Best Ball Fantasy Football | FastDraft Diaries for Tight Ends

by Jonathan Lange · Best Ball Plays & Strategy
FastDraft Diaries TE

PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out. Here, Jonathan Lange debuts his Fast Draft Diaries Best Ball Fantasy Football Series with a breakdown of the tight end position. 

Fast Draft Diaries: How to Handle the Tight End Position

Fast Draft is unlike any other best ball fantasy football draft available, as it allows you to enter a draft and choose six running backs or six wide receivers without any positional requirements. In today’s Fast Draft article, I will conduct an in-depth analysis of the tight end position. Should you draft a tight end in your Flex 4 draft, or should you continue to prioritize running backs and wide receivers? First, let’s examine the historical performance of tight ends in comparison to other skill positions!

Historical Data

Using the data analysis tool on PlayerProfiler, I generated a scoring report on the total fantasy points scored each season. In 2024, four tight ends ranked among the top 50 skill players in total fantasy points. Since 2014, an average of four tight ends has consistently finished in the top 50 for total points scored. Notably, the lowest scoring season for tight ends occurred in 2020, during the pandemic.

So, when examining this from a historical perspective, it is reasonable to expect that three to four tight ends will finish within the top 50 in fantasy scoring. Interestingly, the Average Draft Position (ADP) on the Flex 4 draft board includes four tight ends being selected: Brock Bowers (Pick 14), Trey McBride (Pick 16), George Kittle (Pick 41), and T.J. Hockenson (Pick 58).

Recapping the 2024 Season

Last season, the top four finishers were Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, George Kittle, and Jonnu Smith. Bowers is a fascinating case study. He was drafted in the mid-to-late rounds, yet his total points scored were comparable to those of the WR9 and RB10. Over the past five years, the tight ends who finished with as many points as a WR1 include Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Darren Waller, and Zach Ertz. So we had two tight ends finish at a nearly elite level. And two other tight ends that finished in good, but not elite company.

Trey McBride is poised for regression in 2025. He led the Cardinals in targets, receptions, yards, and yards after the catch, yet scored only two touchdowns. George Kittle remained healthy, and the decline of Deebo Samuel, combined with Brandon Aiyuk‘s injury, elevated Kittle to the status of the team’s primary target. Jonnu Smith emerged as the biggest surprise of all.


Similar to Kittle, Smith’s role in the passing game increased due to injuries among his teammates. So, how can we leverage this information while participating in fast drafts in 2025? Firstly, targeting a tight end is a sound strategy. Tight ends have consistently demonstrated the ability to score enough points year after year to compete with other skill positions. You can typically rely on three to four players to achieve that benchmark. Who might those players be? Here are my top four tight ends that I would recommend targeting in Flex 4 best ball fantasy football drafts.

Top Tight Ends

Trey McBride

It’s not often that you can draft a team’s leading receiver in the second round, but that is Trey McBride. I mentioned earlier that he led the team in most receiving categories yet only scored twice. His touchdowns should tick up next season, but there’s a bigger reason why I’m targeting him.

Arizona invested heavily in pass catchers last season, using first-round capital on Marvin Harrison Jr. Even if they do add a pass catcher, it shouldn’t be a player who will take too many passes away from McBride. He’s a strong candidate to finish the season as the overall TE1.

George Kittle

George Kittle has the tools to be the No. 1 target in the offense, and San Francisco will need him to be. Deebo Samuel is gone. Brandon Aiyuk will be returning from an ACL tear, which can take time to get back to 100 percent. Christian McCaffrey and his lower body injury carry plenty of questions as well. Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings will step up into more volume. However, the experience of Kittle will go a long way in making him the established receiver in San Francisco.

Brock Bowers

This one is a little trickier. The Raiders will take an upgrade at quarterback, but other acquisitions can eat into Brock Bowers‘s production. There will be an improvement at the running back position.

There have been mocks where the Raiders land Travis Hunter or Tet McMillan. There’s a history of new head coach Pete Carroll using multiple tight ends over his career. While those negatives will hurt his odds to finish as the TE1 overall, he has a strong case to finish as a top-five TE. His talent is undeniable and Geno Smith will find him early and often.

Mark Andrews

Mark Andrews‘s first game this season with double-digit fantasy points was in Week 6, with rumors of his leg injury recovery and a car wreck in training camp. However, after Week 5, Andrews was a scoring machine, scoring 11 touchdowns in 12 games. We saw Isaiah Likely step up in Week 1, but it’s important to note that after that Week 1 performance, he finished with only four games with more than 10 fantasy points.

If Andrews moves on to a new team, I do believe Likely has upside, but not enough to take in a Flex 4 tournament. Andrews is more of a “safe bet” to finish as a top-five tight end. Could he finish as the No. 1 tight end? It’s a real possibility with Lamar Jackson throwing the ball.

Final Thoughts

Once we get landing spots with this rookie class, we can get a better understanding of potential breakouts from rookie tight ends. I believe that whoever lands with the Broncos, Colts, Chargers, and even the Saints. But this was insightful for me and hopefully for you! After looking over the last ten years, it is obvious that taking a top-four tight end can be a wise addition to your FastDraft best ball fantasy football roster.

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