2019 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: TE strategy and Tiers 1.0

Can you afford not to take one of the Big Three at tight end? Dave Richard looks at the state of the position for 2019, and gives his first positional tiers

Positional Tiers 1.0: QB Tiers | RB Tiers | WR Tiers | TE Tiers

What's the best strategy when it comes to tight ends? Simple: Take a stud early.

Too bad there's only three of them — and more than half of your league will chase this monster trio starting — and ending — in Round 2.

PPR TE Tiers 1.0

ELITE	VERY GOOD	START-WORTHY	THE REST
ROUND 2	ROUNDS 4-7	ROUNDS 8-10	ROUND 11+
Travis Kelce	Evan Engram	Hunter Henry	Jordan Reed
George Kittle	Eric Ebron	T.J. Hockenson	Chris Herndon
Zach Ertz	O.J. Howard	Noah Fant	David Njoku
	Jared Cook	Austin Hooper	Trey Burton
		Vance McDonald	Jack Doyle
			Jace Sternberger
			Kyle Rudolph
			Delanie Walker
			Mark Andrews

You know the names: Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Zach Ertz. In 2018, they combined to average 10.5 Fantasy points per game in non-PPR and 16.9 points per game in PPR. That was the statistical equivalent of having Stefon Diggs or Julian Edelman in your tight end spot every week. It gives Fantasy managers a massive advantage over opponents stuck with streaming or touchdown-or-bust tight ends. Plus you'll never sit the stud, so looking for late-round tight end help isn't necessary.

That's why they're so popular. Duh.

The reality is because they're so popular, you might not even get the chance to take one depending on your draft position. Are you prepared to take Kelce in early Round 2 if you're picking in the 10th, 11th or 12th slot? Are you prepared to make a sad panda face if you're building a team from the first or second overall draft positions and potentially see all three go before you make a choice in Round 2?

It's not really about missing out on a star at another position — it's about missing out on Kelce, Kittle or Ertz.

Non-PPR TE Tiers 1.0

ELITE	VERY GOOD	START-WORTHY	THE REST
ROUND 2	ROUNDS 5-7	ROUNDS 9-10	ROUND 11+
Travis Kelce	Evan Engram	Hunter Henry	Chris Herndon
George Kittle	Eric Ebron	T.J. Hockenson	David Njoku
Zach Ertz	O.J. Howard	Noah Fant	Jordan Reed
	Jared Cook	Vance McDonald	Austin Hooper
			Jace Sternberger
			Trey Burton
			Delanie Walker
			Mark Andrews
			Kyle Rudolph

If you find yourself without one of the elite studs, don't fret … yet. The next tier offers fair production, just not on the same level. The one guy who might border on elite, Evan Engram, figures to be gone by the end of Round 4, making him a pricey consolation prize. Eric Ebron and the remaining members of the tier have some nice potential, but also have zero 900-yard seasons combined, while only Ebron has one year of over six touchdowns. If you have to choose from this brood, promise yourself not to reach.

Now if you whiff on those guys, you'll probably cry on the inside. Resign yourself to streaming the position and hope to luck out on someone you latch on to. I know, not exactly the most reassuring plan, but what else can you do with so many guys who carry so much uncertainty? One idea: go young! T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant figure to see a bunch of playing time right away and at the very least have favorable early-season matchups. Why not take a risk on their fresh legs versus the unexciting outlooks guys who are either has-beens (Jordan Reed, Jimmy Graham) or potential never-will-bes (Chris Herndon, David Njoku)?