A few years later, Travis Kelce was head and shoulders above the rest, so dominating that many fantasy owners selected him in the first round. Zach Ertz and George Kittle tried to compete, but Kelce was the man.

Last year, no one man dominated the position of tight end. In fact, three tight ends cracked the 15-point-per-game mark and none of them were named Kelce, who finished seventh-best at 12.3 FPts/G.

Kittle, rookie Brock Bowers and Trey McBride led the way in 2024, but 13 tight ends cracked the 10-point mark, including good, but below expectations from Kelce, Mark Andrews and Sam LaPorta. Will these three guys bounce back? Below the 10-point level were a few tight ends we’ve come to expect big things from, but who stumbled last season. What can we expect from them?

I’ve identified eight tight ends, who produced at least two fantasy points-per-game less in 2024 than the previous season. Will we find any bargains among them? Let’s take a look.

Travis Kelce, KC (-2.5) – From 2016 through 2023 Kelce finished either first (five times) or second (three times) at the position. However, last season he didn’t make the top-five and looked ineffective and slow in the AFC championship game (2-19-0) and the Super Bowl (4-39-0). His volume was still elite (133 tgts in 2024), but his yards-per-reception was the lowest of his career. His caught just three touchdowns passes, also the lowest of his career. Was this just a bad season or is the soon-to-be 36-year-old finally showing his age? I think it’s the latter, in combination with a criminally weak offensive line. It’s hard for Kelce to work his magic when Patrick Mahomes is dodging defensive linemen. In 2025, the aging Kelce will be sharing targets with Rashee Rice, speedy Xavier Worthy and a healthy Marquise Brown. Kelce will still be a solid fantasy option, top-10, but he’s no longer a “must draft early” guy. He’s being drafted as the sixth tight end off the board in the eighth round and is solid value at that level. Just don’t expect 2022 Kelce to show up.

Mark Andrews, BAL (-2.4) – Once upon a time, Andrews was the only reliable pass catcher for Lamar Jackson. Maybe that’s why Jackson was forced to run so often in his early years. That’s not the case anymore. It also might be why Andrews’ production fell in 2024. His 11.1 FPts/G was his lowest number since his 2018 rookie season and only a career-high 11 touchdown catches kept it from going lower. Why is this happening and will it continue? Fellow tight end, Isaiah Likely, caught 42 balls for 477 yards and six touchdowns. Up-and-coming wideout Zay Flowers caught 74 of 116 targets for over 1,000 yards. Meanwhile, deep threat Rashod Bateman added 45 receptions for 756 yards and nine touchdowns. For 2025, the Ravens brought in veteran DeAndre Hopkins. Suffice it to say that Andrews once again will have to share the rock with his fellow pass catchers and I don’t believe he can reach anywhere close to his 2021 season. Figure his production to remain flat between 10.5-12.5 FPts/G in 2025.

Sam LaPorta, DET (-2.9) – Rookie Sam LaPorta was a sensation and No.3 in FPts/G at 13.8. Sophomore LaPorta, playing injured for much of the season (preseason hamstring, ankle and shoulder), was bottom of the top-10 level. But his workload and production improved in the later part of the season. A changing of coordinators is a small question mark, but this offense should be dynamic, both running and throwing the football. LaPorta could be second on the team in targets behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, but ahead of deep threat Jameson Williams or running back Jahmyr Gibbs. As a sixth-rounder (ADP 52) he should be a solid return, with perhaps a 10% increase over last season, but not to the 2023 level when Williams was suspended for half the year giving LaPorta additional targets.

Evan Engram, DEN (3.9) – It’s interesting that I think his move from Jacksonville to Denver will give him improved quarterback play. Yes, I rate Bo Nix better than former No.1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence. But from the second half of 2022 through the 2023 season, Lawrence used Engram more than he did his outside guys – Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk. Engram joins underrated Courtland Sutton (always one of my favorites) and an otherwise non-descript wide receiver room (Marvin Mims, Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant). Head coach Sean Payton was not afraid to use his rookie quarterback (sixth in total passing attempts last season) and until we see if rookie RJ Harvey is for real or J.K. Dobbins is healthy, the passing game will still be the Broncos primary mode of transportation. Sutton and Engram should battle for team high targets and both should end up over 120 for the season. That would make Engram a viable “bounce back” candidate and a bargain in the early ninth round.

T.J. Hockenson, MIN (-6.0) – Not unexpectedly, Hockenson missed the first half of the 2024 season recovering from a late 2023 ACL tear. He seemed healthy, but in truth, for most athletes, it takes until the second season after such an injury to return to peak form. That would be this upcoming season. He was a dominant option for Vikings quarterbacks and the guy they looked for when Justin Jefferson wasn’t open (pro tip – JJ is always open). Hockenson saw 129 and 127 targets in 2022 and 2023, respectively. However, the Vikings receiver room has improved in the last few seasons and now Hockenson may have to share some of those targets with Jordan Addison (63-875-9) and Jalen Nailor (28-414-6). Hockenson should make a solid leap forward, not to 2023 level (14.7 FPts/G), but 12.0 FPts/G is possible.

Cole Kmet, CHI (-3.4) – Nope, not gonna happen. Remember that game in Europe when he produced 24 fantasy points off a 5-70-2 game? We won’t see that again, barring his moving to another team. The Bears just spent a high draft choice on a tight end – No.10 overall for Michigan rookie Colston Loveland. They also added highly-touted rookie wideout Luther Burden III to a wideout corps which includes D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze. Barring multiple injuries, I see no scenario in which Kmet matches last season’s numbers in Chicago let alone returning to 2023 levels.

Jake Ferguson, DAL (-2.7) – When you play 14 games and don’t catch a single touchdown pass after five the previous season, your numbers are going to shrink. For whatever reason, neither Dak Prescott nor Cooper Rush nor Trey Lance could find Ferguson in the end zone. He also has some competition at tight end from Luke Schoonmaker and for targets from both CeeDee Lamb and new arrival George Pickens. I’m thinking in an effort to keep both his “diva” receivers happy, Prescott is going to need to throw to them early and often and get them touchdowns as much as possible. All this will lead to another down season for Ferguson, though odds say he should reach the end zone a couple of times.

Dalton Schultz, HOU (3.2) – Schultz put up some pretty good numbers his last two seasons in Dallas (12.2 FPts/G in 2021 and 9.6 in 2022) and continued to shine his first year in Houston (10.2). But like the entire Texans offense, he was a victim of a horrible offensive line in 2024 which kept C.J. Stroud running for his life. Schultz saw his numbers drop to 7.0 FPts/G. Nico Collins will still be Stroud’s No.1 target and Kirk should be the second option, but Schultz will be the third choice and return to his former level… assuming the team has worked out its offensive line issues. Schultz could be a late-round bargain with an ADP of 253 if… everything goes right. If not, you didn’t spend much capital anyway.