The tight end landscape in fantasy football for 2024 is extremely fascinating, with a group of elite options near the top, some veteran options after that and a large group of mostly high-variance options. The high-variance options are what we’ll be sorting through because several in this tier could either just bottom out or realize some massive potential for fantasy managers not looking to spend up at the position.
Let’s dig into some of the TE2 options for this season that have top-five potential for your fantasy football squads.
- 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Fantasy Football Rankings
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Fantasy Football TE2s with Massive Upside
Pat Freiermuth (TE – PIT)
ECR: TE13
What we’re looking for with tight ends is the possibility that they could be the first or second targets in their offense. That is a lot of the battle when it comes to plucking TE2 options from the later rounds of drafts and having them become hugely successful fantasy options. Pat Freiermuth fits this bill to a tee as he’s already the second option in the Steelers’ offense behind George Pickens.
With Arthur Smith taking the reins as the offensive coordinator in 2024 following the Matt Canada experience abruptly ending in the middle of last season, one certainly has questions about how this offense is going to operate. While the offense hasn’t been particularly great for wide receivers, it HAS been great for the efficiency of running backs. But also, the tight end position is vital for Smith’s offense and that’s where Freiermuth comes in.
No offense in the NFL targeted the tight end position more than Arthur Smith’s Falcons did last season, distributing 34% of their team’s total targets (173 in total) to the position. That’s a great thing if we’re trying to pencil in touchdown equity for Freiermuth, but the fact that the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Panthers this offseason opens up a whole lot of real estate for Pickens and Freiermuth. While the Steelers did draft Roman Wilson, he’s been banged up during training camp and the other depth receivers on the roster like Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, and Quez Watkins do not earn a high volume of targets.
66 seconds of @CoopAFiasco fueling the Pat Freiermuth hype train on last night's Pros vs. Joes live draft coverage.
Tune in and see the full draft unfold and Coop's full analysis at https://t.co/sALNIV7gz0! pic.twitter.com/JG5NKP1RE5
— The FFPC (@FFPC) July 30, 2024
Freiermuth had an up-and-down 2023 season thanks to some injury woes, but looking at 2022 as a base, Freiermuth was TE7 that season with a solidly efficient 1.68 yards per route run (YPRR) and 22% targets per route run (TPRR). One notable utilization point is Freiermuth has trended up in his slot usage, from 32% in his rookie season up to 36% and 49% last season. If Freiermuth can split his time in the slot and on the line, he can be schemed into some great matchups over the middle, where Russell Wilson thrives throwing the ball.
If we’re looking for a TE2 with top-five potential for this season, Freiermuth should be front and center on every list.
Noah Fant (TE – SEA)
ECR: TE21
It feels like we’ve been waiting for the Noah Fant breakout for decades, but somehow, Fant is entering his sixth NFL season. The last two seasons have been spent in Seattle splitting time with names like Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson, and a host of other random tight ends. But what’s so different about this season?
Fant essentially has the room by himself now with Dissly off to the Chargers and Parkinson signing a deal with the Rams. Not only that, but Pete Carroll is gone and Mike Macdonald is in as head coach with Ryan Grubb coming over from the University of Washington as the offense coordinator as well to assume play-calling duties. While we don’t exactly know how this Grubb offense will operate as Grubb has spent most of his coaching career under Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, there are some takeaways that could hint at what we can expect this season from this offense.
The Washington Huskies last season ran a lot of 11 personnel and that would isolate Fant as their tight end without needing to come off the field too much. Seeing how Washington’s high-flying offense last season operated with Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan, it’s difficult not to get excited about what that could look like for DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Fant, who the Seahawks gave a two-year deal to and will feature him a ton.
#Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald on Noah Fant:
“We’re really excited about Noah, and the type of player that he is… When he’s out there making plays, you feel that the process is coming to life and you’re excited for him that there’s results on the field” pic.twitter.com/nzFNprB9Vh
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) July 28, 2024
Fant has two seasons of 90+ targets at his previous stop with the Broncos, but Fant’s peripherals have taken a steady decline with the Seahawks as he’s split time with multiple tight ends. Now that he has the Seahawks’ TE1 job sewn up in a pass-happy offense, it’s time to buy into Fant at what is essentially a free square in drafts if you have the bench space to draft a TE2.
Greg Dulcich (TE – DEN)
ECR: TE36
We’re going deeper and it’s not even because of the hair, even if it is incredibly luxurious. Greg Dulcich is back on the menu and while we loved what we saw in 2022, his 2023 was a lost season as he only played two games and caught three passes. Are we worried about Adam Trautman?
In 2019, Nick Boyle was the Ravens "starting" tight end. He played 768 snaps.
Mark Andrews played only 456. He finished as TE5.
I don't care about blocking for fantasy football. I care about catching passes.
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) August 8, 2024
I am indeed not worried about Trautman. And you shouldn’t be either. He’s a clunky blocking tight end who will stay tethered to the line now that Dulcich is back and (presumably) healthy. As Andrew Cooper of Fantasy Alarm has pointed out, Dulcich is in line for the “joker” role that Jimmy Graham occupied in the same offense way back when with the Saints. All Graham did in that role was post four consecutive 125+ target seasons, score no fewer than nine touchdowns and finish no worse than TE3 in any of those seasons.
What about target competition? Well, there’s Courtland Sutton. Jerry Jeudy is off to Cleveland in an offseason trade. Rookie Troy Franklin is buried on the depth chart. Head coach Sean Payton seems to just flat-out hate Marvin Mims. Tim Patrick hasn’t played an NFL snap since the Carter administration – okay, since January 8th, 2022. Josh Reynolds should play a bit is isn’t a threat to take meaningful targets away. We have an open runway for Dulcich with newly minted starting quarterback Bo Nix to potentially be a top-two target on the Broncos.
The best part about Dulcich is that you don’t have to draft him. You can keep him in the back of your mind or on a watch list and scoop him up before your leaguemates because you read this article. Dulcich has always had an excellent athletic profile and now may have the circumstances necessary to take advantage of that this season.
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Kevin Tompkins is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Kevin, check out his profile and follow him @ktompkinsii.
