Three tight ends to avoid in fantasy football

With the 2023 NFL preseason officially wrapped up, it's time to start drafting your fantasy football teams. Unless you're choosing Travis Kelce or a select group of others, the tight end position is essentially a fantasy wasteland. Here are three tight ends to avoid to ensure that you don't make a regrettable decision.

George Kittle, 49ers (ESPN ADP: 50.8)

One of the NFL's premier tight ends turned in another top-three finish in fantasy, but his underlying numbers indicate that Kittle, who is being drafted as the TE4, will regress this season. Kittle recorded 60 receptions last season for 765 yards and 11 touchdowns, a considerable rise from his previous career-best six scores and a reason to be skeptical of drafting the four-time Pro Bowler. 

As The Fantasy Footballers' Javier Manzanera points out, 63.6% of Kittle's touchdowns came in the last four games of the season when Brock Purdy stepped in at quarterback. In those games, Kittle's target share went from 19% to 26%, which is unlikely to be sustainable across an entire season. Additionally, Kittle continued his decline in terms of receiving yards per game last season, averaging 51, the fewest since his rookie season.  

With a full offseason to incorporate running back Christian McCaffrey into the offense and wideout Deebo Samuel finally healthy, the 29-year-old Kittle will likely get lost in the shuffle more often than not. Instead of drafting Kittle, who could be the fourth option in San Francisco, consider investing your selection in Darren Waller (ADP: 51), the top receiving option in the Giants' offense.

Greg Dulcich, Broncos (ADP: 163.9)

After missing the first five games of his rookie season with a hamstring injury, Dulcich emerged as a top weapon for quarterback Russell Wilson and a highly coveted waiver wire pickup. Dulcich caught 33 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns before another hamstring injury ended his season after playing 10 games.

During the period when he was healthy, Dulcich was the TE10 overall, a remarkable feat for a rookie tight end in fantasy. 

Sean Payton-led offenses typically produce high-quality fantasy results from the tight end position, so why should we fade Dulcich even though he showed flashes as a rookie? Apparently, he's not Payton's guy, instead that distinction belongs to offseason acquisition and former Saint Adam Trautman, who is penciled in as Denver's starting tight end.

Even if there are a few games where Dulcich can be effective alongside Trautman, it's simply unwise to gamble on the No. 2 tight end in a passing attack that has serious red flags. 

Irv Smith Jr., Bengals (ADP: 169.9)

Each season, Smith is consistently referred to as a solid sleeper, but whether it's injuries or lack of production, he fails to live up to expectations. Now entering a season on a high-powered offense with a top quarterback in Joe Burrow, Smith's hype train is gaining steam yet again despite playing just eight games over the last two seasons. 

Much like Kittle's situation in San Francisco, there are simply too many mouths to feed in Cincinnati, with receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins commanding most of Burrow's targets. Plus, Burrow hasn't shown that he relies on his tight ends much. Current Jet C.J. Uzomah's TE19 finish in 2021 was the highest ranking among Bengals tight ends during the former No. 1 pick's time at the helm. 

There's a decent chance that Smith, the TE32 on ESPN, won't be selected in drafts, but many will be tempted to pick him up as a streaming option after seeing his face on waivers for a few weeks. Yet unless Chase, Higgins or Tyler Boyd suffer a long-term injury, the Bengals' offense is too unpredictable for Smith to be a viable spot starter.