Scott Engel is in his 13th year as the official Fantasy Football writer and analyst for Seahawks.com. He is an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hall of Fame. Scott is a four-time FSWA award winner and a 13-time nominee. You can find more of his fantasy football analysis and fantasy football rankings at RotoBaller.com.

Tight end is the thinnest position in fantasy football. Savvy drafters will always have their eyes on the most coveted running backs and wide receivers in the early rounds but will also have the best TEs near the top of their queues and cheat sheets when filling out the core of their starting lineups.

So when should you make the move for a starting TE on draft day? We outline the best approaches and identify top targets and sleepers. Noah Fant is also featured as a fantasy football draft target who may outperform preseason projections. Analysis leans to Point Per Reception (PPR) formats, and the top 25 TE rankings are included after the player outlooks and recommendations.

2024 Fantasy Football Rankings: The Elite Tight Ends

There is a clear "Big Four" at TE for the 2024 fantasy football season. Two new names, Sam LaPorta and Trey McBride, have joined longtime elite mainstays Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews atop the rankings. LaPorta is coming off a historic rookie season, and McBride quickly emerged as one of the best fantasy producers at the position last season.

LaPorta led all scorers at TE last year with 239.3 PPR points. His 86 receptions were the most ever for a TE in his first NFL season. The Detroit TE's 10 TD catches tied for the most by a player at the position in his rookie year in the Super Bowl era. Kelce, who has set the standards for all others at TE for the last nine seasons, led the way in Fantasy Points Per Game at the position, at a 14.6 clip.

McBride came on strong during the second half of his second pro season, with 13-plus PPR points in five of seven games from Weeks 8 through 15. He surpassed the 20-point mark four times during that span. Injuries limited Andrews to 10 games in 2023, but he still finished fourth in FFPG at TE (13.5). He should maintain the form that has marked him as a top-shelf fantasy TE over the past five seasons.

Average Draft Position reports from FantasyPros.com indicate that Kelce is being targeted as a late-second round fantasy draft pick, while LaPorta is being taken in the early part of the third round in many drafts. Andrews and McBride have been going off the board late in the fourth round. If you don't make a move for Kelce or LaPorta inside the top 20 overall picks, waiting to land Andrews and LaPorta a bit later is a viable alternative approach.

Tight Ends To Target in 2024: More Top Options

My preference is to target and pick one of the top 7 TEs if possible. After the elite four are off the board, Dalton Kincaid, Kyle Pitts, and Evan Engram should be at the top of the TE drafting list. The Bills have cleared the runway for Kincaid to operate as a prime pass-catcher for Josh Allen in his second NFL season. He may challenge to finish among the top 4 at the position this season.

The acquisition of Kirk Cousins is expected to invigorate the Atlanta passing game. Pitts should be a big beneficiary of a four-time Pro Bowl QB leading the Falcons' offense. He might be on the verge of a true breakout season, which has been anticipated by fantasy leaguers since Pitts was drafted fourth overall by Atlanta in 2021.

Engram's 230.3 PPR points ranked second at TE last season as he came through with the best season of his career. Jacksonville's offense is deep with playmakers, but Engram is a highly trusted target for Trevor Lawrence and should produce well enough to remain in or near the top half of the TE1 fantasy range.

ADP trends point to Kincaid being drafted early in the fifth round. Pitts and Engram are sixth-round fantasy targets.

Fantasy Football Rankings: Rounding Out The Top 10 At Tight End

George Kittle, David Njoku, and Josh Ferguson round out the top 10 at TE. All three guys are quality fantasy starters who can be targeted after the preferred top 7 are off the board. Kittle finished as fantasy TE5 last season, as he surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in four years. Njoku was right behind Kittle with his fantasy TE6 showing, as he set a new career standard with 81 receptions.

Ferguson is another TE who raised his production in the second half of the 2023 season. He registered 12-plus PPR points in five of seven games between Weeks 8 through 14. Kittle will often be drafted in the fifth round, while Njoku and Ferguson are seventh round targets.

Fantasy Football: Other Tight Ends To Consider

Las Vegas rookie Brock Bowers may crack the top 10 right away. LaPorta and McBride have demonstrated that some TEs can make a fantasy splash early in their careers. In the past, fantasy players were used to exercising patience with TEs, waiting for them to ramp up to quality production after a few NFL seasons. Bowers is a polished pro newcomer who should show off his sharp route running and big-play potential early in his pro career.

Pat Freiermuth has an opportunity to step forward and operate as a top pass-catcher for Pittsburgh. T.J. Hockenson is returning from a knee injury, but he is a worthy draft target to stash for quality production later in the season. Bowers can prove to be a good eighth round pick, and once he is off the board, then it's on to the ninth round and beyond for your TE picks. Those who wait to draft a TE outside the top 10 will have to stream starters or hope one of their picks exceeds preseason expectations.

Seahawks Noah Fant: Ready To Increase Fantasy Football Production

Last season, Noah Fant was part of a featured TE trio for the Seahawks, sharing reps with Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson. Dissly and Parkinson are now in Los Angeles, the former with the Chargers and the latter with the Rams. Fant now has a path to a busier role as a pass-catcher in 2024, and he is a value play at TE for fantasy drafters aiming for a bargain target inside the top 20 at the position.

The 6-foot-4, 249-pounder might deliver his best fantasy campaign yet in his sixth NFL season. The Seahawks obviously feature one of the best WR trios in the league. Fant can work harmoniously with the WRs as a key target for Geno Smith on important passing downs and in the goal line area.

In 2023, Fant ranked third among all TEs in Yards Per Reception (12.9) and Yards Per Target (9.6) according to Player Profiler. The 26-year-old has always been a matchup problem for defenses as a guy who challenges linebackers with his quickness and defensive backs with his size. He is a good target as a TE2 as another pass-catcher who can benefit from new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb revving up the passing game.

Tight End Sleepers And Deep Targets

Two of my favorite sleepers at the TE position are Tyler Conklin and Jonnu Smith. Last year, Conklin finished just outside the top 10 in receptions at the position (61) despite the Jets dealing with major QB issues. A healthy Aaron Rodgers can boost the production of Conklin into high-end fantasy TE2 territory. Smith flashed some big-play ability last year with Atlanta and may fit in well as a quality third target and complement to the explosive WRs in Miami.

Parkinson is another worthy value play, as he will be the No. 1 TE for the Rams this season. Listed at 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, he can be a frequent TD target for Matthew Stafford. Parkinson will get more opportunities to display his yardage-after-the-catch abilities and knack for finding soft spots in defensive coverages. The ex-Seahawk is a fine final-round pick who may go undrafted in some fantasy leagues and will quickly pop onto the early-season fantasy radar as a desirable waiver wire pickup.

Denver's Greg Dulcich could be a reliable option for rookie QB Bo Nix. Giants rookie Theo Johnson is a dynasty league prospect to monitor for eventual progress throughout his first NFL season. He might draw some fantasy attention as a depth pickup at some point in seasonal leagues.

Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: The Top 25 Tight Ends

More Tight End Rankings available at Rotoballer.com.

1. Sam LaPorta
2. Travis Kelce
3. Mark Andrews
4. Trey McBride
5. Dalton Kincaid
6. Kyle Pitts
7. Evan Engram
8. George Kittle
9. David Njoku
10. Jake Ferguson
11. Brock Bowers
12. Pat Freiermuth
13. Dallas Goedert
14. T.J. Hockenson
15. Tyler Conklin
16. Jonnu Smith
17. Dalton Schultz
18. Cole Kmet
19. Noah Fant
20. Hunter Henry
21. Colby Parkinson
22. Luke Musgrave
23. Mike Gesicki
24. Taysom Hill
25. Chigoziem Okonkwo