Over the past 20 years, the tight end position has become a difference-maker for some fantasy teams. At the same time, there is a draft cost, and all options don’t fit into an impact box. Some tight ends can create a 60- to 100-point edge over many of their competitors during the regular season. In addition, a draft-and-drive tight end eliminates mistakes at the position while other teams throw darts in many weeks. In the fantasy postseason, one elite game by a stud tight end can create enough of a gap to take down an overall prize or league championship. Here’s a look at the top five tight ends during the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15-17 in 2021; Weeks 14-16 prior to that) over the previous two decades:
1. Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins (2015)
In 2015 fantasy drafts, Reed could have been found well after round 10 in 12-team formats. His career started with 12 missed games over his first two years (45/499/3 and 50/465), so there were questions about whether he could stay healthy enough to play an entire season. Over the first four games in 2015, he caught 24 passes for 278 yards and one score on 34 targets. As anticipated, Reed missed the following two weeks. When the lights went on in the fantasy postseason, he became a fantasy beast for all three matchups (9/120/1, 7/84/2, 9/129/2). His 88.30 fantasy points in PPR leagues rank with some best wide receivers all-time in the fantasy postseason, showing the impact of his success for a tight end.
2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (2021)
The success of Andrews last season (107/1,361/9) put him in the 2022 draft conversation over the great Travis Kelce. Over the previous two years, he scored 17 times in his 29 games while ranking below the elite tight ends in catches (64 and 58) and receiving yards (852 and 701). Most fantasy teams winning an overall championship in 2021 had him on their roster. He delivered three dominating games (10/136/2, 8/125/1, 6/89) in the fantasy postseason, leading to 77.00 fantasy points. The Ravens gave Andrews WR1 targets over his final 10 starts (10, 8, 10, 10, 9, 11, 13, 10, 6, 15).
