If you're looking for a veteran tight end to trade for in Dynasty, there are plenty of targets. George Kittle and Travis Kelce are the top options, and both over 30, which means anyone not contending should be willing to deal them. If you don't want to spend that much, David Njoku, Evan Engram, and Dalton Schultz are the next tier of trade targets. For a true contender, Engram should probably be near the top of the list, but if I am trading for a 30-year-old tight end I would really rather do so in November when we're closer to the playoffs that I actually need them for.
The reason why is highlighted in Engram's ranking. He's TE15 despite the fact I would rather start him than half the guys in front of him in 2024. It's just that a player of Engram's caliber could be one injury away from having zero Dynasty value. And I don't really want to trade for a player like that in the summer unless they are really cheap.
One tight end who is exceptionally cheap is Pat Freiermuth. He's also still just 25 years old, which makes him one of those veterans I would be willing to target this time of year. We've seen Freiermuth traded for a Round 3 rookie pick, which I would be more than willing to do in just about any situation or scoring system.
Freiermuth had a lot go his way this offseason as the team hired an offensive coordinator whose team just had the third-most tight end targets in the league (174), added two quarterbacks better than anyone who was on the Steelers last season, and jettisoned their No. 1 wide receiver with a habit of earning 25% of the targets. We talk about this a lot but surprise breakout tight ends generally finish top two on their team in targets and there is a great chance that happens in Pittsburgh this season.
While Freiermuth ranks as TE9 in my rankings below, he is TE16 in May Startup ADP. In other words, it is possible to think I am too high on Freiermuth while also finding him at a value.
Here are my updated Dynasty tight end rankings: