2021 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends

Travis Kelce turns 32 in October, so there’s some chance for regression. However, it’s more likely that he’ll have another huge year. He caught 105 passes for 1,416 yards and 11 touchdowns in 15 games in 2020.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 104 catches. 1,340 yards. 10 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 184.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 288.

George Kittle had a lost 2020 campaign, as he was limited to eight games, some of which were with a backup quarterback. Kittle should bounce back with a terrific 2021 campaign as long as he has good play at quarterback.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 98 catches. 1,300 yards. 9 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 174.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 272.

Darren Waller had a monstrous 2019 season, and he was even better in 2020! His yardage rose from 1,145 to 1,196, but the touchdowns tripled from three to nine. There’s no slowing down Waller, who is a top-three player at the position.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 108 catches. 1,230 yards. 9 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 167.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 275.

JUNE 6 UPDATE: Julio Jones is gone, so someone besides Julio Jones will be catching tons of passes in garbage time. Kyle Pitts is the likely candidate to see his projected stats increase.

Kyle Pitts is an extremely talented tight end in the mold of Darren Waller. I’m not usually a fan of drafting rookie fantasy tight ends, but Pitts will be a special case. Matt Ryan has transformed mediocre tight ends – Austin Hooper, Hayden Hurst – into big-time fantasy producers, so imagine what he’ll do with Pitts.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 82 catches. 940 yards. 9 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 138.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 220.

T.J. Hockenson has been Jared Goff’s favorite weapon at training camp, per several reports. This isn’t a surprise, given how bad Detroit’s receivers are.

T.J. Hockenson made a big leap in 2020, seeing his catches rise from 32 to 67, and his yardage increase from 367 to 723. He’ll continue to get better as a player in his third year, but his stats may not improve very much because of the decline at quarterback.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 77 catches. 850 yards. 8 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 133.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 210.

It’s hard to believe that Logan Thomas was drafted in the middle rounds – as a quarterback! Thomas transitioned to tight end, which didn’t show much promise at first. Thomas, however, has developed into a stud tight end. He may reach the top five this year.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 80 catches. 850 yards. 8 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 133.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 213.

Mark Andrews hauled in 58 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns in 2020, seeing his scoring total drop from 10. He’ll have a chance for double-digit touchdowns again if Baltimore’s offensive line improves.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 68 catches. 820 yards. 8 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 130.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 198.

AUG. 13 UPDATE: Zach Ertz led the Eagles in targets from Jalen Hurts in this game. He caught two of the three balls thrown to him for 20 yards. However, he dropped a pass on third down to stall the initial drive. There’s a reason why teams had no interest in trading for Ertz, so I wouldn’t expect him to have a big year. What he’ll do, however, is take opportunities away from Dallas Goedert.

Dallas Goedert became Philadelphia’s primary tight end last year, and that will continue moving forard. He caught 46 passes for 524 yards and three touchdowns in only 11 games. It’s nice that Jalen Hurts seemed to prefer to throw to Goedert more than anyone else.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 70 catches. 800 yards. 7 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 122.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 192.

Tyler Higbee was a disappointment in 2020, seeing his receptions drop from 69 to 44 and his yardage plummet from 734 to 521. Higbee has a chance to rebound for two reasons: First, Gerald Everett is gone, so Higbee’s targets will increase. And second, Matthew Stafford is a big upgrade over Jared Goff.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 67 catches. 770 yards. 7 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 119.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 186.

Cole Kmet played behind Jimmy Graham for a while last year, but saw more targets toward the end of the season. He caught an average of four passes in his final five games. He’ll have more touchdown potential with Justin Fields.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 68 catches. 670 yards. 7 total TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points: 114.
Projected 2021 PPR Fantasy Points: 182.