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Kacey spotlights several overlooked fantasy football tight ends you should be targeting in 2024, comparing which TEs may be more valuable in PPR vs. standard leagues.
It is important to know the difference between PPR (points per reception) and standard scoring leagues (no points per reception) when deciding to take a tight end in your 2024 fantasy football drafts. While standard leagues concentrate primarily on yards and touchdowns, PPR leagues have an extra reward for receptions. Tight ends who are continually targeted and have substantial involvement in the passing game are perfect targets for PPR leagues. These tight ends can also pay off in your weekly lineups even if they don't happen to find the end zone that week.
The key to finding a solid tight end in PPR formats is to find players who see consistent volume and receptions every week. Tight ends who are continually catching a high number of passes are advantageous for PPR formats since they are rewarded one fantasy point per reception on top of the yardage they gain. The yardage seen by these players might not always relate to touchdowns, but by finding tight ends who have a solid path to volume, we can better ensure that we aren't relying on touchdown variance every week.
This article highlights three tight ends with more potential in PPR leagues than in standard ones. The players I've concentrated on are Evan Engram, Tyler Conklin, and Zach Ertz (surprise, he's still here). Let's explore why Engram is a solid choice, why Conklin has some potential untapped greatness, and how Ertz is still an acceptable spot starter.
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Evan Engram, TE - Jacksonville Jaguars
Recent End-of-Season Rankings
2021: TE23 (standard), TE23 (PPR)
2022: TE6 (standard), TE5 (PPR)
2023: TE6 (standard), TE2 (PPR)
2023 was a career year for Engram, as the Jacksonville tight end accumulated 963 yards on 114 receptions while seeing a career high in targets with 143. Despite the stellar performance, Engram had just four touchdowns to show for his efforts. However, his targets, receptions, receiving yards, and first downs (47) were all career highs and Engram showed why he was one of the best tight-end values in all of fantasy football for the 2023 season.
Engram's four receiving touchdowns may have lacked from a fantasy perspective, but his versatility as a pass-catcher gleamed through. He ended the season as TE6 in standard leagues with 116.3 fantasy points, averaging 6.8 points per game. However, he was a force to be reckoned with in PPR leagues, finishing as the TE2 with 230.3 overall points and 13.5 points per game.
Engram led all tight ends in receptions as well as in targets. Due to the high volume in his direction, Engram prospered in PPR formats and had a target share of 23.8% last season, per PlayerProfiler. In 2023, he had double-digit receptions in four games. Additionally, he ran a route on 97.2% of passing plays, which is a high number that we want for tight ends in fantasy (since when they're blocking, they aren't scoring us fantasy points).
The 2017 first-round draft pick concluded 2023 with the Jaguars' team records for most receptions and most receiving yards in a season by a tight end.
FINALLY!! First TD of the season for Evan Engram! pic.twitter.com/O2P7HQhqHc
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) December 5, 2023
Engram has some competition for targets heading into 2024 but should stand to benefit from veteran WR Calvin Ridley deciding to sign with the rival Tennessee Titans in the offseason. WR Zay Jones is also gone, and Christian Kirk should be Engram's primary competition for targets since they both tend to operate in the middle of the field.
The team brought in free-agent WR Gabe Davis and drafted WR Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but both are field-stretching receivers who primarily play on the outside and shouldn't command heavy volume. The good news is that the new WRs should help to open up things more underneath for Engram as opposing defenses will be worried about leaving Davis and Thomas Jr. in single coverage on the outside.
Engram needs more red-zone targets to take his game to the next level for your fantasy team. His most touchdowns in a season are six, which happened in his rookie year. He isn't as useful in standard leagues if he doesn't score, but touchdowns are sometimes difficult to predict in fantasy football due to variance, especially for tight ends.
Expect the strong connection between quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Engram to continue in 2024. Should Lawrence increase his targeting of Engram in the red zone, coupled with Engram's efforts to reduce his drops, this could lead to a considerable boost in his touchdown production. Engram will be a strong TE1 in PPR formats, and he can still see success in standard leagues.
Tyler Conklin, TE - New York Jets
Recent End-of-Season Rankings
2021: TE19 (standard), TE16 (PPR)
2022: TE17 (standard), TE16 (PPR)
2023: TE21 (standard), TE21 (PPR)
Tyler Conklin has earned 500 or more yards per season in each of the last three years. Over that span, the 28-year-old tight end has a receiving yardage total of 1,766 yards. Despite subpar quarterback play, the receiving yards and targets have still been there for Conklin. The Jets tight end impressively totaled 87 targets each season for the past three years. He did this with four different quarterbacks tossing him the pigskin in 2023, which included the likes of Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, and Trevor Siemian. Talk about doing more with less!
During the 2023 season, Conklin grabbed 61 balls for 621 yards receiving. Not only did he tally the most receiving yards of his career, but he ranked second on the Jets roster in receiving yards. He additionally ranked third on the team in receptions.
According to the team website, Conklin is working to improve his yards after catch for the upcoming season. In 2023, he registered 251 yards after the catch, an average of 4.1 yards per reception.
Tyler Conklin is a BEAST 😤pic.twitter.com/cWmH5e3COj
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) October 8, 2023
NFL.com is also showing Conklin (a former Central Michigan product) some love, naming him the most underappreciated member of the Jets. Drafters should display more appreciation to Conklin in 2024, as Aaron Rodgers will be under center and likely make the Jets offense a much more capable unit than what we've been used to seeing in the past.
The Jets drafted OT Olu Fashanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which should help keep their quarterback upright. Many believed the Jets would select Brock Bowers as the first tight end off the board, but the front office decided to shore up one of the league's worst pass-blocking units from 2023 instead.
The Jets have another capable tight end in Jeremy Ruckert, whom they drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The expectations from local beat reports at this point are that Conklin is the starter at tight end, but he is entering the final season of his three-year, $20.25 million contract. Conklin will need an excellent season from a receiving standpoint to secure a starting job in 2025 as well as another contract.
Conklin's lack of scoring production is one of the main reasons he is more suitable for PPR leagues than standard ones. He has just seven touchdowns over his entire NFL career. The former fifth-round draft pick can be dependable for standard and PPR leagues if Rodgers can connect with him in the end zone.
Consider Conklin to be an under-the-radar sleeper in 2024 and worth a stash in deeper leagues. With a much better quarterback situation this year, the soon-to-be 29-year-old can be a mid-range TE2 in PPR leagues, as well as a solid sleeper for your best ball lineups. The Jets play the Buffalo Bills in Week 17, and Conklin can be an affordable bring-back should you invest any early picks in Bills players like QB Josh Allen, RB James Cook, or TE Dalton Kincaid.
Zach Ertz, TE - Washington Commanders
Recent End-of-Season Rankings
2021: TE10 (standard), TE5 (PPR)
2022: TE19 (standard), TE19 (PPR)
2023: TE53 (standard), TE43 (PPR)
Zach Ertz started his career with Philadelphia in 2013. With the Eagles, the veteran tight end gained three Pro Bowl appearances and was considered one of the best at his position in the entire league. From his rookie season up until 2021, the former second-round draft pick caught 579 balls for 6,267 yards and 38 scores.
The Eagles traded Ertz (a former Stanford product) to the Arizona Cardinals during the 2021 season. After spending nearly two seasons with them, the Cardinals released Ertz in November 2023. His release came after a midseason quad injury placed him on injured reserve.
Detroit picked up Ertz in December, but he never suited up for a game. Now, he finds himself in Washington with a chance to be TE1 for the Commanders. In March, the vet tight end inked a one-year contract worth up to $5 million with Washington.
The Commanders drafted tight end Ben Sinnott in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. In his 2023 season, Sinnott had 49 receptions for 676 yards and six touchdowns. His receiving yards and receiving touchdowns were both team highs at Kansas State.
Sinnott looks to be the future at tight end for the Commanders, but as we have seen in seasons past, developing as a tight end at the NFL level can take some time. Ertz is looking to prove he still has something left in the tank, so look for him to be a mentor to Sinnott while still seeing valuable playing time. This offseason, tight end Logan Thomas was released by Washington, vacating 78 targets for Ertz and Sinnott to pounce on.
HELLO ZACH ERTZ 👋 CARDINALS TAKE THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/JDUFtyotDR
— PHNX Sports (@PHNX_Sports) October 8, 2023
The Commanders selected quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in this year's NFL Draft. Rookie quarterbacks often look for a security blanket underneath, and a former Pro Bowler like Ertz can deliver that on top of being a solid mentor in the locker room. Ertz had six or more touchdowns between 2017 and 2019, but other than that, he's never scored more than four touchdowns in a season.
Look for a reasonable quantity of targets to come in Ertz's direction early in the season. The Commanders have an established alpha WR1 in Terry McLaurin, but WR Jahan Dotson struggled last season, and the team also features rookie WR Luke McCaffrey as its potential WR3 without much else in the pass-catching corps. With no one except McLaurin guaranteed to see a heavy amount of targets, the opportunity is still there for Ertz to produce for fantasy.
However, some potential injury concerns come with Ertz at this stage of his career. He had a quad injury last season, but he's also seen a high-ankle sprain in 2020 as well as a complete ACL and MCL tear in 2022. There are a lot of question marks around his health, age, and status, with both a rookie quarterback and tight end on the roster.
The soon-to-be 34-year-old Ertz will be a deep-league spot starter for the 2024 season. He is clearly no longer the player he once was, but you can still use him in a pinch. He will likely put up better numbers in PPR leagues than standard ones at this point in his career.
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