Drafting tight ends is a nightmare. Honestly, it’s the one position in fantasy football that makes grown adults want to throw their laptops across the room. You spend all summer looking at half ppr te rankings, convinced you’ve found the "next big thing," only to watch your starter post a 2-catch, 14-yard stat line in Week 1. It's brutal. But the reality is that most people approach the 0.5 PPR format all wrong. They treat it like full PPR and overvalue volume, or they treat it like Standard and pray for a touchdown. The truth lives somewhere in the messy middle.
Half PPR is the "Goldilocks" zone of fantasy scoring. It balances the scales between the lumbering touchdown-dependent giants and the reception-hogging safety valves. If you aren't adjusting your board for that specific scoring curve, you're basically donating your league entry fee to your coworkers.
The Scarcity Myth and the Half PPR TE Rankings Trap
We need to talk about the "elite" tier. Usually, your half ppr te rankings will start with the same three or four names. Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Sam LaPorta, maybe Trey McBride depending on who you ask. People call this "positional advantage." They aren't wrong, but they often ignore the opportunity cost.
In a half-point setting, the gap between the TE1 and the TE8 isn't as massive as you'd think once you factor in the yardage. Last season, the difference in per-game output between a mid-tier starter and a top-tier guy was often less than a single chunk play. If you spend a second-round pick on a tight end, you aren't just buying points. You're forfeiting a high-end wide receiver or a workhorse running back. That's a massive gamble.
Think about the math for a second. In full PPR, a tight end who catches 6 passes for 40 yards gets you 10 points. In Half PPR, that same line is only worth 7 points. That 3-point swing matters. It suddenly makes the guy who catches 3 balls for 50 yards and a score much more valuable. We call these "efficiency monsters." They are the guys who break the rankings every single year because they don't need 10 targets to survive.
Why Target Share Is Only Half the Story
Everyone loves to scream about "Target Share." It's the buzzword of the decade. But here's the thing: targets are a hollow stat if the Average Depth of Target (aDOT) is garbage. If a tight end is catching screens and dump-offs at the line of scrimmage, he’s useless in half PPR. You need air yards. You need guys who are running seams and corner routes.
Take a look at someone like George Kicker. His volume fluctuates wildly because the 49ers have so many mouths to feed. Some weeks he's a ghost. Other weeks, he's a league-winner. In a half PPR format, his ability to turn a 10-yard catch into a 40-yard gain is a superpower. You can't just look at a list of half ppr te rankings and pick the guy with the most projected catches. You have to look at how they're being used in the red zone. Is the coach calling designed plays for them inside the 20? Or are they just there to block while the "real" stars get the glory?
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The Middle Class Is a Minefield
The "TE Dead Zone" is real. Usually, this is rounds five through nine. This is where you find the veterans who have a safe floor but a ceiling lower than a basement crawlspace. You know the names. Dalton Schultz. Evan Engram. David Njoku.
Engram is a fascinating case for half ppr te rankings. In full PPR, he’s a godsend because Trevor Lawrence peppered him with short-area targets. But in half PPR? His lack of touchdowns and low yards-per-catch (YPC) makes him remarkably average. He’s the "safe" pick that usually prevents you from winning your league.
On the flip side, you have the young athletic freaks. Kyle Pitts is the poster child for this. Every year we say "this is the year." And every year, we get burned. But in a half-point format, the type of targets Pitts gets—vertical, downfield, high-pointing the ball—is exactly what you want. It's high-variance, but the payoff is immense. If you're drafting in the middle rounds, stop chasing receptions. Chase athleticism and red-zone usage.
The Rookie Fever
Rookie tight ends are historically terrible for fantasy. Brock Bowers entered the league with more hype than almost anyone in recent memory, but the learning curve for the position is steep. They have to learn how to block NFL defensive ends and run complex routes.
Most half ppr te rankings will stay conservative on rookies. That's usually smart. But don't ignore the talent. Sam LaPorta’s rookie breakout changed the narrative, but he was an outlier. Usually, you're better off letting someone else draft the rookie and then picking them up off the waiver wire in Week 4 when the original owner gets frustrated.
Strategies That Actually Work
You basically have two choices when navigating half ppr te rankings during a draft.
First, you can pay the "Elite Tax." You take a top-three guy early and you stop worrying. You get a set-it-and-forget-it starter. The downside is your RB2 is going to be a giant question mark.
Second, you can play "Tight End Roulette." This is my favorite. You wait. You wait until everyone else has their starter, and then you draft two guys late. Maybe you grab a high-upside sophomore like Luke Musgrave and a boring veteran like Tyler Conklin. You play the matchups. You play the waiver wire. You stream.
Streaming is harder than it used to be. Defenses are getting better at taking away the middle of the field. But if you look at Vegas point totals and defensive tendencies against the slot, you can usually find 8-10 points on the wire.
The Red Zone Is Your Best Friend
In 0.5 PPR, touchdowns are king. This sounds obvious, but people forget it. A tight end who catches 3 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown (10.5 points) beats the guy who caught 7 passes for 60 yards (9.5 points).
When evaluating half ppr te rankings, look for the "Big Slots." These are the tight ends who almost never put their hand in the dirt. They are essentially oversized wide receivers. Mike Gesicki has made a career out of this, though his production has been a roller coaster. Look for teams that lack a true "big-bodied" WR2. Those targets have to go somewhere, and they usually go to the tight end in the end zone.
Real World Examples of Ranking Failures
Look at the 2023 season. T.J. Hockenson was a target monster. Before his injury, he was carrying people in full PPR. But in half PPR, his value was much closer to guys like Jake Ferguson. Why? Because Ferguson was a red-zone favorite for Dak Prescott.
Ferguson is the perfect example of why you should be skeptical of "expert" half ppr te rankings that come out in July. He wasn't even on the radar for most people. Then the season started, and it became clear he was the secondary read in a high-powered offense.
Context is everything. A mediocre talent in a great offense is almost always better than a great talent in a stagnant offense. Don't draft the player; draft the situation. If the quarterback is mobile (like Lamar Jackson or Anthony Richardson), the tight end might actually see fewer targets because the QB will scramble instead of hitting the check-down.
The Impact of Offensive Coordinators
We don't talk enough about coaching. Some coordinators love the tight end. Others treat them like sixth offensive linemen.
Arthur Smith’s move to Pittsburgh is a great example. His history suggests a heavy reliance on multiple tight end sets. This could be a boon for Pat Freiermuth, or it could mean a frustrating rotation that kills everyone's value. When you see half ppr te rankings that don't account for coaching changes, ignore them. A scheme change is more impactful than a talent upgrade 90% of the time.
Beyond the Top 12
Most leagues start one tight end. That means there are roughly 12 starters in your league. But you should be looking at the top 20.
Injuries happen. Bye weeks happen. If you're in a deeper league, the "Punt TE" strategy is dangerous but rewarding. If you can find a guy who is 80% of an elite player but you got him in the 14th round, you've won the draft.
Keep an eye on the "Handcuff" tight ends. In some offenses, the backup is just as talented as the starter. If an injury occurs, they step into a role that is already designed for high production.
Modern Data Points to Watch
If you want to be an "expert" yourself, stop looking at total points. Look at:
- Routes Run Per Dropback: If he's not on the field, he can't score.
- Yards Per Route Run (YPRR): This shows efficiency.
- Red Zone Target Share: This shows trust.
A guy like Dallas Goedert often ranks high because he's a great real-life football player. But his YPRR can be inconsistent because the Eagles' offense is so concentrated at the top with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. In half ppr te rankings, Goedert is often overvalued because of his name recognition. He’s fine, but he rarely wins you a week.
Finalizing Your Draft Board
Stop treating your draft like a grocery list. You aren't just checking off boxes. You are building a cohesive unit. If you took high-upside, risky wide receivers early, you might want a "boring" tight end to stabilize your floor. If you took "safe" players early, you should swing for the fences at tight end.
The "Perfect" tight end in half PPR is 6'5", runs a 4.5, and plays for a QB who is terrified of throwing deep. They don't exist in abundance.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Draft
To actually dominate your league using half ppr te rankings, you need to stop reacting and start predicting. Here is how you handle the position moving forward:
- Identify the "Target Vacuum" teams. Look for rosters that lost a primary pass-catcher in the offseason. That volume doesn't just disappear; it gets redistributed.
- Tier your rankings. Don't just list players 1 through 20. Group them. If you're at the end of a tier, draft the player. If there are five guys left in the same tier, wait.
- Watch the preseason usage. Don't look at stats; look at who is on the field with the starting quarterback. If a late-round tight end is playing 100% of the snaps with the ones, he’s a value.
- Ignore the "Projected Points" on your app. Those numbers are based on mean outcomes. Tight end scoring is bi-modal; they either boom or they bust. Draft for the boom.
- Be ready to pivot. If the elite guys fall past their ADP (Average Draft Position), take them. If they go too early, don't panic. The difference between the TE10 and the TE15 is usually negligible.
The tight end position isn't about finding the best player. It's about finding the best value relative to the rest of your roster. Stay flexible, watch the air yards, and don't get married to a name just because he was good three years ago. Success in half PPR comes to those who prioritize touchdowns and efficiency over empty-calorie catches.