• Jonnu Smith breaks out in Yr 8: The 29-year-old tight finish proves that tight ends can have worth in Mike McDaniel’s offense.
• Dalton Kincaid’s sophomore droop results in vital disappointment: Drafted as a top-five tight finish, Kincaid fails to come back anyplace near returning that worth in 2024.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full entry to all of our in-season fantasy instruments, together with weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Begin-Sit Optimizer and extra. Join now!
Estimated studying time: 6 minutes
Each NFL season is stuffed with surprises, each good and dangerous, and 2024 was no exception. Loads of fantasy property emerged seemingly out of nowhere to change into high quality beginning choices, and others allow us to down, both because of harm, poor play and inefficiency or getting benched.
On this article, we’ll have a look at a few of the nice surprises and shock disappointments at tight finish from 2024, leaving out gamers who missed vital chunks of time because of harm.
NOTE: Fantasy factors/rankings are from Weeks 1-17
Nice shock: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Bowers being a direct menace within the NFL wasn’t a shock contemplating his generational standing as a prospect, however dominating the best way he did on one of many league’s worst offenses whereas ending because the PPR TE1 on the 12 months and setting a number of rookie information alongside the best way makes for the shock popping out of Yr 1. Bowers, like the remainder of the Raiders offense, might have had a mean and inconsistent season relative to their expectations, however he instantly hit the bottom operating as the focus of the passing recreation, setting the report for many receptions by a rookie in a season and breaking Mike Ditka’s 63-year-old report of most receiving yards by a rookie tight finish.
Bowers proved that there ought to by no means have been a priority along with his touchdown spot, whatever the quarterback’s scenario and the truth that he landed on a roster that had simply spent a second-round decide on Michael Mayer in 2023. The Georgia product proved that he’s very clearly a distinct breed and able to be a long-time staple for fantasy functions whatever the workforce round him.
Nice shock: Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins
Tight ends beneath Mike McDaniel in Miami haven’t been a really fantasy-relevant place, as no participant had even exceeded 50 targets in a season nor cracked the top-20 PPR tight ends for a season, till now. Guessing that it could be the eight-year 29-year-old tight finish that might break that pattern ought to be thought-about an incredible name however for almost all of the fantasy neighborhood, this was a large shock, particularly contemplating his draft capital of TE29.
Smith finally completed because the PPR TE4 on the 12 months, ending second on the workforce in targets (109) and receiving yards (886) whereas main the workforce in receiving touchdowns (eight). These have been all top-five marks for the place throughout the complete league as properly. Smith actually kicked issues into excessive gear popping out of the workforce’s Week 6 bye, the place from Week 7-on he ranked because the PPR TE1 over that span, ending as a weekly top-five tight finish 5 occasions over the ultimate 11 video games and stepping up as among the finest fantasy choices on the place this season.
Nice shock: Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
Ertz was included as a sleeper tight finish this offseason based mostly on his very late ADP and the Commanders not having a real second choice within the receiving recreation subsequent to Terry McLaurin. This proved to be precisely the method that led to Ertz ending because the PPR TE8 on the season. Ertz stayed wholesome and persistently discovered his technique to targets all 12 months lengthy, placing up usable fantasy manufacturing on any given week, as he ranked among the many top-10 at his place in targets (87), receptions (66), receiving yards (654) and touchdowns (seven).
Ertz was largely undrafted this offseason, coming off an harm and properly into his 30s, so he was a simple participant to disregard for fantasy, however he proved that he nonetheless had extra gasoline left within the tank. He emerged as one of many higher surprises of the 2024 season as a top-10 tight finish.
Shock disappointment: Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Payments
With each Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis gone, many thought Kincaid, who completed second on the workforce in targets (90) as a rookie, can be the apparent wager to step up and ship as the highest goal this season and at the least be a top-10 tight finish on the 12 months. Nevertheless, even after ending as TE11 in 2023 with more durable goal competitors, Kincaid got here nowhere near his TE5 ADP and let down fantasy managers in a giant manner, even contemplating he missed three video games because of harm.
The excellent news for Kincaid was that he did come by means of with an elite 25.7% goal charge, which led the workforce, and he even set a brand new career-high in yards per route run (1.55). The issue was that it wasn’t sufficient to manifest into weekly fantasy manufacturing as he managed simply two top-10 weekly finishes throughout 13 video games this season. Contemplating a few of the extra promising underlying metrics and accidents that he handled, Kincaid’s season could possibly be thought-about a sophomore droop, as he has an opportunity to bounce again in 2025.
Shock disappointment: Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
It occurred once more. Pitts discovered a brand new technique to let down fantasy managers who believed in a breakout 12 months because of a lot of the circumstances round him bettering, together with a brand new teaching workers and a transparent improve at quarterback. Nevertheless, there have been simply too many down performances, particularly within the second half of the season, to even be a reliable fantasy choice, not to mention a constant top-six choice he was drafted to be.
From Week 9-on, Pitts solely managed one recreation of at the least 50 receiving yards after doing so 5 occasions within the first eight video games of the 12 months. And thru these first eight video games, issues have been trying good as he was the PPR TE3 over that stretch, however as a result of he was the PPR TE31 in his ultimate eight video games, that made for an finally disappointing season, as he disappeared when it mattered most. It will now be the third-straight season of Pitts ending exterior the top-12 PPR tight ends and it’s going to be troublesome to think about him inside that vary now heading into 2025, whatever the scenario round him.
