Lance's 2024 Rookie TE Dynasty Outlook
The obvious #1 because you just can’t deny his talent:
Brock Bowers (Las Vegas - 1st round): Not a great landing spot, but he’s too talented for the Raiders not to try and find ways to get the ball into his hands. However, we have seen another extremely talented young Tight End hurt by his Quarterback play, I’m of course referring to Kyle Pitts. The hope here would be that Pitts’ impact was equally hurt by Arthur Smith and that the Raiders coaching staff isn’t dumb enough to follow that same path.
Could end up being the #1 guy this year because the situation is better:
Ben Sinnott (Washington - 2nd round): Solid college production at Kansas State coupled with freakish athleticism led to him being the second Tight End taken. It was a very smart pick for Daniels. He will, however, have to deal with the veteran presence of Zach Ertz.
Guys landing in potential starter situations, but maybe not right away:
Ja’Tavion Sanders (Carolina - 4th round): His athletic testing caused his drop to a day 3 grade on my board, and is likely what led to his fall to the fourth round. The receiving ability is there though, and Carolina’s TE1 spot is winnable.
Theo Johnson (NY Giants - 4th round): Uber-athletic, but the college production didn’t match. That’s kind of a concern, but also, Penn State’s passing offense wasn’t all that effective. The Giants are an interesting landing spot. They want to utilize their Tight End position, that’s a plus. And with Darren Waller announcing his retirement, the door is presumably open. Daniel Bellinger is still on the team, has shown he can be reliable, and he’s been in this offense for two years already.
Bench stash if you’re into that sort of thing with Tight Ends:
Cade Stover (Houston - 4th round): He gets matched back up with C.J. Stroud. He also lands behind the newly re-signed Dalton Schultz and a plethora of pass catching options out wide. This has the potential to be a four year stash and I’m not all about that.
Jared Wiley (Kansas City - 4th round): Wiley was a day 3 sleeper with solid college production and pretty good athleticism. If that sounds familiar it’s because it’s a similar description to the guy he could eventually replace. Travis Kelce turns 35 in October and he’s coming off his worst season since 2015, which is still a better season than just about every Tight End in the league. That could be a sign of him slowing down, or it could’ve just been an off year. Wiley may be worth a stash in case it was the former.
Jaheim Bell (New England - 7th round): Bell is a move Tight End, so Hunter Henry’s presence shouldn’t hinder him cause he doesn’t have the traditional size to line-up much in the traditional Tight End spot. He could, however, see time split out wide or in the slot, or he could move into the backfield, or play in a wing back kind of position. He’s very athletic, has great hands, and is the kind of mismatch player that would make a very nice outlet for a young QB. The fact he went in the 7th round is why he’s in bench stash territory and not the potential starter situation.
Erick All/Tanner McLachlan (Cincinnati - 4thand 6th round): Cincinnati signed Mike Gesicki to a one-year deal, and I wouldn’t expect a 4th round pick coming off an injury, or a 6thround pick to take the TE1 role away from him. But unless Gesicki explodes, Cincinnati is likely to keep that as a one-year bridge signing and either draft someone next year or turn to one of these two guys. Personally, I like McLachlan more than All.
The remaining drafted players that I don't see having a particularly bright future
Tip Reimann (Arizona - 3rd round): I like Reimann's potential, but this was a bad break. Arizona has one of the top up-and-comers at Tight End in Trey McBride, and Murray hasn't had two Tight Ends eclipse 300 yards in a season under his watch in Arizona. On top of that, McBride was the first to go for over 600 yards (he did it last year) and not all of that was from Murray. If the Cards decide not to pay McBride in the next two years, than maybe Reimann gets back on the radar, but for now he shouldn't be looked at in dynasty (unless you have the equivalent of a practice squad).
A.J. Barner (Seattle - 4th round): All three of Seattle's Tight Ends from last year had their contracts come up this offseason, Noah Fant is the only one they brought back. Fant is talented enough to be the TE1 in an offense, he just needs an OC that will utilize him as such. If Grubbs decides to continue the three Tight End rotation the Seahawks utilized for what seemed like all of Carroll's tenure, then Barner and maybe even Jack Westover could carry some sort of value. But it's not like the trio of Fant, Dissly and Parkinson was knocking down the fantasy doors.
Devin Culp (Tampa Bay - 7th round): Cade Otton has established himself as the starter in Tampa, and the Bucs have Evans, Godwin and White gobbling up targets. Plus, they've got a couple of young talents behind Evans and Godwin (Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan). Culp's potential diminishes more and more every time you look at the roster.