Perennial TE1 Travis Kelce led last year’s No. 2 tight end, Darren Waller, by 36.2 total fantasy points (standard scoring) despite playing in one fewer game. From there, Waller finished 47 total fantasy points over TE3, Robert Tonyan. Nos. 3-19 were closer together in total points than TE2 to TE3. That perfectly displays how top-heavy the position is. Put simply, unless you can land a top-tier tight end, you will find nearly the same kind of production in the middle of the rankings.
2021 PPR FANTASY RANKINGS:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
This season, three tight ends are expected to be among the elite fantasy scorers – Kelce, Waller, and George Kittle. Kittle looks to reclaim his place among the top fantasy players after missing eight games in 2020.
2021 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
There are some other candidates to reach tight end superiority, though – mainly Kyle Pitts, Mark Andrews, and T.J. Hockenson. Pitts is highly regarded as the No. 1 tight end prospect the league has ever seen coming out of the draft. Andrews remains an upper-tier standard tight end with a chance to take it to the next level. Hockenson saw 101 targets in 2020, and Detroit lost its top two options at receiver.
Still, the likelihood of those three joining the elite fraternity of fantasy tight ends this season are slim, all for their own circumstances.
2021 FANTASY SLEEPERS:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Each team
Diving deeper into the rankings helps explore late-round options. There are only a handful of tight ends who you can reliably count on each week, so getting to know streamers and sleeper options provides an edge both during your draft and once the season starts. Fortunately, there are quite a few intriguing middle- and late-round options highlighted below.
2021 FANTASY TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST
We’ll be adjusting these TE rankings and providing further analysis from now until Week 1, so check back for updates!
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2021 Cheat Sheet
2021 Fantasy TE Rankings
Rankings are based on standard, non-PPR scoring formats
