The dog days of tight ends are over. Travis Kelce was going off the board in the top five picks in 2023, while the next tight end was Mark Andrews two rounds later. Now in 2024, neither is the top tight end off the board. Mark Andrews is a name that many managers will be enticed to pick, is he the right option in fantasy football in 2024?
Mark Andrews, Ravens Tight End Fantasy Football Outlook 2024
2023 in Review
Given his TE2 ADP, Andrews had high expectations last season. He started the year hot, with 50% of his first ten games being top-ten finishes. Andrews had no goose eggs on his fantasy outputs, and he still had the third most yards per route run of any tight end. The sour taste in dynasty managers’ mouths is from his injury at the end of the year.
His fantasy season was ended via hip drop tackle in Week 11. It’s worth noting that he returned for the Ravens final playoff game, but he only played 31% of snaps and grabbed two catches. Since he’s had a full offseason to rest up, we won’t likely see any lingering issues in 2024.
2024 Projection
If Andrews hits his career baseline, these full Ravens projections make sense. He would command a 26% target share for over 900 yards and eight touchdowns. That comes out to TE3 last year, which would be a nice return for Andrews. Between his yards per route run, fantasy points per route run, and target share, almost every underlying metric is a green flag.
The key to finding a good fantasy football tight end is to make sure they’re either the primary or secondary target on their offense. To be fair, Zay Flowers could very well lead this team in targets and receptions, but in games played last year, Andrews outperformed him. Either way, there’s little to no threat of a third player supplanting Andrews. Likely is a fine backup tight end. Rashod Bateman is a perpetual “what could have been” type player. If Devontez Walker outpaces Andrews in targets it would shock the world. Bottom line, Andrews checks almost every box.
Mark Andrews Fantasy Football ADP
According to FantasyPros, Mark Andrews is the fourth tight end off the board. Almost more importantly, he’s off the board over two full rounds after the TE1, Sam LaPorta. With LaPorta, Kelce, and Trey McBride going in front of him, Andrews might be one of the best values at tight end this year. If he hits his projections, he’ll have more yards than either LaPorta or McBride had last season, and Kelce isn’t exactly a spring chicken.
The difference between the TE1 and TE6 last year essentially came down to touchdown luck. Lamar Jackson had a season in 2021 with a nine percent touchdown percentage. For reference, the NFL average is just about 4.5%. If Andrews is on the receiving end of even just a seven percent TD% (which is still wildly high, but within Jackson’s range) he could easily vault into the TE1 conversation.
Main Photo Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Universal Responsible Gambling Disclaimer: Ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
