Ah the TE position. No position receives less interest in the fantasy offseason than TE. RB, WR and the Golden Goose QB get all of the attention, but TE? There is a complete lack of interest. A number of TEs performed very well at the NFL Combine, but there was little discussion about them. There was even a certain faction of fantasy managers last season calling for leagues not to require a TE. Therefore, should dynasty gamers be targeting tight ends in Dynasty Trades?
Despite the bevy of articles and podcasts discussing the other three positions, when it comes down to winning in fantasy leagues, having weekly TE production in your lineup is a must. Whether you play in PPR formats or TE Premium leagues like the FFPC, the winning teams find ways to win at TE.
Last season, six TEs finished with over 200 PPR points. That number does not include Trey McBride, who tore it up for many weeks, and Mark Andrews, who would have finished in that group if not for an injury. While players like Travis Kelce and Hockenson were highly drafted, four of last year’s top 12 TE scorers were drafted outside the top 12 of the position. The early ADP market usually gets a lot right when evaluating TEs, but players will always slip through the cracks. Value is the name of the game at TE, and we will attempt to identify a few players who are great values.
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Discounted Premium Asset TE
T.J. Hockenson | Minnesota Vikings
Hockenson is not cheap, but the window to trade for him in Dynasty is the cheapest it has been in quite some time. He suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 16 and was unable to have surgery on it until January. His 2024 status is largely up in the air. The injury uncertainty is not the only unclear situation with Hockenson and the other Minnesota pass catchers. Kirk Cousins is now with the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings are at a crossroads at the QB spot. Hockenson’s play on the field was outstanding in 2024, finishing tied for TE1 in PPR PPG with 14.6. He also has contract insulation, signing a mega deal last offseason. At 26 years old, Hockenson is a premium asset at the position who costs you 80 cents on the dollar right now. As a result, he is a key target in Dynasty Trades.
Veteran Discounts
Noah Fant | Seattle Seahawks
There was once a time when Fant was viewed as one of the more exciting TEs in Dynasty. Like Hockenson, Fant was an Iowa Hawkeye TE selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. His best comparable on PlayerProfiler is ANOTHER Iowa Hawkeye NFL stud TE in George Kittle. Fant had fantasy success in his second and third seasons in the league. He finished as TE11 and TE12 in PPR PPG in 2020 and 2021 and looked poised to be a dynasty asset for years to come.
But when the Denver Broncos traded for Russell Wilson, Fant was sent to TE purgatory in Seattle under Pete Carroll. Two years later, Fant has provided fantasy managers with next to nothing production-wise. He bottomed out as TE36 this past season. Carroll’s use of multiple TEs crippled the ceiling and floor of Fant, and players such as Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson formed a TE trio that no Fantasy manager liked to see. This offseason, Dissly and Parkinson left as free agents, and Fant re-signed with the Seahawks for two-year deal worth over $12 Million. Gone is Pete Carroll and in is Mike Macdonald. The path is clear for Fant to regain a lot of Dynasty value this season and should be a target in Dynasty Trades.
Pat Freiermuth | Pittsburgh Steelers
At this time last offseason, Freiermuth was a locked-in TE1 in Dynasty. A second-round draft pick out of Penn State, Freiermuth burst onto the scene as a rookie. He was a fantasy starter for the second half of the 2021 season. He continued his strong play with a TE7 finish in 2022. Freiermuth’s 123 receptions in his first two seasons of the league are the No. 8-most all-time in NFL history at the TE position.
An injury-plagued and unproductive 2023, combined with a number of younger TE breakouts has created a buying window for Freiermuth. Despite his early success, he is treated like a TE2 in the Dynasty Trades. Arthur Smith is the new OC in Pittsburgh. Last season in Atlanta, Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith combined for eight TE1 finishes. Add in Diontae Johnson‘s departure, and a return to TE1 production seems like a good bet for Freiermuth.
Cole Kmet | Chicago Bears
The trade market should certainly be interested in a 25-year-old former second-round draft pick coming off of a 70+ catch season in an ascending offense, right? Kmet took major strides forward in 2023, finishing as TE8 overall. But the market has poked holes in his 2024 outlook. Sure, there is target competition galore now not only in D.J. Moore, but in Keenan Allen, last year’s WR8 overall, who arrived in a trade from the Chargers.
It is easy for Kmet enthusiasm to fade with new weapons and a new system in place. But if Caleb Williams is elite and special (I think he is!), then acquiring his pass catchers is a winning move for Dynasty managers. We want productive young players, and Kmet certainly fits this criteria. If the “pie grows larger,” for the Chicago passing offense, there will be more opportunities for multiple players to have fantasy success.
Michael Mayer | Las Vegas Raiders
Mayer is not cheap, but his current price could be viewed as a steep discount a year from now. Mayer was the second TE selected in the 2023 NFL Draft behind Dalton Kincaid and ahead of Sam LaPorta. After a highly decorated career at Notre Dame, there was lots of Mayer enthusiasm among Dynasty and Redraft managers. Mayer’s 2023 season turned into a major disappointment, but he did finish with three TE1 weekly finishes. Austin Hooper is now a New England Patriot, and Mayer should dominate the weekly TE usage in Vegas.
For more articles from Theo Gremminger, click here – Dynasty Trades – RB Sleeper Targets in Dynasty Fantasy Football (playerprofiler.com)
