Fantasy Football: The 4 Most Important Tight End Battles to Watch in Training Camp

Outside of the elite names, the tight end position is super volatile in fantasy football each season. Tight ends are typically viewed as secondary options -- at best -- in most offenses, which makes it tougher to predict which TEs will have consistent roles.

Around the NFL, training camps are getting under way, allowing us to see how certain teams may deploy their current tight ends. At the same time, tight ends across the league are going to compete for roster spots and roles in their respective offenses.

Ahead of camp reports and media sessions from coaches and players, let's take a look at four of the most important tight end battles to keep tabs on during training camp.

Tight End Training Camp Battles to Watch for 2024

Green Bay Packers

Luke Musgrave vs. Tucker Kraft

Trying to figure out how the Green Bay Packers are going to divvy up targets among their pass-catchers is quite the conundrum for fantasy football managers this offseason. Aside from trying to decipher how the Packers plan on deploying Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks at receiver, they also have Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft holding down the tight end position.

Before suffering a lacerated kidney in Week 11 of the 2023-24 campaign, an injury that forced him to miss six of the final seven games of the regular season, Musgrave was leading Green Bay's tight ends in snap rate (71.2%), route rate (66.1%), target share (13.6%), and yards per route run (1.42), via NextGenStats. Amid Musgrave's six-game absence, Kraft logged a 93.1% snap rate, 77.7% route rate, 15.1% target share, and 1.68 yards per route run.

Both Musgrave and Kraft flashed enough as rookies a season ago to warrant interest in fantasy football -- especially with Jordan Love proving he has the skill-set to be an elite quarterback in the NFL. Love boasts the eighth-shortest odds to have the most regular season passing yards (+1700) and is tied for the seventh-shortest odds to have the most regular season passing touchdowns (+1500) in the upcoming season.

According to FantasyPros' consensus average draft position (ADP) in half-PPR leagues, Musgrave carries an ADP of 154 (TE17) while Kraft is far behind with an ADP of 277 (TE37). There's a chance Musgrave and Kraft split snaps at tight end, which would severely limit their ceilings in fantasy football.

Las Vegas Raiders

Brock Bowers vs. Michael Mayer

The impending training camp battle at tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders is less about who will start at the position and more about how the team plans on utilizing them. Despite using the 35th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Michael Mayer, the Raiders selected Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick in this year's draft.

Mayer didn't officially start until Week 3 of last season, and he missed the final three games of the year due to a sprained toe. During the 12-game span where he started, Mayer recorded just a 10.0% target share and 1.24 yards per route run.

Upon entering the NFL, Bowers should instantly become Vegas' starter at TE following an extremely productive collegiate career at Georgia. Among tight ends with 50-plus targets in college football last year, Bowers had the 11th-most yards per reception (12.8), 3rd-most yards after the catch per reception (8.7), and the most yards per route run (2.65) despite missing three games because of an ankle ailment, via PFF.

With uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position entering training camp, Bowers is carrying an ADP of 104 (TE11) while Mayer has an ADP of 246 (TE32). Given the lack of receiving weapons outside of Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, the Raiders may end up with no choice but to have Bowers and Mayer on the field together often -- which is something head coach Antonio Pierce hinted at after Las Vegas added Bowers via the draft.

Washington Commanders

Zach Ertz vs. Ben Sinnott

When Dan Quinn brought in Kliff Kingsbury to be the new offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, it reunited veteran Zach Ertz reunited with Kingsbury. Despite the familiarity in Kingsbury's system, Ertz has combined for only 74 receptions, 593 receiving yards, and 5 receiving touchdowns in his last two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.

Ertz will also be turning 34 years old during the 2024 season, so it remains to be seen if he commands a notable role with rookie signal-caller Jayden Daniels under center. At the moment, rookie tight end Ben Sinnott is sitting behind Ertz on the depth chart.

Of the tight ends with 50-plus targets in college a season ago, Sinnott tallied the eighth-most yards per reception (13.9), ninth-most yards after the catch per reception (6.8), fifth-most yards per route run (2.02), and sixth-highest average depth of target (10.1) in his final year at Kansas State. Sinnott also displayed his athletic ability at the NFL Scouting Combine by recording the best three-cone drill (6.82 seconds) and highest vertical (40 inches) among tight ends.

Even though Ertz may be the assumed starter as of now due to his seniority, Sinnott owns an ADP of 194 (TE23) while Ertz is trailing with an ADP of 249 (TE31). Sinnott likely has a better chance of being a factor later in the season, and his upside is dependent on Daniels' development as a rookie quarterback.

Carolina Panthers

Tommy Tremble vs. Ja'Tavion Sanders

Another team that has a rookie tight end who could be going a bit overlooked is the Carolina Panthers. It goes without saying that it was an absolute disastrous rookie campaign for Bryce Young in 2023, but there are reasons for optimism entering the upcoming season.

Besides hiring Dave Canales as their new head coach, the Panthers acquired Diontae Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving Young a legitimate go-to target in the passing game. Aside from Johnson, there are plenty of targets up for grabs in Carolina's new-look offense.

With Hayden Hurst missing lots of time last season -- and departing in free agency this offseason -- Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas both had starts at tight end for the Panthers. Outside of a 333-yard output from Thomas as a rookie in 2018, neither Tremble or Thomas have registered 200-plus receiving yards in a season.

As a result of their lackluster play at the tight end position in recent years, Carolina selected Ja'Tavion Sanders out of Texas in the fourth round of this year's draft. Along with accumulating 99 catches, 1,295 receiving yards, and 7 touchdowns in his final two years at Texas, Sanders had the 2nd-most yards per reception (15.2), 6th-most yards after the catch per reception (7.7), and 11th-most yards per route run (1.86) on the 8th-highest average depth of target (9.8) -- among TEs with 50-plus looks -- while he had zero drops across his 67 targets in 2023-24.

There isn't much interest in the tight ends on the Panthers as Sanders boasts the earliest ADP (242; TE34) of the bunch. Tremble isn't being taken in many drafts with an ADP of 362 (TE50).

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