Fantasy Football Debate: Which tight end should be No. 2 in rankings?

Fantasy football analysts Andy Behrens, Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski debate over who should be the number-two-ranked tight end for fantasy draft season — whose argument is strongest?

The Case for George Kittle

Let's just hit the key point right here at the top: Brock Purdy threw 13 touchdown passes in the final six weeks last season and seven of them — SEVEN — were caught by George Kittle. It seems fair to say these guys have chemistry:

Kittle already has a pair of 80-catch, 1,000-yard seasons to his credit, so his potential is well-established, and he just set a new career high in TD receptions. As long as Purdy is back in action in September — and the news on that front has been plenty positive — we should expect 900-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns from Kittle.

We all know tight end is a notoriously TD-reliant roster spot in fantasy; Kittle is a great bet to lead the position in spikes in 2023.

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Fantasy managers have tried to make the injury-prone label stick to Kittle, but he's played 29 regular season games over the past two years, just like T.J. Hockenson. Also, it's not as if Mark Andrews is without an injury history. If you're downgrading Kittle over vague availability worries unattached to any current issue, then your process is flawed.

Travis Kelce obviously remains the clear No. 1 TE in our game, but Kittle is the closest thing he has to a challenger. At least Harmon agrees that Iowa is, in fact, Tight End University. — Behrens

The Case for T.J. Hockenson

The Vikings pulled off a rare in-division midseason trade to acquire T.J. Hockenson last year and it was apparent from the jump why they coveted him. Hockenson immediately inhaled serious volume as the much-desired secondary pass catcher in Minnesota. From Week 9 through the Vikings’ playoff loss, Hockenson handled a 21.3% target share and even became the first read a decent amount when Justin Jefferson was bracketed. Hock's .26 targets per route run trailed Jefferson by just .02. He’s a huge part of the offense and even with the arrival of Jordan Addison, I don’t see that changing. Even if Adam Thielen was a declining player last year, he still ran a ton of routes and was a big part of the offense. Addison, while being an overall pro-ready prospect, is a rookie, while Hockenson is a veteran with baked-in timing playing for the Vikings.

Hockenson came in just shy of 1,000 yards last season but I think he gets there this year and could truly smash if he gets a little luckier in the touchdown column. Cousins underperformed there a bit last season but that could progress in Year 2 of Kevin O’Connell’s offense.

Side note: It’s interesting that neither of us has Mark Andrews as the TE2 behind Travis Kelce; he’s third for me. I won’t speak for Andy but I want to bake in the possibility, even though little to no other fantasy analyst wants to admit it, that one of the wideouts takes over as the top option in Baltimore. Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr. have the potential to be good-to-great starting receivers.

Andrews is a good pick, I just like Hockenson’s ceiling and floor combo better. — Harmon

The Case for Mark Andrews

With all due respect to my esteemed colleagues and the talented players they’re repping, I’m surprised this is a debate. We want cheat codes in fantasy, and at the tight end, that means getting work from the slot and carving a path to easy touchdowns. Mark Andrews is your Huckleberry.

Andrews was second in slot yards among tight ends last year, trailing only Travis Kelce. This is critical for a fantasy tight end. We don’t want them with a hand in the ground, blocking, taking on contact, taking out the trash. We want them treated essentially as jumbo-sized wideouts, and that’s the role Andrews plays.

Kittle had a surprising touchdown spike last year — clicking with Brock Purdy — but I wonder how sustainable that is. A bunch of the Purdy-to-Kittle touchdowns came from sizable distances (39, 32, 28, 54, 34 and 33 yards); you love a splash play when it lands, but it’s not something you want to chase as a repeatable event. Kittle also has considerable competition for the ball too, as the Niners need to keep Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk happy. If I’m going with a vanity tight end, I need a safer floor for targets.

Hockenson’s volume got a nifty boost when he hit Minnesota, but the plays weren’t exciting — only three touchdowns on 60 catches, a modest 8.7 yards per reception. Hockenson has never caught more than six touchdowns in a season. If you’re considering a vanity tight end, an early pick at a one-fill position, you need a plausible chance for your guy to lead the position in touchdowns. How can anyone pick Hockenson for that honor?

To be fair, Andrews had a disappointing touchdown haul last year (just five), dealing with the Lamar Jackson injury and some missteps from the Baltimore coaching staff. Now Jackson is back (and handsomely paid), and the Ravens have well-respected OC Todd Monken taking over the play sheet. In the three previous years, Andrews had 10, seven and nine touchdowns, the clear preference when Baltimore passed near the goal. Mix it all together — slot work, target priority, goal-line role — and Andrews should be the No. 2 tight end on everyone’s board. — Pianowski