2023 Fantasy Football: 3 Tight Ends to Avoid & 3 Sleeper Tight Ends to Draft

After the elite few tight ends, there is a huge dropoff in talent. As a result, most people need to adjust their draft strategy after not landing one of them. We’ll be breaking down 3 tight ends from the remaining group you need to avoid and 3 you should add to your draft board. 

Tight ends to Avoid:

Kyle Pitts

Don’t fall into the pit of Pitts again. Pitts looks tempting on a young offense that’s rebuilding, but he doesn’t score touchdowns and doesn’t get as many targets his way. This year won’t be much different. 

Mike Gesicki

Mike Gesicki is going from a pass-heavy offense in Miami to having Mac Jones as his quarterback. This is a significant downgrade in offenses and Gesicki will also be competing with Hunter Henry for playing time. We don’t like Gesicki as a starting tight end for fantasy anymore.

Juwan Johnson

A name that’s been trending in a positive direction that we’re not ready to pull the trigger on is Juwan Johnson. Johnson is on a New Orleans team that just brought in Derek Carr to improve their quarterback situation, but he still needs to build rapport with Carr and we don’t think it’s going to happen when Carr has players like Olave & Shaheed to target. 

Tight ends to Target:

Irv Smith Jr

It was pretty apparent last season after CJ Uzomah signed with the Jets that the Bengals needed a tight end. When Chase & Higgins are being heavily covered, they need a 3rd option for Burrow to go to. Boyd would often fill that gap in, but he’s not always healthy and he’s not built like a tight end which is what their team could use. Bringing in Irv Smith Jr should help this Bengals offense go to the next level. We have high hopes for what they can accomplish together. 

Sam LaPorta

When the Lions traded away Hockenson, Jared Goff lost his 2nd best option at receiver. The Lions learned that the hard way and was why they used a 2nd round draft pick to get Sam LaPorta. LaPorta came from Iowa where Hockenson & Fant both played, so we know Iowa can produce solid tight ends. With Jameson Williams also being suspended for a chunk of the season, this can allow LaPorta to get an early start in building a connection with Jared Goff to hopefully solidify his standing for the entirety of the season. 

Jake Ferguson

It seems like the Cowboys have always had a solid tight end room, but this season will be the true test if that holds up. The top tight end on their roster is Jake Ferguson who managed a little over 170 yards in his rookie season. Ferguson should take a big leap this year as he’s moved into the starting role. Ferguson is someone we’re keeping a close eye on in the early weeks in the season as he could very well be a popular waiver wire target. In deeper leagues, he’s worth drafting to hold on the bench.