Ranking the top 65 tight ends in 2020 fantasy football (Updated)

Football is fast approaching! The 2020 NFL season is scheduled to start on September, but in the meantime, players have begun to report for training camp. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the protocols for players in camp, as they wait to be cleared to start while others opt out.

So far, the biggest impact tight end to opt out has been the Patriots Matt LaCosse. He was set to at least be a part of their answer at the position. His departure gives Devin Assisi and Dalton Keane a bump in the rankings. Another change comes in Green Bay, where wide receiver Devin Funchess opted out. His absence should help second-year tight end Jace Sternberger see a boost as well.

The new set of protocols included no preseason games, and more limited media coverage. It will make things tougher evaluating camp battles, but it’s never been that easy either. That makes fantasy football draft preparations a little different than in recent seasons.

Below you will find our pre-training camp fantasy football tight end rankings. Training camp is meaningful and what we learn over the month will help us rank these players more accurately. But, the bulk of evaluation has been done already. At this point rankings will move based on injuries, camp battles, and even hype.

Below, you can check out our tight end rankings for the 2020 season.

Covid-19 update

T.J. Hockenson and Jace Sternberger have both been placed on the Covid-19 injured reserve list to open camp. We don’t know if it is because they tested positive or were around someone who was positive, so we can’t be sure just how long they will be on the list. It could be a week or it could be some amount of time longer.

Tier 1

Travis Kelce, George Kittle will continue to have high floors. Kelce’s target share in an offense that is extremely efficient with Patrick Mahomes in the lead, keeps him at the top of the list. George Kittle has the ability to pass Kelce, but in the offense Kyle Shanahan wants, Kittle isn’t going to be a 25-30 percent target share kind of player. His efficiency and yards after the catch should keep him in close competition with Kelce for that No. 1 slot though.

Tier 2

This tier has plenty of upside and consistency with Mark Andrews, Zach Ertz, Darren Waller, and Evan Engram all likely to be big parts of their offense. We know Andrews will be a top target in Baltimore, but it might be tough for him to repeat his touchdown numbers which made him an elite fantasy option last season while Engram’s trouble comes down to injuries. If he can stay healthy, he could move into the top slots. Darren Waller got some competition for targets in the draft, but should still be Derek Carr’s safety valve and has a good chance to again be the Raiders No. 1 target.