Preparation for fantasy football drafts does not just include pinpointing must-have assets or spotting the diamonds in the rough. A manager also needs to identify the players whom they wish to avoid at each position. Typically, these players will have a questionable outlook for the upcoming season, yet their draft status will remain relatively high regardless of the potential problems.
The group of tight ends below are ones to consider steering clear of in upcoming fantasy drafts.
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Fantasy Football TEs to Avoid
ADP is based on industry consensus at the time of writing.
T.J. Hockenson (MIN): Overall ADP 51 | TE 3
Hockenson is a solid pass catcher coming off a career year. He was traded from Detroit to Minnesota in the middle of last season and didn’t miss a beat, even after joining a new team. In his 10 games with the Vikings, the top-10 draft choice from 2019 averaged six grabs (8.6 targets) for 52 yards per game and scored three times.
Currently sitting as the third TE off the board in most drafts, Hockenson is certainly one of the rational options at the position after Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews are selected. It’s not so much his stock among TEs but rather his ranking as a fourth or fifth-round overall pick that makes Hockenson one to avoid. That’s just simply too high for a player that has never reached 1,000 yards or more than six touchdowns.
Following his move to Minnesota, Hockenson largely ran as QB Kirk Cousins’ second option in the passing game behind superstar Justin Jefferson. Hockenson could quickly be knocked down a rung by first-round rookie WR Jordan Addison in 2023.
Kyle Pitts (ATL): Overall ADP 70 | TE 5
Pitts’ abilities are not in question. Second-year QB Desmond Ridder’s are, as is the Falcons’ offensive approach under head coach Arthur Smith. Pitts is on a run-heavy team – only the Eagles averaged more rush attempts per game than the Falcons last season – with an unproven, inexperienced quarterback under center as well as another very talented wideout in Drake London who will soak up targets. That is obviously not a recipe for tasty fantasy production.
Now, Pitts was taken with the fourth pick in the NFL Draft for a reason. The Falcons had the opportunity to grab an elite playmaker, and they didn’t waste it. He immediately rewarded them with a 1,000-yard campaign as a rookie.
After Pitts only played 10 games and was not much of a factor with incompatible QB Marcus Mariota last season, Smith and his staff will, or at least should, attempt to take advantage of the youthful TE’s skills in every conceivable way. Will they be successful in that endeavor? That question alone makes him a risky fantasy target.
Pat Freiermuth (PIT): Overall ADP 112 | TE 10
The situation with Freiermuth is quite similar to the one with Pitts. Freiermuth is a highly drafted third-year tight end relying on the development of a second-year quarterback for production as a pass catcher.
Kenny Pickett showed some encouraging signs here and there while running the Pittsburgh offense as a rookie QB last season. He played 12 games (technically 13), averaging right at 200 yards passing while completing 63 percent of his throws. The downside, especially for fantasy purposes, is that he connected with his receivers for just seven touchdowns. Only one of those went to Freiermuth.
Overall last season, Freiermuth averaged 4.5 receptions for 52.8 yards across 10 games with Pickett under center. That’s not bad for a bottom-end TE 1, and there’s reason to believe those marks could improve. Still, there are several more options that could easily match or surpass Freiermuth’s totals going significantly later in drafts.
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Nate Miller is a featured writer at FantasyPros and a 9-year veteran of the fantasy sports industry. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Miller_RotoDad.
