Must-Have Tight Ends: Dalton Kincaid, Evan Engram, Cade Otton (Fantasy Football)

Let’s dive into fantasy football tight ends we’re targeting in every draft possible. Here are a few of our must-have tight ends to target in your upcoming fantasy football drafts.

Fantasy Football Must-Have Tight Ends

Dalton Kincaid (TE – BUF)

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The Buffalo Bills have a lot of vacated targets heading into 2024. Khalil Shakir is the only wide receiver on the roster who has ever caught a pass from Josh Allen. With Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis out of town, Allen is going to be relying on some other weapons this season. One of those will be second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid, and his role is about to explode.

Dalton Kincaid was eighth in tight end targets and seventh in receptions in his rookie season last year. He was top-12 in both receiving yards and yards after the catch and was 11th among all tight ends in routes run. Again, this is with Diggs and Davis competing for targets. I think Curtis Samuel is a fine addition, and Keon Coleman could someday turn into an elite field-stretching receiver, but for 2024? Grab Kincaid all day long at his draft spot in the fifth round.

Evan Engram (TE – JAX)

In 2023, Evan Engram had perhaps the greatest tight end season ever that very few people are talking about. His 143 targets were 16 more than any other tight end. That was more than 20 targets over what players like Sam LaPorta and Trey McBride had, two players going before Engram in drafts right now (Engram’s ADP is around pick 72). Now Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones and their 200 combined targets are gone. At least a slice of those are going to head to Engram.

Evan Engram finished with the 2nd most TE receptions (114) in NFL history and led all TEs with 143 Targets.

Jacksonville has the 5th most vacated targets in the NFL. Hard to project Engram as anything but a target hog in 2024.

An all formats target ???? pic.twitter.com/LyRXVBLUTR

– TheOGfantasyfootball (@TheOGfantasy) May 26, 2024

Engram finished as the overall TE2 in total fantasy points and was sixth in points per game despite eight bad drops that could have propelled him even higher in the rankings. As the consensus eighth tight end off the board, there is a pathway here to a top-two finish if Trevor Lawrence makes any progression in his passing accuracy and red-zone efficiency.

Cade Otton (TE – TB)

At the bottom of the draft boards, you will find Cade Otton (current ADP of 199). In most leagues, he will be on the waiver wire when the draft is finished unless it is a two-tight-end league or one that rewards tight end-premium scoring. But at times over the past two years, he has been the security blanket for first Tom Brady and then Baker Mayfield. Otton has absolutely no target competition at the tight end position, mirroring his situation from last season.

Don’t look now, but Mr. @CadeOtton has been on ???????? pic.twitter.com/2ytPYIgw7D

– Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 7, 2024

In 2023, Otton drew 67 targets, which were 60 more targets than the next-closest tight end on the roster. The Buccaneers should still be an offense that throws enough to be able to support two strong wide receivers and a tight end who has the potential to end 2024 as a top-14 option.

NFL Dalton Kincaid Khalil Shakir Josh Allen Stefon Diggs Gabe Davis Curtis Samuel Keon Coleman Evan Engram Sam LaPorta Trey McBride Calvin Ridley Zay Jones Trevor Lawrence Cade Otton Baker Mayfield