After laying the groundwork this offseason with full Dynasty player rankings, I wanted to circle back and provide some tiers for added context to those ranks.
Some really quick methodology here if you are new to how I do tiers.
I make my Dynasty tiers based on a blend of age, fantasy performance, career arc, team situation, and fantasy archetype.
There is some overlap to actual player rankings, but these tiers do not specifically follow the rankings but rather those archetypes.
The purpose of tiers not being a carbon copy of player rankings is to spot a potential arbitrage situation and shop in different buckets based on how you are constructing your team in startups. They are also useful when looking for trade opportunities.
A veteran starter that can accrue points immediately might be worth more based on where a current roster is. Other times, it might make sense to chase more youth and upside for the future.
While these tiers will largely be a condensed view of the subset of tiers themselves, you can read more immediate detailed thoughts on every player in the 2023 tight end rankings.
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Tiers, 2023:
*Player Age = Age on 9/1/2023
Tier 1 Tight Ends:
- Kyle Pitts (Age: 22.9)
Pitts may have the largest disparity among all players in 2023 seasonal value for redraft leagues versus Dynasty leagues..
Pitts took a step back in his second season in the league. After he averaged 4.0 receptions for 60.4 yards per game as a rookie, he only averaged 2.8 receptions for 35.6 yards per game last season. He also only appeared in 10 games due to injury to further compound matters, leaving him with 28 receptions for 356 yards and two touchdowns in the season.
After that letdown in the box score, there are whispers that Pitts is overrated and potentially not a good football player, which is far from the case.
After a 1,000-yard rookie season as a 21-year-old tight end, Pitts was still sixth among all tight ends last season in yards per route run (1.72 yards). He was targeted on 28.5% of his routes, which led all tight ends that ran 100 or more routes last season.
The issues in translating that over to fantasy points were systemic through the Atlanta offense and their quarterback play.
Pitts only ran 20.7 routes per game, which was 28th at the position. On top of limited volume, 28.8% of his targets were deemed inaccurate due to the quarterback, which led the position.
Unfortunately, the Atlanta offense looks similar on the surface for 2023. Every move they have made this offseason has shown that they are swerving into their identity as a run-based offense.
Pitts will have the opportunity to create splash plays when called upon, but his target volume appears to be capped short term while we still are gauging where Desmond Ridder is.
That said, even with those concerns still present for this season, Pitts still has a massive amount of Dynasty appeal at the position in isolation.
He will turn just 23 this October. Travis Kelce was age 27 when he first led tight ends in scoring. Pitts is nearly a full year younger than Dalton Kincaid, who still has yet to play a down in the NFL.
There is an outcome where this group of rookie tight ends could have someone tighten the gap between Pitts and the other younger players at the position, but we still have a ton of runway for Pitts as a Dynasty asset at a position where he can offer leverage.
This premium article is part of the Sharp Fantasy Football Draft Kit, one of the best resources to get you prepared for the 2023 fantasy football season.
Unlock this article and all premium content from our Fantasy Draft Kit for just $1
