5 Late Round Tight Ends to Target in the 2022 Fantasy Draft

Ertz could be in for an explosive start of the season. With Deandre Hopkins out for the first 6 weeks, the Cardinals are going to have to rely on Ertz to be a large part of the offense. After the trade from Philadelphia, Ertz got off to a slow start in Arizona. However, in the back stretch of the season, he became a heavy target of the Kyler Murray led offense. 

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In the last 5 weeks of the season, Ertz averaged 10 targets a game, and was on the field for 90% of the time in those games. He will be relied upon with Hopkins out, and there is no guarantee that given Hopkins injury history, and now age 30 season, that he will be the Hopkins of old. You add that will a new receiver in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and the 34 year old A.J. Green, Ertz has top 5 upside in 2022. 

Fun fact - Knox tied Mark Andrews for the most 10-zone targets by a tight end in the league at 10 a piece, and his 19 total red zone targets ranked him 2nd in the league. It is good to be tied to Josh Allen, the top fantasy quarterback over the past 2 seasons. There is nothing that should make us think last years trend should change. Despite missing 2 games due to injury, Knox still finished as the TE8 on the season. His 9 touchdowns, were high, but something that could very easily be replicated in the most explosive offense in the NFL. Don't be afraid to grab Knox later in the draft once the big names have fallen. 

Tight ends breaking out in year 3 is a thing right? Let's hope so for Cole Kmet. Kmet is sitting in an offense that should set him up for a great season. All reports out of camp are that Justin Fields has been targeting Kmet frequently, and he is going to be relied up in this offense in 2022. The Chicago Bears are in major need of some help from their receiving core, and the lack of depth at that position should bolster Kmet into a position in which he is required to be a heavy part of the offense. Grab Kmet late, he could be a league winner.

Smith has been patiently waiting for his moment in the spotlight. Playing second fiddle to Kyle Rudolph for the past 2 seasons, and being added to 2 and 3 tight end sets when he was on the field, really brought his potential fantasy relevance down. That, along with an unfortunate run of injuries in 2022, made fans leery to take a chance on Smith. Going into the season, there is no Rudolph, there is no injury designation, and there is nobody in site to take this key role away from him. 

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The Vikings have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, and they have one of the best receiving duos in Jefferson and Thielen. That, and they just hired a head coach from the Rams in Kevin O'Connell who has ran one of the most tight end friendly offenses over the past several years. Smith is going to be a heavy part of this offense in 2022 and look for him to have a very solid fantasy season.

Henry was a touchdown machine in 2022, pulling down 9 in his first season with the Patriots. Henry has never been a player who has demanded targets (93 being his career high), yet he has shown throughout his career that he can be a reliable fantasy asset. His presence in the redzone make him a solid late round option.

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Mac Jones shown in his rookie year that he is more than capable of being an NFL ready quarterback. With the departure of Josh McDaniels this year, Jones may need to rely on someone he trusts with a new offensive scheme. Someone who is reliable and a red zone threat. That someone should be Hunter Henry.