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It's always a risk taking young tight ends in fantasy football, especially rookies. Rookie tight ends usually struggle in their first year in the league and don't blossom into consistent fantasy options right away. Of course, there are first-year tight ends who do, like Sam LaPorta in 2023, Kyle Pitts in 2021, and Evan Engram in 2017.
However, most rookie tight ends will struggle in Year 1 and get more involved in their second year. Players like Mark Andrews, Trey McBride, and George Kittle were not fantasy options as rookies, but all three finished as top-7 fantasy options at the position the next season. Sometimes, though, some tight ends just never become fantasy-relevant.
So, let's look at three tight ends from the 2023 draft class who busted as rookies and are set to bust again in 2024. These tight ends should not be drafted in most fantasy leagues this season.
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Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
Some analysts thought Michael Mayer was the best tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft after he totaled over 800 receiving yards and at least seven touchdowns in each of his final two college seasons at Notre Dame. While he wasn't the first tight end off the board in that class, his early second-round selection by the Las Vegas Raiders suggested he was a big part of the team's future.
However, Mayer didn't make an immediate impact on Las Vegas' offense in his first year. He caught just 27 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season while totaling over 50 receiving yards in just one game. The former Notre Dame product, though, did show some encouraging things in Year 1 -- like when he caught five passes for 75 yards in Week 6.
tidy angle route from Michael Mayer to convert on third down pic.twitter.com/5aeuK9QGRY
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) August 18, 2024
As a result, he was a player many fantasy managers might have been targeting later in 2024 fantasy drafts. But that won't be the case anymore following the Raiders' decision to draft tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick. Bowers' arrival surely puts Mayer in a tough spot entering the season, as he could lose significant playing time to the rookie from Georgia.
With that in mind, it's hard to imagine Mayer doing much in fantasy in 2024. He's on an offense that could struggle to score with Gardner Minshew II under center. On top of that, Bowers figures to see most of the starting reps in one tight-end set, leaving the second-year playmaker on the bench. That's why he's in line to bust again in fantasy.
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave was one of the more talented playmakers at the position in last year's draft. That was certainly on display throughout his rookie season, as Musgrave caught 33 passes for 341 yards and one touchdown across his first 10 games.
Then, the former Oregon State product suffered a lacerated kidney that caused him to miss six of the final seven games of the regular season. Those missed contests are why Musgrave busted in his rookie season and couldn't become a reliable tight-end option. Unfortunately, another bust season could be in store for the former 2023 second-round pick.
Despite Jordan Love coming off a breakout campaign, it's going to be hard to trust the Packers tight end in fantasy this year. For starters, he might not even be the best tight end on his team, as Tucker Kraft showed a ton of promise in the second half of last season.
Kraft should not only take away some playing time from Musgrave, but the latter could see fewer opportunities in the passing game because of it.
Tucker Kraft > Luke Musgrave
For everybody wondering
— Snoog's Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog) August 24, 2024
The Packers also have a crowded wide receiver room with Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks, which could lead to some poor fantasy performances from Musgrave. As a result, it's best to let your league mates take this Packers tight end in fantasy drafts.
Luke Schoonmaker, Dallas Cowboys
Finding a third sophomore tight end who will bust again in fantasy was not as easy as the first two options on this list. The rest of the tight ends selected after Musgrave in the 2023 NFL Draft didn't see any playing time in Year 1. However, since the Dallas Cowboys selected Luke Schoonmaker with the 58th overall pick, he felt like the right choice here.
With Dalton Schultz leaving last offseason and Dallas only having Jake Ferguson on its roster, the Cowboys reached on Schoonmaker in the second round. While the former Michigan product was always a work in progress, he showed very little signs of improvement throughout his rookie campaign. He caught just eight passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns.
Rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker scores the Cowboys’ first touchdown of the game 🙌pic.twitter.com/BD1Ewhi1ig
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) November 19, 2023
There's no doubt tight ends take some time to develop in the NFL, and Schoonmaker could surprise us all in 2024. But it's hard to envision him getting significant snaps or targets in Dallas' offense this year. So, managers should leave him on waivers because he won't be fantasy-relevant in his second season.
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