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How early should you draft tight ends in a fantasy football TE premium format draft? Scott Engel supplies his top 250 overall along with drafting tips.
There are so many different ways to play fantasy football nowadays. Those who want to venture outside of the standard formats have a bevy of options to choose from, such as Superflex, individual defensive player, and no kicker or defense leagues, among other options.
Savvy fantasy leaguers, especially those who play in high-stakes formats, are already familiar with tight end premium scoring leagues, in which players at the position receive an additional scoring boost per reception. TE premium scoring is the standard in all Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC) leagues, where the TE receives 1.5 points per reception.
Tight end is the thinnest position in fantasy football, and elevating the scoring by a half point per catch moves the top TEs into higher ranking territory overall. The very best players at the position are pushed inside the top 15 overall, and it’s not wild to draft any TE in the top 12.
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Fantasy Football Tight End Premium Approaches And Strategies
You can view my latest TE ranks and analysis here, where I break down some of my favorite targets at the position and explain why I rank some guys where I do. For purposes of this feature, I am breaking down the position in the scope of overall picks.
My overall ranks for TE premium scoring that appear below are based on PPR scoring. The decision you have to make early on is how far to push players at the position up on the overall board. Also, it must be carefully evaluated just how long one can wait until drafting a respectable TE1 option. Who is the last player that you are willing to take as a starter at the position?
Have officially started my rewatch of the Detroit Lions offense from last season. Two players I'm watching right away are RB Jahmyr Gibbs and TE Sam LaPorta. Tremendous rookie seasons for both players. Love that LaPorta does a lot of the "day one" or "little things" correctly all… pic.twitter.com/wrjccz8HbA
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) June 6, 2024
In 2023, as seen on the FFPC scoring leaderboard on FantasyMojo.com, six non-QBs finished ahead of the top TE in overall scoring. Evan Engram led the position with 291.3 points, and while he is certainly worthy of being taken with a high pick at the position, it would be surprising to see him lead all players at TE again. Sam LaPorta and Trey McBride are major threats to be among the top scoring players at TE in 2024, and Travis Kelce and a hopefully healthy Mark Andrews are other definite top- four targets.
A total of eight wide receivers and three running backs outscored LaPorta, who finished with 280.3 points. So when making the call to take the first TE or two off the board, you have to mull over how aggressive the approach should be. Should the first TE be taken inside or outside the top 10 overall? And do you get caught up in positional runs when they happen, especially when targeting a top 8-10 player at the position?
I certainly will not endorse drafting a TE in the top five overall, as Christian McCaffrey and the best four WRs are prime picks that should not be passed on based on the TE premium scoring. I also want to take Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson over the No. 1 TE because there is a minor drop-off at RB once the top-three players are off the board. A case can be made that Amon-Ra St. Brown should be drafted as early as the sixth overall pick, so I prefer to draft him over any TE, too.
The earliest I would consider taking LaPorta, my top-ranked TE for 2024, would be ninth overall. But with top WRs flying off the board early, it may be hard to resist joining in on an early run. My sweet spot, though, for drafting that first TE is between the ninth and 15th overall picks. I do lean to taking a top-five RB or a top-eight WR over a TE myself, although I am certainly not against drafting LaPorta or Kelce inside the top 10-12 picks. The position still remains thin overall, even with all TEs being pushed up in the rankings due to the premium scoring.
I would not wait longer than the 16th pick to nab one of the prime two TEs, and if anyone still wants to ride with Kelce over LaPorta, they won’t get a vehement argument here. My top-four TEs are all ranked inside the top 20, reflecting that you should aim to get one of those guys within the first two rounds of a TE premium draft. Rostering LaPorta, Kelce, McBride, or Andrews can give you an edge at the position and they are clearly the most comfortable picks that can be made at TE.
The Bills apparently believe that Dalton Kincaid is ready for a breakout season, as he is positioned to operate as one of the team’s premier pass-catchers in 2024. There is a gap between the top four and Kincaid, my No. 5 guy, who I have ranked just outside the top 30 overall. Engram is only a few spots behind, and targeting those two in the third round is recommended.
Sam LaPorta and Dalton Kincaid will end the 2024 season 1st and 2nd overall in NFL History for the most combined receptions by a TE in their first two seasons.
LaPorta needs only 58 catches to break the record of 144. 🔐
Kincaid needs 72. 🔥🔥🚀pic.twitter.com/dPJIAVB2SX
— TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) May 24, 2024
The Jaguars have good depth on offense, so I don’t see Engram matching last season’s production, but if you elect to take him over Kincaid, it does make sense because the Jacksonville TE is more proven. I just lean to Kincaid because he can be a more heavily featured pass-catcher in his offense.
Getting one of the top-nine TEs in the first 45 picks or so is my preferred route to take. Kyle Pitts is capable of finally delivering on his massive potential with Kirk Cousins at QB. If you want to push him up the board ahead of that range, it is understandable. David Njoku is ideally the last guy I want to draft as my TE1, although Jake Ferguson, who is inside my top 60, can be a decent consolation pick. The best approach I can recommend is to get a TE1 in the first five rounds.
Kyle Pitts has seen more accurate passes at camp than he did all of the last 2 seasons. pic.twitter.com/oRNyd6fR3n
— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) June 3, 2024
If there is any positional run for my fifth through ninth TEs, I suggest to join in even if you have to draft a guy significantly ahead of where he is ranked. Other positions are obviously deeper. It is better to draft any sleeper and value types as TE2s if possible. Get a top-nine TE and then the focus can be mainly put on other positions as the starting lineup gets filled out.
Starting two TEs, utilizing one at a flex position, is a unique approach that can also be taken. If you double up with two top TEs, the field will seem weaker to your opponents and could spur a run at the position. Those who hit on a TE2 or even TE3 pick can comfortably start two TEs without sacrificing two picks at the position in the first five rounds. Drafting two TEs in the top 100 overall is another approach to consider, and you may want to take the third in the top 140.
Fantasy Football Premium TE Overall Ranks: The Top 250
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