2024 preseason rankings: Top 30 tight ends

18. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

Age: 25
2023 rank: 29 (standard), 30 (PPR)
Quarterback: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields
Other receivers: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson

Even if it is not much of an upgrade, Russell Wilson will be the best quarterback to ever throw to Friermuth in 224. Any advantage he can get will be crucial to Freiermuth erasing what was the worst statistical year of his career in 2023. Historically, Wilson has favored tight ends, especially in Seattle with Jimmy Graham. Freiermuth is not at the same level as Graham, but with no receiver depth on the roster behind George Pickens, the path for him to become a top-10 tight end is there for him to take.

17. Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins

Age: 28
2023 rank: 17 (standard), 17 (PPR)
Quarterback: Tua Tagovailoa, Mike White
Other receivers: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Odell Beckham Jr., River Cracraft

Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa have never supported a good tight end in this offense but Smith is arguably the best talent they will have. As a backup to Kyle Pitts in 2023, Smith put up a career-high 582 yards. He enters his age-28 season and has seen his success waver on different teams but if there is ever a time when he will shine, it will be in Miami. His competition for targets will be stiff but in an offense as explosive as the Miami's, Smith has a clear path to fantasy value as long as he can stay on the field.

16. Tyler Conklin, New York Jets

Age: 29
2023 rank: 21 (standard), 18 (PPR)
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Tyrod Taylor
Other receivers: Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, Xavier Gipson, Allen Lazard

Even in the best year of his career, Conklin finished as just the TE21 in 2023, largely due to his lack of touchdowns. Conklin was the only tight end in the top 25 to not score a single touchdown. However, his outlook is significantly brighter entering 2024 with Aaron Rodgers taking over under center and Zach Wilson being shipped to Denver. Rodgers has not been known to target his tight ends as much as Wilson did but his floor should not be any lower than the year he put forth in 2023.

15. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

Age: 33
2023 rank: 7 (standard), 12 (PPR)
Quarterback: Derek Carr, Jake Haener
Other receivers: Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, AT Perry, Cedrick Wilson Jr.

Wherever Hill is available at tight end he is still worth serious consideration, even at 33. With Juwan Johnson out, it is unclear who will start at tight end for New Orleans but the team lists Hill as the backup, even if they do not use their gadget player in that position. Following a career-high 291 receiving yards in 2023, Dennis Allen appears to be switching up the role of his Swiss Army knife as he ages but his rushing floor and overall volume gives him a higher ceiling than most of his peers. Owning Hill will always be a roller coaster but as he proved in 2023, it can pay off more often than not.

14. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Age: 29
2023 rank: 15 (standard), 14 (PPR)
Quarterback: Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett
Other receivers: AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Parris Campbell, Johnny Wilson

Goedert is still just 29 but has already seemed to show signs of slowing down after a significant decrease in production in 2023. Despite playing in two more games in 2023 than he did in 2022, Goedert saw a significant drop off in his overall production, ending the year with just 592 receiving yards. For a tight end who does not score many touchdowns, the value just is not there for Goedert as a TE1 anymore if he does not have the yards.

13. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Age: 28
2023 rank: 11 (standard), 10 (PPR)
Quarterback: CJ Stroud, Davis Mills
Other receivers: Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, Robert Woods

Schultz started slowly in 2023 but once he developed the necessary chemistry with rookie CJ Stroud, the two really took off together. It may be a different story in 2024 with Stefon Diggs' addition crowding the receiving room. At the very least, Schultz has no competition for snaps at tight end and even with Diggs presumably cutting into his workload, his routes will remain consistent and his 13 red zone targets were seventh amongst tight ends in 2023.