The tight end position is undoubtedly the most frustrating group of players in fantasy football. There are just two options when it comes to the TE spot. First, spend one of your first four picks on Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, or TJ Hockenson. Second, wait until later in the draft and find a tight end who scores 20 points one week and then goes for one catch for 12 yards the next week.
Having to go to the waiver wire to find a tight end is incredibly frustrating. None of them are reliable and some of the names are unrecognizable to the average NFL fan. However, I believe that there are a handful of tight ends that can be found after pick 100 that could keep you away from waiver wire TEs in 2023.
DAVID NJOKU, CLEVELAND BROWNS (ADP: 106, TE10)
After signing a new contract last offseason, David Njoku quietly had a career year in 2022. Njoku put up career-bests in virtually every statistical category, finishing the year with 58 receptions for 628 yards and four trips to the endzone. This placed Njoku as the TE11 overall (PPR) and the TE8 in points per game.
When taking a closer look at Njoku’s 2022 campaign, there are some encouraging signs. Njoku ranked top-10 among his position in yards per route run, yards after catch, deep targets, and red zone targets. On top of that, he ranked 11th in target share and 14th in air yards share. What these numbers tell me is that Njoku is currently being drafted close to his floor. I think a TE10 finish is about the worst we could expect from Njoku, assuming he stays healthy.
The reason I believe TE10 is his floor (and that he could finish in the range of TE6) is because I think the Cleveland offense to be more productive than most people expect. To no surprise, Deshaun Watson underperformed last season on his new team after sitting out of the sport for a significant amount of time. What I’m saying is that there was a perfect storm of conditions that led to Watson playing below expectation. With a handful of starts and a full offseason under his belt, I expect Watson (and the Browns offense) to exceed expectations in 2023. An improved offensive environment will certainly allow Njoku to improve his production next season.
CHIGOZIEM OKONKWO, TENNESSEE TITANS (ADP: 120, TE11)
Note: This was published prior to DeAndre Hopkins signing with the Titans
Those of you who were waiver wire grinders at the tight end position are probably familiar with Chigoziem “Chig” Oknonkwo. Throughout his rookie season, Chig had many encouraging moments and was a meaningful contributor to fantasy teams for several weeks. Like most rookies, Chig was not much of a factor early on in the year. But down the stretch, Okonkwo was a significant piece in the Titans’ offense. From Weeks 13 to 18, he was the TE7 overall and had three games where he finished as a top-eight TE on the week.
In 2022, Okonkwo competed with fellow tight end Austin Hooper for snaps and routes. Hooper is no longer with the Titans and Okonkwo has virtually zero competition. In fact, there isn’t tremendous competition within the Tennessee offense as a whole. Okonkwo will just have to beat out the forgettable Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to be the number two pass catcher behind Treylon Burks. On top of this, Ryan Tannehill is the starting quarterback, for now. On the bright side, Okonkwo began his late-season breakout with Tannehill under center. While it may sound strange to hear, Tannehill is the best option for Okonkwo to produce in fantasy.
While I tend to not place too much weight on the advanced metrics of rookies, Okonkwo was impressive in some categories. He ranked second in target rate among tight ends, first in yards per route run, and first in yards per reception. It must be noted that Chig ran just 153 routes and caught 32 passes last season.
While Okonkwo had limited volume last season, he was a sight to see when he had the ball in his hands last year. Over 50% of his yards came after the catch and he had a 28.6% juke rate. With a significantly larger workload in 2023, I believe Chig can do some exciting things and prove to be a tremendous value on fantasy rosters.
IRV SMITH JR., CINCINNATI BENGALS (ADP 157, TE18)
Entering his fifth NFL season, Irv Smith Jr. hopes to revitalize his career on a new team. After showing promise during his first two seasons with the Vikings, Smith has not been able to stay on the field since. Smith missed the entirety of the 2021 season and played just eight games last year. While healthy in Minnesota, Smith’s fantasy outlook was simply a boom or bust TE with a high touchdown upside. Smith was simply a big target who could be used in the red zone. Yet, I believe his role is set to change for the better in 2023.
Smith signed a one-year “prove it” deal with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason. Over the last two years, Joe Burrow has been the owner and operator of what I like to call the Cincinnati Tight End Factory. In the last two seasons, Burrow’s play has led to solid production from CJ Uzomah and Hayden Hurst. Both players were able to get multi-year deals with other teams following their production with Burrow. This season, Smith steps into the role vacated by Hurst.
Hurst vacates 70 targets and finished 2022 with 54 receptions for 439 yards and two scores. Smith has never seen 50 targets in his career, let alone 50 receptions. With little competition in Cincinnati’s TE room, I expect Smith to see a similar volume that Hurst did last season. If Smith is able to combine this increase in volume with his ability to box out defenders and snag balls in the endzone, I think Smith can contribute to fantasy teams. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect the Alabama product to be a top-eight TE. But, I think he is worth a stash at the end of drafts to see how his role pans out in this potent Bengals’ offense.
GERALD EVERETT, LA CHARGERS (ADP: 163, TE19)
Similar to Njoku, Gerald Everett quietly had the best season of his career. Everett scored 9.3 fantasy points per game last season and finished 11th in FPPG. However, Everett is being drafted as TE19 due to the return of a healthy Keenan Allen and the addition of TCU product Quentin Johnston. Despite the presence of these two pass-catchers, I believe there is still value in taking a late-round flier on Everett. I mean the guy is almost free in fantasy drafts.
Everett is a phenomenal athlete and can create yards with the ball in his hands. Nearly 55% of Everett’s yards came after the catch and his 302 yards after the catch ranked eighth among tight ends. Everett also ranked eighth in yards after catch per reception and seventh in yards after contact per reception with Justin Herbert. Not only can Everett create plays for himself, but he is also a threat near the goal line. Everett had 16 red zone targets (fifth) and converted these into four touchdowns.
Aside from talent, Everett benefits from being a part of one of the best offenses in the NFL. Herbert is one of the league’s best quarterbacks and his arsenal of weapons is of the same caliber. Although the offense did not meet expectations in 2022, Los Angeles has brought in former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to run the show. Moore is responsible for creating one of the league’s most high-powered offenses in the NFL over the last few years. Dallas has ranked top five in points per game in back-to-back seasons. I believe Moore will do exactly the same in Los Angeles this season.
Herbert will be throwing the ball all over the field and leading one of the league’s highest-scoring offenses. The combination of talent and offensive environment makes Everett worth a stash on your bench.
CLOSING COMMENTS
The reality of today’s NFL is that there are only a few tight ends that contribute to fantasy teams each week. Unfortunately, not every team will have a TE that they can rely on each week. If you are one of these teams, I recommend taking two late-round tight ends in your draft. This way, you can play them based on matchups and maybe one of them breaks out to be a mainstay in your lineup.
If you end up utilizing the double late-round TE strategy, these are some great players to target. All are available in the ninth round or later, and players like Irv Smith and Gerald Everett cost almost nothing. Target players who have little competition, are in an efficient offense, or both. If you don’t end up with an elite tight end, this is the best way to avoid playing the waiver wire game each week.
