Fantasy TE Rankings - Top Fantasy Football Tight Ends For 2024
About a half-decade ago at Fantasy Alarm, we asked a simple question: “Why do people only ever draft one tight end in fantasy football?”
For most people, the answer was that is just what you are supposed to do. That’s just the way it’s always been. You can’t possibly AFFORD more than one tight end. We NEED those spots for running backs and wide receivers. WE NEED THEM.
Around the time where that became “the rule”, PPR was still a new fantasy football format. Zero RB wasn’t even a thing. Starting your draft off with five straight wide receivers was unheard of.
The times are constantly changing, so we must change and evolve with it. Historically, you take a couple of RBs, a couple of WRs, your QB and your TE. Then you handcuff your RBs and maybe draft a couple upside WRs.
That’s just what you did. That's what everyone did.
Nowadays, we know that there are MANY viable approaches. There are tons of ways to create leverage and get a huge advantage. And our absolute favorite one that has worked for years has been Yin & Yang Tight End.
With the Yin & Yang strategy in mind, here are the 2024 Fantasy TE Rankings and Dynamic Tiers.
Fantasy TE Rankings: 2024's Standalone Tier
If you do invest the draft capital into a high-end tight end, you might not be able to afford to draft two - and even moreso if you also take a high-end QB. You’ll then want as many bench spots as possible for RB and WR upside.
That’s what this first group represents in these 2024 Fantasy Football TE Rankings.
If I’m going to spend up to draft any of these players at ADP, I’ve already placed my bet on them. If they get hurt or they faceplant, I’ll need to hit waivers or trade. But, outside of that, my gameplan is to draft them and then, when the time comes, pick up a one-week fill in for their bye week.
Fantasy Tight End Rankings: Yin & Yang In 2024
If all the tight ends from the top tier get drafted and we make it to this range of players, we are drafting two. And the concept is fairly simple.
Yin
This group can be described as “safe but boring”. They are players that you can feel comfortable slotting in your lineup for Week 1 at least. In any given week they could perform well. But most of them either aren’t super athletic, don’t have a great role or aren’t one of the top two targets on the team. And, in 2023 at least, every single tight end that finished in the top 12 in PPR finished as a top two target on the team.
Some of them, like George Kittle or Dallas Goedert, could easily join that Standalone Tier with one injury to a WR.
Yang
These TEs are “high-risk, high-reward." It’s difficult to trust them in Week 1. And you have to be ready to drop them to waivers at a moment's notice for the hot new pickup.
But, even if the floor is low, there is a path to upside for all of these guys. A tight end has come from outside of the top 17 in ADP seven years in a row to finish top five. These top fantasy TEs often come from this list.
So, that’s how we do things. Draft one Yin and then, since we already have a safe option, we use a bench spot on the tight end with the highest possible reward, regardless of risk. That's the Yang to our Yin.
Or, if you feel REALLY adventurous, you can even join the Yang Yang Gang. Just know that things can get ugly early on with that plan.
No matter which route you go, hopefully it's now clear how these tiers add much-needed context to the larger list of Fantasy TE Rankings. We're looking to draft the top TEs, but we're also looking to draft value and upside, too.
2024 Fantasy TE Rankings: The Rest
This section includes the next best options once we're past the Yin & Yang portions of our Tight End Rankings. This mostly applies in deeper fantasy football leagues, leagues with multiple tight ends, tight end premium formats, and best ball.
When you look at “The Rest,” keep your thoughts focused on upside. These Fantasy TE Rankings - and the entire Fantasy Football Draft Guide - are updated daily as news breaks, training camp battles settle, and real-world roles and rosters become more clear.
I update these Fantasy Football TE Rankings all season long, and use the Yin & Yang approach throughout. Some of these tight end rankings can change quickly can quickly based off new surrounding any of these players or teams - especially in the early weeks of the 2024 season when we are flooded with new information.
2024 Fantasy TE Rankings: Tight End Stashes, Handcuffs & Injuries
This is “The Stash”. These guys are typically either injured (like Juwan Johnson currently) or they need an injury to the starting tight end to have upside (like Isaiah Likely).
In some cases, though, the guys from this list could potentially beat out the other tight ends on the depth chart (like with the Giants or the Broncos). We’ll be monitoring all of these situations closely during training camp.
Keep in mind that the biggest difference between “The Rest” and “Stashes” in these 2024 TE Rankings is what you should reasonably expect for the early parts of the fantasy football season. “The Rest” are the top TEs who fell just outside of Yin & Yang, but “Stashes” are exactly that. Some might surprise you, but for the most part, you'll select these guys and immediately shift to wait-and-see mode.
It can be hard to be patient in your fantasy football drafts. The same applies with being patient (or not, and knowing when to cut your losses) towards your tight end stashes.
2024 Fantasy Football: Related Draft Guide Articles
Here are additional, related articles that can give you the fantasy football rankings and strategy you need to dominate your draft and win your league in 2024:
- 2024 Fantasy TE Rookie Rankings
- Fantasy Football QB Rankings
- Fantasy Football RB Rankings
- Fantasy Football WR Rankings
- Fantasy Mock Draft