You can't discuss the NFL's best tight end without including George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers. He has recorded back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 yards receiving, getting into the end zone 10 times during that span, and set a new NFL single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end in 2018 with 1,377.
Kittle is pretty good.
So is Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. The two find themselves listed as the only Tier-1 players within Pro Football Focus' rankings of the best fantasy football tight ends. The tier is reserved for players who possess elite talent and utilization.
"Both Kelce and Kittle are the consensus top two tight ends across PFF rankings," wrote Dwain McFarland of Pro Football Focus. "There is some debate between who is number one, but both are elite options."
Kelce has recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and hauled in 15 touchdowns over the past two. That has made him the top fantasy tight end in four straight seasons, according to McFarland, who adds that Kelce plays with an elite passer in Patrick Mahomes.
Meanwhile, Kittle wasn't just graded as Pro Football Focus' best tight end last season; he received its best overall grade (95.0) among all NFL players.
"He is a perfect fit in Kyle Shanahan's scheme, where he creates mismatch problems versus linebackers and safeties," wrote McFarland. "Once the ball is in his hands, getting him to the ground is a complicated task — among tight ends with at least 30 receptions, he leads the position in yards-after-the-catch average (8.6) over the past two years. The freakish talent has 36 grabs over 20 yards in that span, the most in the NFL. And Kittle owns two of the top six yards per route run figures in a season since 2007 (3.12 in 2019 and 2.82 in 2018) among tight ends with 25 season targets."
McFarland notes that, unlike Kelce, Kittle plays in an offense that puts more of an emphasis on the run game. The 49ers tight end, of course, relishes in the opportunity to run-block.
"I personally think if you can move a guy from point A to point B against his will, that's a better feeling than scoring a touchdown, in my opinion," Kittle said last year. "If you can put a guy on his back and he doesn't want to be on his back, it's a great feeling. There is not much that can beat that."
Despite his satisfaction in making an impact in the run game, Kittle is capable of putting up some impressive fantasy-football numbers.
"Kittle has led San Francisco's passing game on a per-game target share over the past two seasons (25% and 24%)," added McFarland. "He could push for slightly more work in 2020 if the coaching staff decides to utilize him more in the passing game. Deebo Samuel is the team's No. 2 receiver and won't be ready early on due to a Jones fracture."