Outlook: Hockenson looked primed for a monster year after starting 2021 off with 19 targets, 16 receptions, 163 yards and two touchdowns in the first two weeks. There just wasn't much meat left on the bone after that, as defenses wisely realized Hock was the only receiving threat on the team. Touchdowns became a mere myth for Hockenson last season, as the inefficiency of the Detroit offense led to only 9 red zone targets for the young tight end.

So, what does 2022 bring? Well first off, the additions at receiver are sure to eat into Hockenson's target numbers, as the ball should be spread around more. At the same time though, his efficiency is sure to improve with theoretically less defensive attention. He enters the prime of his career with several solid, if unspectacular seasons behind him, and is likely going to be one of the team leaders in receptions. With some improved scoring chances, Hockenson could slide into the middle tier of TE1s with a chance to move up.

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Outlook: Dallas Goedert was one of the "safe, reliable" tight ends who was going in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts in 2021 and that's about what he delivered. His 830 yards were fifth-most among all tight ends and while he finished with just four touchdowns on the season, he was a top-10 overall producer at the position on the year both in PPR and non-PPR formats.

While it's encouraging to note that Goedert was extremely effective on a per-target basis in 2021, the obvious concern is that he's not likely to see a significant uptick in total targets here in 2022, especially now that the team added A.J. Brown this offseason. Goedert was already in a low-volume passing game and he struggled to dominate targets even against the likes of Quez Watkins, Jalen Reagor and rookie DeVonta Smith. When you consider that the team kept Watkins and Reagor, Smith has another year of development under his belt, and Brown is now on the roster, it's tough to imagine a world where Goedert suddenly produces significantly more than he did before.

Like Smith, the most likely outcome is that Goedert continues to be highly effective on the targets he does see come his way, but that his total opportunities remain about the same or even go down slightly here in 2022. That doesn't mean that Goedert can't continue to be a TE1 for fantasy, of course, as the position is pretty much a complete disaster outside the top five or so players. It does, however, mean that Goedert is unlikely to become a true difference-maker at the position this season and thus should not be a priority in fantasy drafts.

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Outlook: Ertz was a nice acquisition for the Cardinals, posting a 56-574-3 line in 11 games after coming over from the Eagles. That earned the veteran a three-year deal with the club. Entering his age-32 season, Ertz may be on the downside of his career, but he's still a reliable volume target that has topped 70 receptions in six of his last seven seasons.

There will be competition for snaps, however, as Ertz is joined in the tight end room by second-round pick Trey McBride and Maxx Williams, who'd put together a couple of big games before suffering a torn ACL in Week 5, which led to the Ertz trade. Neither player is likely to overtake Ertz, but they could siphon away production. That leaves Ertz as a borderline top-10 option with some downside.

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