The 2022 offseason is upon us. What does the market for free agency TEs in dynasty look like? Are any worth buying?
The 2022 Free Agent TEs
Buying free agency TEs in dynasty is all about landing spots, so taking a couple of shots on guys you like is a great strategy. This class has all sorts of options too. Former first-rounders who haven’t broken out yet. Older players who can produce but where they go is unclear. Also, some players who’ve had a level of success but are likely to move on to other locations.
Eight tight ends ran at least 75% of their routes from the slot or out wide in 2021 (min. 100 routes, PFF)
Mike Gesicki (92%)
Anthony Firkser (87%)
Kyle Pitts (80%)
Mark Andrews (79%)
Dan Arnold (78%)
Evan Engram (78%)
Logan Thomas (76%)
Juwan Johnson (76%)— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) February 18, 2022
The Headliners
This TE class has two main guys headlining it. They’re very different in how they’re used as well. Dalton Schultz is the typical in-line guy who can block and catch but isn’t an elite athlete. Mike Gesicki, on the other hand, is the athletic split-out wide guy, but not an in-line blocker, which limits his NFL role wherever he lands.
Dalton Schultz, Age 25
Schultz is the headliner of this class. Others will likely favor Gesicki, but to me, the roles of the two make Schultz the better buy. He has seen 89 and 104 targets in the last two years as he took over the top TE role in Dallas. With Dak Prescott back this year, Schultz’s efficiency jumped up and his TD total doubled from four to eight but still has additional growth potential in the right landing spot.
Dallas is going to make a push to resign him, but they’re cap-strapped and that could well lead to him seeking other options. My favorite of these is the New York Jets. The Jets have ample cap space this offseason and a need to improve at TE. Only 77 total targets went to their five TEs, with Ryan Griffin leading the way at 42. He could be their version of George Kittle, buy now!
Mike Gesicki, Age 26
Gesicki is a tight end in name only, as you can see in the tweet above. He runs 92% of his routes from the slot and blocked on under 30% of his snaps in 2020. Unlike Schultz, this makes his production more likely to require the correct scheme fit. People seem excited to have him stay in Miami but that’s a poor fit (buy Hunter Long ASAP). Let’s look at some teams that might make sense.
The Jaguars and Chargers both make sense as fits. In Los Angeles, he gets an elite young QB and can play the move TE role with Tre’ McKitty more the in-line blocker. That would be a high-end version of what Jared Cook and Donald Parham provided this year. The Jaguars need weapons everywhere, so he could be a top-two option for Trevor Lawrence. HC Doug Pederson loves utilizing TEs in the passing game.
Young Guys Who Have Flashed
David Njoku, Age 25
TEs who showed what Njoku did in his first two seasons are hard to find. He then struggled with injuries and role changes, and never got back there. He can block and catch, so put him in a top TE role somewhere and he could easily bloom. I’d love a team like Jacksonville or Arizona that will use their TEs in an every-down role, and he could bust out into a top 10 TE season for 2022.
Evan Engram, Age 27
Engram, like Njoku, popped off early in his career and has struggled to replicate those results ever since. Like Gesicki, he’s not for every team as he’s kind of a slot receiver and not as much of a blocker. A return to the Giants makes sense, as he could finally play as a red zone threat. Bills TE Dawson Knox had nine touchdowns last year under Brian Daboll, while Engram has had seven total over the last three years.
O.J. Howard, Age 27
O.J. Howard‘s first two seasons in the league were some of the most efficient of any TE in NFL history, averaging nearly 11.5 yards per target. Since then he’s battled multiple injuries but is healthy entering the offseason. If the Jets don’t get Schultz, Howard is my second choice. He can do it all, block and catch, and would absolutely crush it in that Kittle role and be a huge steal. Buy him now.
Gerald Everett, Age 27
Everett showed what he can do to end 2021 when he had a string of strong games late in the year. My favorite option is him returning to Russell Wilson at the helm of the Seahawks. With Will Dissly also a free agent, he could really seize the role and have a strong fantasy season there. Wilson struggled after the injury, so seeing them together in a healthy season would be fantastic.
The Old Guard
There are several older options that are likely to be less expensive to buy. I mentioned Rob Gronkowski in my Bucs article and am not sure he plays, but if you do he’s likely to be cheap without Tom Brady. I think Zach Ertz showed he’s still got juice in Arizona, and returning there or joining Pederson in Duval make sense as well. I’m not sure if Jared Cook plays in 2022, and I view Ricky Seals-Jones as a backup type.
The Other Options
I already went through some dart throw type of players, but here are some others. My favorite guy left is Robert Tonyan. He’s had high TD volume playing with Aaron Rodgers, but not a ton of targets. I’m unsure how he plays without Rodgers. Tyler Conklin emerged in Minnesota this year, but not sure he gets a starting role anywhere. Parham is a restricted free agent who could pop if LA doesn’t add at TE.
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