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The start of fantasy football is nearly upon us, and for some folks who have already begun drafting, it's already gotten underway. With each passing year, the tight end position is one of the most difficult positions for fantasy owners to draft, which makes it incredibly important to identify some potential breakout candidates who can come in and help fill the position for you.
While there are tons of talented tight ends in the NFL, finding a guy who can consistently come in and produce on a weekly basis is easier said than done. There are big names who highlight the position who are certainly able to consistently put up some big numbers, but the second and third levels are where you can find some real value.
For more insight, listen to our 2024 fantasy football primer:
Of course, knowing which players are capable of breaking out is the first piece of the puzzle, but that's where we've got you covered. Let's take a look at five fantasy football breakout candidates at the tight end position, and see why each of these guys could end up being a huge asset to your fantasy squad for the upcoming season.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Chigoziem Okonkwo was viewed as a potential breakout candidate in 2023, but he didn't really take the step forward that was expected of him (54 REC, 528 YDS, 1 TD). Still, he's only entering his third year in the league, and there's reason to believe that things will play out better for him in the 2024 campaign.
For starters, the Tennessee Titans have a more clear-cut situation at quarterback with Will Levis under center, which is a welcome sight after Ryan Tannehill's struggles last season. Beyond that, the Titans have a strong assortment of playmakers now (Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears) that will surely help open up more space for Okonkwo.
If Okonkwo can emerge as a red zone threat after scoring just one touchdown last season, he should become a strong tight end option for fantasy football owners throughout the year. He's certainly not worth using an early draft pick on, but if he's still on the board in the later rounds, it makes a lot of sense to stash him on the bench early in the season and see if he can find his footing.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
For all intents and purposes, Dalton Kincaid's rookie campaign with the Buffalo Bills was a solid one (73 REC, 673 YDS, 2 TD). Even as he entered an offense featuring the likes of Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and James Cook, Kincaid still managed to emerge and make himself a key piece of the Bills offense.
In 2024, Kincaid is going to go from being one of the secondary pieces on offense to one of the Bills key pieces. Diggs and Davis are gone, meaning he has quickly become one of the top options in the passing game. Dawson Knox still looms as the second tight end behind him, but Kincaid should be getting a ton of targets on a weekly basis from Josh Allen.
With their top wide receiver trio being Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Curtis Samuel, it's safe to say that Kincaid is probably going to be Allen's top target in the passing game, at least to start the season. And regardless if any of those guys can emerge, Kincaid's strong connection with Allen should help him remain productive throughout the season, meaning that this could end up being a huge breakout campaign for him.
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders added another weapon for their quarterback on offense when they drafted star Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Bowers put together three strong seasons with the Bulldogs before finding his way to the NFL, and he could immediately have a strong rookie campaign with the Raiders.
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Right off the bat, Bowers is going to find himself working alongside a strong group of playmakers, as Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and Zamir White will help take attention off of him from the get go. Beyond that, Bowers is a menace in the red zone, as he scored 26 touchdowns over his three seasons with Georgia, and he figures to continue to find his way into the end zone early on in his career in the NFL.
Of course, it's fair to note that Las Vegas' quarterback position isn't exactly stable, as Gardner Minshew II beat out Aidan O'Connell in a fairly ugly quarterback competition ahead of the season. Still, Minshew has proven he can at least hold his own under center when he's on the field, and if he gets a good rapport going with Bowers, it could result in a strong rookie campaign from the talented tight end.
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Is this finally the year when Kyle Pitts will break out for the Atlanta Falcons? After being selected with the fourth overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, Pitts enjoyed a Pro Bowl campaign as a rookie, but was incredibly unreliable over the past two seasons. Arthur Smith's usage plan for him was certainly bewildering, and the hope is that a change in the coaching staff will help Pitts finally blossom into a star.
Even with subpar quarterback play, Pitts put up decent numbers for the Falcons last year (53 REC, 667 YDS, 3 TD) but he had far too many duds for fantasy football owners to consistently rely on him. The hope is that more targets in the passing game, and a solid quarterback in Kirk Cousins will help him figure things out.
Of course, it's worth noting that Pitts has been labeled as a breakout candidate before and has let folks down, so it's worth being careful with him when potentially drafting him. The safest route would probably be to stash Pitts on the bench to start the season before seeing what he does, because if he gets on the same page with Cousins, he could end up putting together a dominant campaign of work.
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
Trey McBride came from out of nowhere to become one of the most consistent tight ends down the stretch of the season last year (81 REC, 825 YDS, 3 TD). Once he was made the team's starting tight end after the team released Zach Ertz, McBride took off, as he did pretty much all of his damage over the final ten games of the season (66 REC, 655 YDS, 3 TD).
There were a lot of reasons to be excited about McBride's strong close to the season. For starters, he quickly got on the same page with Kyler Murray, partly out of necessity due to the fact that there wasn't really any other pass-catching help on the team. That shouldn't be an issue this season, as Marvin Harrison Jr. is set to lead the wide receiver corps, which should create space for McBride that didn't necessarily exist last year.
In a way, McBride already broke out, but now, he's going to have an opportunity to put together a full season of work on offense for the Cardinals. Based on what he managed to do last season, it's safe to say he's a top-five fantasy football tight end if he can stay healthy, and he could end up being one of the hidden gems of your fantasy drafts this year.
