The 2021 NFL Draft is over, giving fans a clearer picture of rosters for the 2021 season. With that fantasy football rankings can be released. Here are the 2021 fantasy football standard scoring tight end rankings. (Note: These are best used for standard-scoring leagues and will be updated until the season starts)
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1-10
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
He only played in 15 games, but Kelce was the top fantasy tight end again in 2020. There is no indication that he is going to slip from the top of this list any time soon and he may be more heavily targeted now that the Chiefs lost second receiver Sammy Watkins.
2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle was injured in 2020 and the 49ers suffered. Whether Jimmy Garropolo or Trey Lance plays quarterback for the team is irrelevant, as Kittle has produced without much of a quarterback in the past.
3. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have one great pass-catcher in Waller and then a lot of unproven players. Waller will continue to be used a ton after finishing second for fantasy tight ends in 2020.
4. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta decided to draft Pitts with the fourth overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. To help increase his value, Julio Jones has been traded. He’ll still have to compete for targets with Calvin Ridley, but Pitts is a more threatening presence in the red zone.
5. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Although he was only able to play in 14 games, Andrews ranked fourth for tight ends in 2020. The Ravens have added to their receiving core, but Lamar Jackson knows he can trust Andrews and his production shouldn’t take much of a hit if any.
6. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff has to throw the ball to somebody, right? The Lions don’t have much in the receiver room so Hockenson is the best pass-catcher on the roster. He was the fifth-ranked fantasy tight end last season and should have another solid season.
7. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos
Fant was the 13th-ranked fantasy tight end in 2020. He could take a jump if Drew Lock‘s play improves and if he can play a full schedule this season.
8. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
With Zach Ertz likely on the way out, Goedert will be the top tight end in Philadelphia. He ranked 20th last season, even though he played in just 11 games. The wide receiver room is young and unproven, but Goedert can be a steady hand for Jalen Hurts to utilize.
9. Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins
Gesicki was the sixth-best fantasy tight end last season after only playing in 15 games. He’ll have to adjust to Tua Tagovailoa being the full-time quarterback and some new faces at the receiver position, but Gesicki should still finish in the top 10.
10. Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team
Thomas had a breakout season in 2020, finishing seventh for fantasy tight ends. That was with a tumultuous quarterback situation. With Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, Thomas should have another top 10 season.
11-20
11. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers
The narrative that Aaron Rodgers doesn’t use tight ends was amended last year when Tonyan finished third for fantasy tight ends. He uses a few big performances to bolster his ranking, but lacked weekly consistency. If Rodgers comes back to Green Bay, he could move up these rankings.
12. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After coming out of retirement, Gronkowski finished 2020 as the eighth-ranked fantasy tight end and won a Super Bowl. That came after O.J. Howard suffered an injury, so Gronkowski will likely not be as productive in 2021.
13. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Higbee ranked 16th last season, but with Matthew Stafford heading to Hollywood, he should finish a little higher this season.
14. Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota Vikings
Longtime tight end Kyle Rudolph was let go by the team, which means Smith is the top tight end on the team. He ranked 21st last season, while only in 13 games and while battling with Rudolph. Now, he can produce while a lot of attention is being paid to the Vikings two talented receivers.
15. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Henry’s talent is one of a top tight end in the league. He signed with the Patriots though, who have to figure out their quarterback situation. They also signed Jonnu Smith. Can both be productive? Fantasy managers also need to be cautious of Henry’s injury history.
16. Evan Engram, New York Giants
One of the more volatile tight ends in fantasy football is Evan Engram. The potential is there, but he needs to put it all together. He finished 18th last season and should finish around the same spot this year.
17. Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns
Hooper is another player who has talent and has shown up much higher on fantasy lists in the past. His situation in a run-first offense in Cleveland holds him back though. That also isn’t even taking in to account that the Browns have two solid receivers that need targets. He finished 23rd for fantasy tight ends last year, but should marginally improve with a full season played.
18. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles
Ertz’s days as a top-tier fantasy tight end are over. He averaged 3.8 points per game last season and is now on the trade block.
19. Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers
Now that Hunter Henry is gone, Cook signed with the Chargers. The tight end is aging, but is the top tight end on the roster and finished 12th in the league last year.
20. Jonnu Smith, New England Patriots
Smith is the other half of the tight end duo that signed in New England. He finished ninth in 2020, despite only playing in 14 games.
21-30
21. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
22. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills
23. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24. Blake Jarwin, Dallas Cowboys
25. Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints
26. Gerald Everrett, Seattle Seahawks
27. Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers
28. Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons
29. Chris Herndon, New York Jets
30. Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts
Make sure to check out our Fantasy Football Page for more updates on the 2021 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings!
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