As we near the end of October, it’s a good time to get the next Shuffle Up edition out. This is where I give you an idea of how I rank the players at each position — broken into tiers — for the rest of the season. Use it for fantasy scouting, pickup ideas, trade themes, or heck, draft a new team and put this list into play. It’s up to you.
Today’s assignment is the tight end position.
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Players at the same salary are considered even. What’s happened to this point is merely an audition; we’re trying to skate where the puck is headed.
Tier 1: The Big Tickets
McBride’s battled a touchdown allergy in his time with Kyler Murray, but somehow journeyman backup Jacoby Brissett has unlocked McBride at the goal line (three scores on 24 targets). The Cardinals have too much invested in Murray to not reinstate him as the starting QB, but McBride keeps his fantasy real estate because of his projectable volume (McBride sees a first-read target 35.3% of the time, the runaway leader among tight ends, and he’s in the slot about 58% of the time). But we always feel like some points are being left on the field.
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We spent the summer composing our Kraft love letter, and the hearts keep flowing in-season. We just wish the Packers loved Kraft as much as we do. Kraft currently stands first in tight end fantasy points despite ranking a modest ninth in targets. But Kraft does the two things we love from our tight ends — he makes splash plays downfield, and he commands activity around the goal line. No Green Bay target has made it past 100 targets since Davante Adams left town, but Kraft is screaming for a role increase. Even if the raise doesn’t come, the current level of Kraft production makes him an ADP smasher.
Kittle is one of my favorite all-time players, a walk-in Hall of Famer in my book. But his monster blocking skills sometimes hold his fantasy production back. Kittle is running a route on a modest 62.1% of San Francisco’s pass plays, in part because he’s such a dynamic protector. That rate merely ranks 20th at the position. Kittle still has enough weekly upside to merit his fantasy status, but remember some weeks the floor will collapse. It’s not his fault.
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Tier 2: Dependable starters
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The Dallas offense remains fairly concentrated even with CeeDee Lamb back, so Ferguson retains automatic-start privileges. Forgive the Ferguson bagel against Denver — the other guys get paid, too. Ferguson is second in red-zone targets and second in overall looks, a consistent easy button for Dak Prescott to press.
There’s so much to like on Gadsden. His dad was a solid receiver in the NFL, and we saw Gadsden become a dynamic hybrid player at Syracuse (73-934-7 his final year). Gadsden’s combine readouts were ordinary, but he sure seems to play faster on Sundays. Trust what your eyes are telling you.
Tier 3: Worthy of start consideration
I still view Kincaid as a possible X-factor in Buffalo’s offense. He has the highest depth of target of all qualified tight ends, and the Buffalo wide receiver room remains fairly pedestrian (the Keon Coleman liftoff has not happened). Kincaid did little in his first game back last week (remember the Bills won in a blowout), but he could be busy in the showdown against Kansas City.
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Fannin’s 38-352-2 log feels like a miracle given how messy the Cleveland QB room has been all year, and his role would surely expand if Davis Njoku were traded or reinjured. It’s also notable that the Browns have given Fanning a significant amount of work from the start of the year; they’ve never treated him as a rookie. Plug and play.
Tier 4: Looking to get lucky
I’m dying to see what Barner could do with more opportunity — he’s spiked four times on just 22 targets, and he’s hauled in 81.8% of his opportunities. He’s on the field for about 80% of the offensive snaps, though he’ll be blocking on about 40% of Seattle’s pass plays. Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs the Seattle passing tree, but there’s room for someone to step into the second chair.
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Be on the lookout to see if Taylor is dropped in your league this week — the Jets are on bye, of course, and this is the time of the fantasy season where good players often get cut because a manager faces an immediate pinch. Taylor is already the team’s No. 2 target whenever Garrett Wilson plays, and with Wilson not 100% yet, it’s plausible Taylor could lead the Jets in targets for the remainder of the year.