The Ringer Fantasy Football Show – “TE Sleepers, Tiers, and Fears 2025”
Date: August 4, 2025
Hosts: Danny Heifetz (“A”), Danny Kelly (“DK”/“B”), Craig Horlbeck (“C”)
Episode Overview
This episode dives deep into the wasteland that is the tight end (“TE”) position for 2025 fantasy football. Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly, and Craig Horlbeck break down their tight end tiers, identify key sleepers and upside picks, address common TE frustrations, and debate the sharpest approaches to navigating the position this season. They wrestle with positional scarcity, player roles, target shares, and the perennial headache that is streaming or drafting mid-tier tight ends. The crew’s chemistry (and exasperation) with this position brings both sharp insights and plenty of laughs for listeners trying to avoid that fantasy last-place finish.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
The Annual Tight End Headache
- Tight end is, once again, the most frustrating fantasy position. Streaming, whack-a-mole, and wasted waiver claims define the experience for most managers outside the top tier.
- “Do you basically feel the same way that this position's really annoying or is any part of you excited about it?” (Heifetz, 01:27)
- “No, not really. I'm not excited about it. In other words, still sucks.” (DK, 02:03)
- A new wave of talent gives hope, but depth and upside drop off fast.
- “For the first time in a long time, the two best tight ends are not Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews…there's a new wave coming.” (Craig, 03:38)
- Fantasy amnesia strikes annually: Hitting on a late-round TE once makes you chase it for a decade.
- “It’s almost bad if you hit Jimmy Graham in the 11th round of your fantasy league in like 2011, because now you’re just thinking you could do that every year.” (Heifetz, 04:11)
The Importance of Tiers (06:25–07:20)
- Tiers, not pure rankings, are the best draft tools for fast on-the-clock decisions.
- “As much as everyone’s obsessed with rankings, tiers is the way we draft. It’s just a decision making framework...” (Heifetz, 06:39)
Tier 1: The Ascending Superstars (07:21–09:54)
Key Players: Brock Bowers (Raiders), Trey McBride (Cardinals)
Tier Name: “Pure Sex” (DK)
Why They’re Elite
- Both are elite target earners and still ascending, expected to be at worst the #2 option in their offenses.
- McBride is due for positive regression in touchdowns after a freaky-low TD rate last year.
- “He had 111 catches…five players in history have had 1,100 yards and not more than two touchdowns.” (Heifetz, 08:10)
- “What do you think's more likely, DK? Trey McBride has two touchdowns in week one or he has three touchdowns on the season? — More likely he has two in week one.” (09:10)
Positional Scarcity and Draft Cost Debate
- DK is willing to take Bowers as high as 10th overall, citing positional advantage.
- “It’s about positional scarcity for me… you’re going to have a huge advantage if you have one of these guys... there's a million receivers.” (DK, 11:05)
- Craig sees the opportunity cost as too high to take a TE over top receivers.
- “I do think the ceiling of tight end is naturally lower… If you get, you know, a Tucker Craft who puts up 9 points vs. Bowers' 12, that's…very different than grabbing a St. Brown with 15.” (Craig, 12:03)
- League format matters a lot for their value; more starters/flexes boost WRs, fewer boost TEs.
- “Check your roster settings because that is actually…a tiebreaker for all this of where you should take them.” (Heifetz, 18:37)
Notable Quote
"I called it the pure sex tier. And I had George Kittle in a separate own tier..."
— Danny Kelly (07:21)
Tier 2: George Kittle, The Bridge
Key Player: George Kittle (49ers)
- Kittle produced the highest points per game among TEs last year but saw a decline in target rate as weapons returned in San Francisco.
- “George Kittle last year, 18% [target rate]… he’s relying on touchdowns.” (DK, 20:48)
- There is optimism due to 49ers’ injuries at receiver, which could bump targets back up.
- “Isn't there a serious chance George Kittle straight up is the number one receiver for this team?” (Heifetz, 21:30)
- “I've been kind of all over Kittle. I think he's a good value right now…” (DK, 21:39)
- Still, lack of elite volume defines his downside.
- “He has not had more than 100 targets in a season since 2019… even after Aiyuk went down he was still around 18%.” (Craig, 22:48)
- Kittle represents the last “difference-maker” before a tier drop. (Craig, 24:05)
Tier 3: Injured & Uncertain, But Startable (25:17–32:15)
Key Players: TJ Hockenson (Vikings), Sam LaPorta (Lions), Mark Andrews (Ravens)
- Laporta and Hockenson both see risk of being the #3 target on their teams, with question marks around QB or target distribution.
- “Laporta might be the number three receiver... with Hawkinson... rookie quarterback.” (DK, 28:28)
- Mark Andrews climbs back into this tier thanks to Isaiah Likely injury, plus he is always Lamar’s red zone favorite.
- “I kind of love [Andrews]—he's becoming one of my favorite picks in fantasy... he's the guy Lamar trusts in the red zone.” (Craig, 27:18)
- There's a real chance Andrews outscores the other two if he’s truly healthy and Likely is slow to return.
- “I think Laporta and Andrews are over Hockenson, personally.” (Craig, 27:22)
Tier 4: Veteran Starters With Flaws ("Obvious Upside, Obvious Flaws") (35:46–44:28)
Key Players:
- Travis Kelce (Chiefs): Aging, but position-best upside
- David Njoku (Browns): Flashes elite, stuck on a bad offense
- Evan Engram (Jaguars): Huge catch volume but inconsistent
- Tucker Kraft (Packers): Talented but Green Bay spreads the ball
Insights
- “Kraft is inconsistent… now they’re getting Luke Musgrave and Matthew Golden into that offense. I’m pretty out.” (DK, 38:08)
- “Njoku… if Joe Flacco starts he could be the TE1. I don’t know.” (DK, 45:12)
- “Kelce’s still running routes on 95% of dropbacks… He had 97 catches last year—basically the reason he wasn’t a superstar is because he only had three touchdowns.” (Heifetz, 50:25)
- This is the last group where you really feel okay starting them weekly.
Notable Segment
David Njoku's underrated stretch, and why he’s the "cheapest" major upside bet.
"David Njoku averaged 12.8 points per game in fantasy. Brock Bowers 12.9 points per game... Njoku does kind of feel like I’ve forgotten."
— DK (51:29)
The “Thirst Traps and Family Men”: Late-Round Home Run Swings vs. Reliable Duds (53:33–63:51)
Thirst Traps (Home Run Swings):
- Kyle Pitts (Falcons)
- Dalton Kincaid (Bills)
- Tyler Warren (Colts)
- Colston Loveland (Bears)
Family Men (Solid but Boring):
- Jake Ferguson (Cowboys)
- Dallas Goedert (Eagles)
Philosophy
- Shoot for home run upside after the top guys are off the board.
- “When you’re this late, you should always be going for the home run. You can find a guy… get you 9 points in any given week. You should honestly be shooting for dudes like… Kyle Pitts or Dalton Kincaid.” (Craig, 54:06)
- Pitts is the ultimate “toxic ex,” too alluring to quit.
- “Kyle Pitts is another buy the dip guy… Michael Penix just rips the ball, man… he’s contract year.” (Heifetz, 60:22)
- “Kyle Pitts is…like that toxic ex where your friends want you to stop talking to her, but…you can’t quit each other.” (Heifetz, 63:12)
Unsexy Deep Sleepers, Rookies, and “FOMO” Darts (64:44–70:33)
- Names thrown around: Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Elijah Arroyo (Seahawks), Mason Taylor (Jets), Chig Okonkwo (Titans), Terence Ferguson (Raiders)
- Rookie TEs almost never matter, but if ever, this class (with a few second-round picks) could produce one.
- “It would be this season…if rookie tight ends are gonna hit in one year…” (Heifetz, 69:40)
Concluding Wisdom: The TE Black Hole
- Take one of the top 6-7 and feel good. After that, it’s quicksand.
- “I like the first like six or seven guys—after that it’s a bloodbath.” (Craig, 70:19)
- The value of investing at TE top gets clearer the deeper you look into replacement options.
- “After going through all this muck…is that the answer? Just take Bowers, take one of the top three.” (Heifetz, 70:11)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Do you basically feel the same way that this position's really annoying or is any part of you excited about it?” (Heifetz, 01:27)
- “No, not really. I'm not excited about it. In other words, still sucks.” (DK, 02:03)
- “It's almost bad if you hit Jimmy Graham in the 11th round...because now you think you can do that every year…It's probably gonna be another decade before you just find like the 13th round tight end that's actually the number one guy.” (Heifetz, 04:11)
- "I called it the pure sex tier. And I had George Kittle in a separate own tier..." (DK, 07:21)
- “Kyle Pitts is…like that toxic ex where your friends want you to stop talking to her, but…you can’t quit each other.” (Heifetz, 63:12)
- "When you look at these guys, you get, you know, kind of horny...But then you get postgame clarity when they have two catches for 20 yards and you're like an idiot." (Heifetz, 53:33)
Key Timestamps
- 01:27 – The pain of dealing with tight ends every fantasy season
- 06:25–07:20 – Why tiers matter so much for fantasy drafts
- 07:21–09:54 – Tier 1: “Pure Sex” (Bowers & McBride)
- 11:05–13:17 – Debate: Where should you actually draft Bowers?
- 18:37 – The impact of roster settings on TE/WR values
- 20:22–24:05 – Tier 2: George Kittle – last “elite but not quite top” man standing
- 25:17–32:15 – Tier 3: Laporta, Andrews, Hawkinson – the last safe starters?
- 35:46–44:28 – Tier 4: Kelsey, Njoku, Engram, Kraft – vet starters with major flaws
- 51:29 – Njoku’s late season run; comparing him to Bowers-level output
- 53:33–63:51 – “Thirst traps and Family Men” – home run swings vs. set-and-forget guys
- 64:44–70:33 – Deep sleepers, rookies, and late-draft dart throws
- 70:11–71:04 – Concluding: Just take an elite guy and save yourself the pain
Closing Thoughts
The hosts agree that TE remains a thin, volatile position, but the arrival of true difference-makers like Brock Bowers and an improving McBride gives hope—if you pay the premium. If you don't grab one of the top half-dozen, be ready to gamble: the bottom quickly turns into a game of heartbreak and high-variance, with weekly tilts and streaming roulette. Their advice leans pragmatic: take a swing at a real difference-maker if you can, otherwise, shoot for upside in the later rounds, and be ready to churn your roster.
(For more, rankings, and draft tools: fantasyfootball.theringer.com)
(Advertisers, news breaks, and long tangents about breakfast, shoe squeaks, or Saturday Night Live conspiracies omitted.)