This is a quick update to my original top 25 tight end rankings from July. Check out the original rankings for some more in-depth analysis on each player, and scroll down past the table to see some notes on the risers and fallers in the updated ranks.
Note: ranks are based on PPR scoring
| Rank | Player | Change | Tier |
| 1 | Travis Kelce | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Zach Ertz | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | George Kittle | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Evan Engram | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | O.J. Howard | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Hunter Henry | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Jared Cook | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Vance McDonald | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Austin Hooper | +1 | 2 |
| 10 | Delanie Walker | +3 | 2 |
| 11 | David Njoku | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Trey Burton | 0 | 3 |
| 13 | Jack Doyle | +2 | 3 |
| 14 | Kyle Rudolph | 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Eric Ebron | -6 | 3 |
| 16 | Mark Andrews | +3 | 3 |
| 17 | Jordan Reed | 0 | 3 |
| 18 | Greg Olsen | -2 | 3 |
| 19 | Jimmy Graham | -1 | 3 |
| 20 | Chris Herndon | 0 | 3 |
| 21 | Darren Waller | UR | 4 |
| 22 | Noah Fant | -1 | 4 |
| 23 | T.J. Hockenson | -1 | 4 |
| 24 | Gerald Everett | -1 | 4 |
| 25 | Will Dissly | UR | 4 |
Notes
- The top 10 is mostly the same with one very notable exception—Eric Ebron took a big hit. I think I had Ebron ranked too highly to begin with, now that I look at it, but the retirement of Andrew Luck just adds to the reasons you should probably generally avoid Ebron at the price he’s going at (which is as the eighth tight end). We were all expecting regression anyways for Ebron, but now with Luck gone and Jacoby Brissett in, I expect Ebron’s value to take a pretty significant hit. It’s pretty clear he and Luck had a strong connection, and as long as Jack Doyle is healthy, I think Brissett’s going to lean more on him than Ebron. Still, Ebron is a good red-zone target and could fall into some touchdowns.
- Speaking of Doyle, I bumped him up a bit. While obviously Brissett isn’t Luck, he’s still a very capable quarterback in my opinion, and I could see him relying on Doyle a good bit. Since these are PPR ranks, I’d expect Doyle to get a decent amount of volume, which could bump him into the fringe TE1 discussion in deeper leagues.
- I’m bouncing around a little, but I also bumped up Delanie Walker a good bit, and that’s because after some consideration, I really could see Marcus Mariota relying on Walker a decent bit. Before last year, Walker was very durable, and while I realize he’s 35, I still think he could be productive. The Titans’ offense isn’t much, but the volume will be there, I think, and in PPR, that’s good news.
- I bumped up Mark Andrews a bit, and if you want a really in-depth explanation on why I like Andrews as a sleeper this year, check out my article on him. But long story short, the reports on him out of camp have been nothing but glowing. He’s reportedly had a great connection with Lamar Jackson and looks like he could be a great pass-catcher. Plus, the Ravens don’t have a ton of options in the receiving game, so I could see Jackson relying on Andrews, especially if the Ravens intend on letting Jackson throw a lot more, which is what they’ve been saying so far. Still, he represents a big risk, because we don’t know what this offense will look like, but the potential is definitely there.
- There are two new guys in the rankings—Darren Waller and Will Dissly. Waller is someone I had considered putting in my rankings originally and the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realized I should have. The Oakland Raiders like to use their tight ends, they gave Jared Cook an excellent season last year, and it looks like the job belongs to Waller. I expect this to be a decent offense with the addition of Antonio Brown and rookie Josh Jacobs, so I could see some decent production from Waller. As for Dissly, he saw a good number of targets at the end of the year last year, and you’re just kind of throwing the dart and hoping he’s involved again this year. He’s the 25th-ranked tight end, so I’m not dying to get him, but he looks to have the gig to himself, albeit in a very run-heavy offense, so it’s totally possible he snags a handful of balls and falls into the endzone a few times.
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