Despite all of our wishes over the years, the tight end position remains the thinnest in all of Fantasy Football. Every year we have an elite tier of two to three tight ends, followed by a group we're hoping can almost be elite, followed by a bunch of breakout candidates who are 50/50 to flame out. The names change, but the rankings remain very similar if you mix in a surprise veteran or two each year.
What we haven't seen is a lot of mobility, at least not within any permanence. With a good year this year, Dalton Schultz or Dawson Knox could change that, but the most profitable method seems to be acquiring the right dirt cheap tight end who ends up in the top 12. Two of my favorites in Dynasty right now are Brevin Jordan and Irv Smith.
Smith was supposed to breakout in 2021 before an injury cost him the season. Tyler Conklin put up nearly 600 yards in his absence, but there's reason to hope for more from Smith. For one thing, he's a more explosive athlete and a former second-round pick. There's no comparison of their pedigree. But also, we should expect more pass volume in Minnesota with the coaching change and Adam Thielen isn't getting any younger.
Brevin Jordan has a few free agent land mines to dodge this offseason, but if he gets to August as the Texans top tight end he may actually have more upside. Both quarterback Davis Mills and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton have a history with using their tight ends and Jordan scored at least 9.6 PPR points in three of the four games that he received even four targets last year.
Smith and Jordan may not seem extremely likely to be a league winner this year, but they could increase their value pretty significantly with a solid 2022. And they should be available for a late-round rookie pick if they aren't on your waiver wire.
Here are my updated Dynasty tight end rankings:
