5 players who have revived the tight end position for the future

Remember back to this summer when you were selecting in your fantasy football draft and the tight end position looked like a barren wasteland? If you weren't able to draft Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews or George Kittle, you were throwing darts.

One of the top stories of the 2023 fantasy football position has been the revival of the tight end position. Going into 2024, there will be a plethora of options available in your draft and if you are in a dynasty league, there are double-digit numbers at the tight end position of players you can build around, rather than just a few.

Though several names could easily be included on this list, these five tight ends have given fantasy managers plenty of hope for the future.

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

If you drafted Trey McBride in your dynasty league rookie draft last year, you were likely thrilled to get him until he only caught 29 passes for 265 yards on the season. That had many people wondering how good he would ever be.

But when the Cardinals decided to move on from Zach Ertz during this season, it opened the door for McBride to come through and show why he was so highly thought of entering the league.

He has put out a huge season, catching 72 passes for 743 yards and two touchdowns with still two games to play. At only 24 years old, he has a large window to accomplish many things in the league.

McBride has all of the talent to be a top-five tight end each and every season and truthfully, the talent to be the No. 1 overall tight end at some point in his career.

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

This guy has been nothing short of fantastic this season and he clearly appears to be a force for many years to come in Detroit.

LaPorta, a second-round pick by the Lions, has pushed back against the thought that rookie tight ends won't be any good in fantasy football. LaPorta has similar numbers to McBride (74 receptions, 776 yards) but the difference is that he has found the end zone nine times.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff looks his way often, particularly in the red zone and this now appears to be a marriage between LaPorta and the Lions that is going to be a fruitful one. Last season, the Lions traded T.J. Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings but this year, they replaced him with a tight end from the same school (Iowa) that is just as good of a player, if not even better.

LaPorta is likely on a lot of championship game rosters in Week 17 and if you managed to get him in your dynasty league, hang onto him.

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

The Bills used their first-round pick on Dalton Kincaid this year and that appeared to be a wonderful pick at the time. Fantasy managers had to love the fit in an explosive offense with one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Kincaid has had several quiet games this season and one where he was held without a catch, but the talent is clear and obvious and he is going to be a guy that fantasy players can count on for years to come.

So far this season, he has 62 catches for 502 yards and two touchdowns. He has only caught one pass in the last two games and has four games where he has caught two passes or less this season. But he has eight games in which he has caught at least five passes.

He is a great underneath target for Allen in the stout Bills passing attack but he has the athletic ability to be a downfield target as well. He is going to be a solid fantasy tight end for years to come.

Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys

This may seem like a stretch by some as Jake Ferguson, a fourth-round pick last year, only had 19 catches as a rookie. But he has exploded for the Cowboys this year, catching 61 passes for 659 yards and five touchdowns on the season, becoming one of the most surprising players of the year.

In the Cowboys offense, the tight end has always been important. Jay Novacek was a force during the team's 1990s dynasty and Jason Witten became one of the best tight ends in NFL history. Now, Ferguson can follow in those footsteps.

On a team that likes to air it out with CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup, Ferguson is going to be able to find some holes in the defense and make some plays. He's also only 24 years old and figures to be a top playmaker for this team for a long time to come.

The best part about Ferguson is that for now, he'll likely still fly under the radar a little bit, meaning that in dynasty leagues, you might be able to work out a trade where you still get him on the cheap. But that won't last long so if you have your eyes on such a move, try and make it before the price goes up too much.

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

This one is tough to gauge as the resurgence of David Njoku in the world of fantasy football is directly tied to the return to the league of Joe Flacco, who is absolutely balling out.

But we can hope that it sticks with Njoku, who was highly-touted coming out of college. Yet, he had never had more than 58 receptions in a season and was certainly part of that "tight end scrap heap" that most fantasy managers were choosing from back in August.

But this season, he has caught 81 passes. Only three tight ends (Kelce, Hockenson, Evan Engram), have caught more. But he also has 882 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Watching him in recent games where he catches a pass from Flacco and has room to run, he is a problem for any defense to contain.

He's still just 27 years old so there should be plenty of tread left on the tires. When you consider the terrible accident he suffered earlier in the season, his play this season is even more remarkable.