From the moment he entered the NFL Kyle Pitts has been in my top tier of Dynasty tight ends. And there was nothing about his rookie campaign that changed that. Pitts had more receiving yards than any rookie tight end in the Super Bowl era and the second-most yards for a rookie tight end ever.
Pitts' usage was more like a wide receiver than a tight end, and the only negative was his lack of touchdowns. We're not going to hold that against a 21-year-old in his first year in the league.
While Pitts' production was enough to secure his spot in the top tier, it wasn't quite enough to separate him from the rest of the pack. That's because of the phenomenal year Mark Andrews' put together.
Andrews set career highs in targets (153), catches (107), and yards (1,361), and not just because it was a 17-game season. His 80.1 receiving yards per game was a 25% improvement over his prior career high. While Andrews isn't near as young as Pitts, he's two years younger than George Kittle and six years younger than Travis Kelce.
Pitts and Andrews make a pretty clear top tier at tight end but it's harder to figure whose next. Kittle, Kelce, and Darren Waller are all more likely to go the other direction because of their age. T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant were supposed to be next, but they've never shown that type of upside. Dawson Knox could stake a claim with one more good year, but it's more likely we're waiting for one of Cole Kmet or Pat Freiermuth to emerge.
Here are the updates Dynasty tiers at tight end:
