Outlook: Hayden Hurst, like each of the Panthers starting pass-catchers, didn't produce much last season. The offseason addition from Cincinnati hauled in 52 receptions for 414 yards and two touchdowns and his 105.4 fantasy points was 21st among tight ends. Hurst averaged just 8.1 fantasy points per game because Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow barely looked his way as he heavily targeted receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

The Panthers haven't had a solid tight end since Greg Olsen and that trend will likely continue into 2023. Hurst had off-season surgery for a sports hernia but is expected to be participating at camp. Despite being on a new team with significantly worse receivers, those pass catchers will likely earn more targets than Hurst keeping him in the low-end TE2 range for fantasy purposes.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Among tight ends last season, Juwan Johnson was 19th in receptions (42), 16th in yards (508), but third in touchdowns (7) which shows you how much the Saints value Johnson's role in the redzone and why fantasy managers shouldn't overlook him despite the lurking threat of Taysom Hill. Hill is designated as a tight end in a lot of leagues and his usage as a QB/RB/TE is a thorn in the side to all the other Saints offensive players.

Still, Olave, Thomas, Kamara and even Shaheed are expected to get a plethora of targets, but Johnson is a worthy late-round fantasy draft pick, as a backup tight end due to his valuable role in the offense. If Carr gets him more involved in the passing game, Johnson could squeeze into the low-end TE1 conversation in 12-man leagues by mid-season.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: If anyone thought the loss of Hill would allow defenses to key on Kelce and slow him down, they were grievously mistaken. Kelce set career highs in receptions (110), targets (152), and touchdowns (12) while extending his streak of 1,000-plus-yard seasons to seven with a 1,338-yard effort. It was elite stuff from the NFL's preeminent tight end, though incredibly it's what we've come to expect even as the veteran enters his age-34 season.

A year ago, it felt like Mark Andrews and maybe even Kyle Pitts was poised to challenge Kelce for TE1 honors. Now, it's hard to make a compelling case for another tight end to be drafted within a round or two of Kelce, who is the gold standard until proven otherwise.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: After posting back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard campaigns in 2018 and 2019, respectively, Kittle had seen his production (and durability) regress, averaging 772 yards in two subsequent seasons. So, when he missed the first two games of 2022 with a groin injury, fantasy owners were understandably nervous. A slow start that saw him top 50 yards in a game just twice in his first seven while scoring only two TDs didn't help matters, either. The insertion of Purdy was a boon for Kittle, however, as the veteran scored a whopping seven touchdowns over the final four games of last season.

Despite the strong finish, Kittle still finished with modest numbers in receptions (60) and yards (765), giving him three consecutive seasons of less than 1,000 yards. The TDs (11) were almost double his previous career high, so it's certainly debatable whether he can match that number in 2023. Tight end is a weak fantasy position, though, and once you get past Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews, the next batch that includes names like TJ Hockenson, Kyle Pitts, Dallas Goedert, and Kittle pretty much comes down to personal preference as to how you rank that grouping of TE1s.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Seven touchdowns, and a smooth connection with his quarterback made Kmet a surprise top-10 fantasy option at tight end for the 2022 season. His seven scores were a big correction after he failed to find the endzone in 2021 despite hauling in 60 passes. The addition of Moore, and the presence of Money and Claypool are sure to eat into his looks, but he has the frame to be a force in the red zone, and if he can again fall into the 5-7 touchdown range, could find himself in the conversation as a low-end TE1.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Fantasy managers have been patiently waiting on a breakout season from Dawson Knox, but aside from his impressive nine-touchdown performance in 2021, we just haven't seen enough from him to make him a weekly must-start even at a weak tight end position. Not only have fantasy managers mostly moved on from him, but the Bills also made it clear that they're looking for more from the position when they drafted another tight end, Dalton Kincaid, in the first round of this year's NFL Draft.

The Bills plan to use both players, which will likely result in a fantasy dud of a situation, but we've seen situations like this happen plenty of times throughout the years and it's almost always true that the rookie tight end takes a back seat in his first season while the somewhat-productive veteran sees most of the work in an offense.

The long-term play is probably Kincaid, but for this season, if you absolutely have to bet on a Bills tight end, Knox is still the better bet. He's been disappointing, but he's still managed to score 15 touchdowns over the past two seasons, which is slightly more than one score for every two games he's played. The tight end position is bad enough throughout the league that we're mostly hoping for 50 yards and touchdowns out of the vast majority of starters, so Knox is capable of delivering that from time to time. Still, he should see enough competition from Kincaid that it'll be tough to justify drafting him, let alone starting him on a weekly basis.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: With T.J. Hockenson shipped to the Vikings mid-season, Detroit stitched together the position for the remainder of the year. Enter LaPorta, the 2nd round pick from the tight end farm of the Midwest, The University of Iowa. There have been 12 tight ends drafted from Iowa while Kirk Ferentz has been the coach and more than a few have gone on to become fantasy names. The Lions, and LaPorta hope to be the next. Historically, this is a position to avoid in fantasy if it's a rookie, especially one with good, but limited physical skills. LaPorta was extremely productive in college, but nothing leaps off the page. He was developed by some of the best tight end coaches in college, but will take time to find his place in the NFL. Look for him to learn and grow as the season goes on, and eventually solidify the position for the Lions, but there are plenty of other places to look for fantasy production.

Player Page | Track this player