This is the last take for my preseason rankings for fantasy football before the NFL Draft as I hit the second 6 of Top 12 TEs.
Youth reigned in my first 6, but the veterans dominate the second 6. And TE darling Travis Kelce continues his descent in the list after dominating for almost a decade.
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Let’s get into this final group!
No. 7: Tucker Kraft, Green Bay
Kraft may not put consistent big numbers in the Packers’ passing game, but he is the most consistent contributor vs. the Green Bay’s deep WR corps. Kraft finished five times in 17 games as a Top 12 TE but he only finished outside as the No. 29 TE only one time. Plus, he was one of six TEs in the Top 12 for PPR to play all 17 games. He’s a relatively healthy player.
But the biggest attribute for Kraft is his ability to get open downfield. He averaged 14.1 yards per catch, ranking second among TEs behind George Kittle’s 14.2.
No. 8: Jake Ferguson, Dallas
Ferguson had four Top 12 games last season when Dak Prescott was the starting QB for the Cowboys, but after Prescott injury, Ferguson cracked the Top 12 once (12th in Week 16 vs. Tampa Bay).
Ferguson success is tied to Prescott. In 2023, Ferguson saw 102 targets and finished with 71 catches for the 761 yards receiving and five TDs, all with Prescott as the Cowboys’ starting QB.
No. 9: Travis Kelce, Kansas City
Kelce dominated the Top 12 TEs fantasy football rankings for almost a decade, but the Chiefs‘ 11-year vet had his worst year of scoring touchdowns (3) and yards per catch (8.5) since becoming a full-time player in his second season. As the Kansas City offense continues to evolve, Kelce’s time as its main big play cog seems to be dwindling.
Kelce did have a six-week stretch of 5 Top 5 weeks during Week 4 through Week 10 (they had a bye in Week 6) but struggled to crack the Top 5 the rest of the season. In the final eight weeks of the season, he only had one week in the Top 5 with his big Christmas Day performance vs. Pittsburgh.
No. 10: Zach Ertz, Washington
Ertz seemed to be Jaylen Daniels go-to guy in the red zone late in the season as Ertz scored 6 TDs in the Commanders’ last seven games. In every week he scored a TD in that stretch, he finished TE15 or better in scoring that week.
Ertz may see his chances to slip with the trade of Deebo Samuel, but I believe Samuel hurts Daniels’ red-zone running chances than Ertz’s receiving chances. But Ertz should approach his 90-plus targets again in the competitive NFC East Division this fantasy football season.
No. 11: Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati
Gesicki was the right guy at the right time last year in the Cincinnati offense. He led the Bengals’ TE corps as opposing teams focused on WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside.
Gesicki averaged just less than 10 fantasy points a game (9.87) during the Cincinnati’s final six games, and with the Bengals expected to have a bottom third defense again, Gesicki should continue to get opportunities to produce (he saw 83 targets in 2024).
No. 12: David Njoku, Cleveland
Njoku may be the happiest player on the Browns’ roster with the return of the ageless Joe Flacco. These two combined for a five-game stretch in 2023 where Njoku finished as the TE4 or better four times. During those games, Njoku saw 45 targets and hauled in 30 catches for 390 yards and 4 TDs.
Last season, Njoku saw 97 targets despite only playing 11 games and was a Top 12 TE in seven of those games.
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