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The tight end position has never been as deep as it is this season. I know we say that every year, but this season just feels different. There are guys up and down the board that could make a significant impact in 2024.
It's all about average draft position (ADP). A lot of these guys have been pushed down the board because the position is so deep this season. As you'll see in the article, the ADP of some of these guys doesn't even make sense based on their 2023 performance and expected production in 2024.
Nevertheless, all four of the tight ends below are considered must-haves this season. They're likely going to be either the first or second-highest target earner on their respective teams and they have a lot of talent. Prioritize them in your fantasy drafts. Don't let anyone take these guys away from you. Draft these four "must-have" tight ends in 2024.
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Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
It took a season and a half for McBride to become “the guy,” but once he did, it was off to the races. No tight end had more 20+ fantasy-point performances (4) than McBride from Week 8 onward. It took a Zach Ertz groin strain in 2023 to propel McBride into fantasy greatness, but it happened and now we have another great fantasy tight end to draft in 2024.
Once he began operating as the TE1 in Arizona starting in Week 8 last season, McBride saw the third-most targets among tight ends (85) behind Evan Engram and David Njoku. His route participation rate in the last 10 games of the season was 90%. For comparison, Travis Kelce had an 86.5% route participation rate last season, while Sam LaPorta was at just 82.6%
McBride also had an elite target share and target rate of 26.7% after taking over as the starter. Believe it or not, Kelce has never had a season in which he posted a 26.7% target share and target rate in the same season (data via PlayerProfiler). It’s just a 10-game sample size extrapolated over a full season, but it’s a meaningful data point nonetheless. McBride is a stud.
Year 3️⃣ loading in the desert for @mcbtrey 🏜️🔥 pic.twitter.com/Wbdf3Php3h
— NFL (@NFL) July 22, 2024
“But the Cardinals have Marvin Harrison Jr. now.” Yes, they do, but these two can very easily co-exist. Even the most elite wide receivers take a year to get up to speed. Both Ja’Marr Chase and Garrett Wilson had sub-25% target shares in their rookie seasons. Together, Harrison Jr. and McBride could command a 50% target share in 2024 given the lack of competition in Arizona.
While Harrison Jr. will command targets like no other Cardinal wide receiver did in 2023, he also will take coverage away from McBride like no other Cardinal wide receiver did in 2023. Don’t shy away from this elite tight end. He’s a must-have in 2024.
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
This is the year! Finally, Pitts has a competent quarterback (Kirk Cousins and even Michael Penix Jr.) and a competent head coach (Raheem Morris). It’s understandable to be gunshy after two years of disappointment, but don’t let the scars scare you from drafting Pitts in 2024.
Remember, this is a guy who posted a 20.3% target share and 23.6% target rate as a rookie. He then followed that up with a massive 27.3% target share and 34.3% target rate as a sophomore before sustaining a knee injury. That led to a big drop-off in his production last season. This year, he appears to be fully healthy heading into the season:
Kyle Pitts is turning heads at Falcons camp. He's smiling, loose, mobile & "saucy."
Most importantly, Pitts is healthy, & after rounding out his skill set, he's primed for a big 2024.
"I can't wait for him to get out & showcase the Unicorn he really is."https://t.co/8fDwcGNTtF
— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) August 2, 2024
Falcons head coach Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson both come from the Los Angeles Rams. That’s good news for Pitts considering the Rams have been top-2 in yards per completion in two of the last three seasons.
As a rookie, Pitts led all tight ends with 15.1 yards per reception and an average depth of target of 10.1 yards. Cousins has been top-10 in yards per attempt in four of the last five seasons. This feels like a match made in heaven all around. Pitts is one of those tight ends you must have on your team in 2024.
Kirk to Kyle all day ‼️ pic.twitter.com/B0avr4NFap
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) August 14, 2024
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
"Fergalicious definition make them boys go crazy." That's exactly what Jake Ferguson is going to do this season. In just his second year in the league, Ferguson finished narrowly inside the top-10 tight ends, posting 761 yards and five touchdowns on 102 targets.
He didn't truly burst onto the scene until after the Cowboys' Bye Week. From Week 8 on, Ferguson averaged 11.9 PPR fantasy points on 6.6 targets per game. Those numbers don't include his playoff performance in which he scored 37.3 fantasy points. If you include that game, Ferguson averaged over 14 fantasy points per game from Week 8 onward.
Dak dart for six! 🎯
📺: #LARvsDAL on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Quwvdzpx7G pic.twitter.com/SKURqg14re— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2023
He became a safety valve and trusted red zone weapon for Dak Prescott. He led all tight ends with 25 red zone targets last season. Had he scored even just five more touchdowns on those red zone targets, he would have finished with 10 on the season, and we'd be talking about him in the same light as Sam LaPorta (ADP 27.3). Instead, Ferguson can be had nearly 50 picks later at 79.6 (TE9).
In 2023, the Cowboys led the NFL in passing yards (265.8), completions (26.1), and passing touchdowns (2.2) per game. What's even better for Ferguson in 2024 is that they didn't add any legitimate threats in the passing game to compete for targets.
With Brandin Cooks another year older and some unproven youngsters in the fold (Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks), Ferguson is once again cemented as the number two target behind CeeDee Lamb in a high-volume passing attack.
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have big plans for the third-year tight end out of Coastal Carolina. Just ask offensive coordinator Todd Monken:
Monken on Likely and Andrews: “You’re obviously trying to get your best playmakers on the field, and they’re two of them. Those two guys are unique weapons, so we have to do a great job of being creative — getting them on the field and finding a way to utilize them. Their skill… https://t.co/DHeBrPWbEY
— 32BeatWriters (@32BeatWriters) August 1, 2024
For two seasons, he's very much been used as an insurance policy for starting tight end Mark Andrews. Anytime Andrews missed a game, Likely stepped right up and performed. Last season, he averaged 13.9 PPR fantasy points per game between Weeks 12 and 18. This season, things appear different.
For the first time in his career, Likely isn't playing any snaps in the preseason. That's typical of "starters" on some teams. So is Likely a starter? He doesn't think of himself as a backup tight end, that's for sure. Instead, he thinks of himself as a "chess piece."
Don’t label Isaiah Likely as just a tight end. @DaGorilla4 is a true chess piece in this Ravens offense.
pic.twitter.com/1j6VMthuDf— Garrett Downing (@GarrettDowning) August 13, 2024
We haven't seen it much yet, but the drumbeat on Andrews and Likely playing together in 12 personnel has gotten louder and louder this offseason. It seems highly "likely" this isn't just smoke and that the Ravens truly feel as if Likely is one of their best playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Yahoo!'s Charles Robinson was at Ravens training camp and saw the obvious connection he had with Lamar Jackson:
3. The offense is going to have some heavy looks at times. And Derrick Henry is going to eat.
4. TE Isaiah Likely 📈. #Ravens have plans. pic.twitter.com/9sA1oigKZr
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) August 17, 2024
If that happens, he's a steal at his current ADP of 129.6 (TE22). There aren't many guys with more upside than Likely at the back end of your fantasy drafts this season.
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