Bowers produced what Mullen calls 'maybe the greatest first-year tight-end season ever' by leading the position with 112 receptions on a 27 % target rate and matching CeeDee Lamb’s 5.35 yards after catch per grab. Astonishingly, he saw just six targets inside the 10-yard line and scored zero times there. An upgrade from Aidan O’Connell to Geno Smith plus a revamped run game behind Ashton Jeanty sets the table for a big touchdown spike. Managers must spend a TE1/2.04 pick, but Bowers’ combination of volume floor and red-zone growth potential makes him worth the premium.

McBride followed a 2023 breakout by finishing TE3 in 2024 while leading all tight ends with a 26.5 % target share and 116 first-read looks. His 111 receptions rank 4th all-time for the position, yet he scored only twice, suggesting more room on the bone. Even if Marvin Harrison Jr. takes a step forward, McBride’s ADP of TE2/2.12 still buys weekly positional advantage, according to Mullen.

Kittle set personal bests in red-zone targets, catches and touchdowns in 2024 and was targeted on a league-high 33 % of his routes inside the 20. With Brock Purdy he averages 5.23 extra fantasy points and 67 yards per game, and Deebo Samuel’s exit frees up 17.2 % of team targets. Mullen calls Kittle—available at TE3/4.02—the final tight end with true game-breaking upside and one of the Ballers’ favorite 4th-round values.

Hockenson piled up 62 targets despite not playing until Week 9, yet became one of only five tight ends in the last decade to post 60+ targets without a touchdown. Mullen points out that tight ends average a 21 % target share with first-year starters like J.J. McCarthy, and Hockenson’s splits jump 5.78 fantasy points when Justin Jefferson is sidelined—a realistic scenario given Jefferson’s current hamstring issue and Jordan Addison’s potential suspension. At TE5/5.11 he profiles as a rare mid-round tight end with legitimate top-three volume upside.

Kelce set career lows in yards per catch (8.5), average depth (6.8) and touchdowns (3) in 2024, converting only 3 of a league-leading 25 red-zone targets. Although his TE6/7.05 price is the cheapest in nearly a decade—and Rashee Rice’s suspension could funnel early-season targets—Mullen questions whether age and a suddenly crowded receiver room will cap the ceiling once Kansas City is at full strength. Managers drafting Kelce must now accept wider weekly variance instead of bankable top-five production.

LaPorta turned in eight top-10 weekly finishes last year but disappointed drafters who paid a premium as his target share dipped and Detroit diversified under Ben Johnson. With Johnson gone and Detroit’s offensive identity in flux, Mullen calls the current TE4/5.04 ADP 'a difficult bet,' noting that while a double-digit-TD season is possible, the opportunity cost in the 5th round is steep relative to the wide-receiver and running-back talent available.

Njoku averaged nearly six receptions and 45.9 yards per game last season while catching passes from a 13-quarterback revolving door. Crucially, since 2022 he has produced 3.6 more fantasy points per outing whenever Deshaun Watson is not under center, and the current plan leaves Watson on the sideline. At a TE10/9.03 cost, Mullen sees a target-share monster who has proven scheme- and QB-proof, making him a late-round safety blanket with top-8 upside despite a CIN/@BAL/GB/@DET start.

Despite missing eight games and finishing TE32, Engram still averaged over five catches per week in 2024—tied for 5th at the position. Mullen likes his switch to Sean Payton’s offense, calling the planned 'Joker' role a perfect fit in a depth-chart that thins quickly after Courtland Sutton. Payton’s TEs have historically commanded heavy target shares, and if Engram can top the four-TD ceiling he hasn’t surpassed since 2017, his TE9/8.07 ADP could pay off handsomely. Early opponents (TEN/@IND/@LAC/CIN) profile as neutral-to-plus matchups for tight ends.

Mullen reminded readers that Andrews opened 2024 with zero scores and 3.4 fantasy points per game over five contests only to rip off 11 touchdowns from Week 6 on—second to Ja’Marr Chase. History says beware: every tight end in the past decade with 10+ TDs and fewer than 900 yards has watched his TD total fall the next year. Even so, Andrews’ current draft cost (TE7/7.11) and a consensus Ballers rank of 9th make him one of the cheapest paths to top-5 positional upside, especially with early dates @BUF, CLE, DET and @KC likely forcing Lamar Jackson to the air.

Kurt Mullen noted that Tucker Kraft finished 2024 as the TE9 thanks to seven receiving touchdowns and an impressive 8.8 yards after catch per reception on just 70 targets (17 receptions of 15+ yards). While that efficiency and a Sleeper ADP of TE12/10.06 look attractive, Mullen warned that no Packer topped 76 targets last season and Green Bay just added first-round WR Matthew Golden and third-round WR Savion Williams. With target distribution in flux, the Ballers view Kraft—ranked 9th, 19th and 8th by Andy, Jason and Mike—as a matchup-based streamer rather than a weekly starter despite a tasty opening slate (DET/WAS/@CLE/@DAL).