the four notable positions. To see rankings from previous weeks, use the “Past Issues” navigation box.
Last week: Running backs
Next week: Wide receivers.
—Ian Allan