The tight end position was a complete disaster in fantasy football last season. Just one player (Travis Kelce) finished with over 300 PPR points, while only two others (T.J. Hockenson, George Kittle) hit the 200-point mark. Mark Andrews, who was the top tight end in 2021, scored fewer than 200 points. Heck, Taysom Hill (who plays both quarterback and tight end) was a top-10 player at the position last season.
One of the better tight ends in the league, Dalton Schultz, scored 142.7 points and ranked ninth at the position. That was more than 60 points fewer than he had in his breakout campaign of 2021, but Schultz was still a productive fantasy option. With the Cowboys using their franchise tag on Tony Pollard, Schultz will hit the open market and will draw plenty of attention. His best fantasy fit would be to remain in Dallas, but another team could certainly lure him away during the offseason.
Here are five teams that could have a need at tight end and would be nice landing spots for Schultz next season. Let’s start things off in the Motor City.
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Detroit Lions
The Lions traded Hockenson to the Minnesota Vikings last season, leaving a hole at the tight end spot. Detroit could draft a player to fill the position, of course, but Schultz would be a nice fit in real and fantasy football. Detroit tight ends scored a combined 12 touchdowns last season, including the combination of Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra scoring nine times. Schultz would remain a top-10 option.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers still have Gerald Everett under contract, but he could become a cap casualty this offseason as the team is way over the cap. While that might make it tough for the team to land Schultz, teams find a way to massage the cap all the time. With new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore at the helm of the offense, it only makes sense that the Bolts could attempt to sign Schultz, who played under Moore in Dallas.
Top Five Fantasy Landing Spots: Aaron Rodgers | Jimmy Garoppolo | Saquon Barkley | Tony Pollard | JuJu Smith-Schuster | Miles Sanders | Lamar Jackson | David Montgomery | Josh Jacobs | Jamaal Williams | Kareem Hunt | DeAndre Hopkins | Tee Higgins | Michael Thomas | Odell Beckham Jr.
Houston Texans
The Texans have a boatload of money to spend under the cap and will likely draft their future quarterback (Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud), so this could be an attractive landing spot for Schultz. Keep in mind that their No. 1 wideout, Brandin Cooks, is unlikely to remain with the team. And with a young signal-caller projected to be under center, the tight end position (or Schultz) could absorb a lot of targets.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have a new head coach in Shane Steichen, an offensive mind who likes to use the tight end position. He was the offensive coordinator in Los Angeles with Hunter Henry, and he spent the last two seasons in Philadelphia with Dallas Goedert. The Colts could use playmakers alongside Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr., and Schultz would be a nice fit. He’d also re-emerge in the No. 1 fantasy tight end conversation.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans already have Chigoziem Okonkwo at tight end, but that doesn’t mean Schultz wouldn’t be a good fantasy fit. Tennessee ranked ninth in running 12 personnel (two tight ends) last season and was just three plays from being in the top six. The team already released Robert Woods and still lacks for pass-catching playmakers beyond Treylon Burks, so Schultz would become a targets machine.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!
