85. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
A lot of things went wrong for the San Francisco 49ers in 2018. Both quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Jerick McKinnon tore ACLs. McKinnon missed the whole season, whereas Jimmy G was out for all but three games. Those injuries put a dark cloud on their season, but there was a silver lining in George Kittle.
The second-year tight end was phenomenal with 1,377 yards and five touchdowns off 88 receptions. He gave them a legitimate option in the passing game when it seemed as though they had none. It will be interesting to see if he takes a step forward with Garoppolo returning.
86. Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
156 passes went the way of Zach Ertz this past season and the veteran tight end hauled in 116 of those. It was his first 100-plus reception season and he also crossed the 1,000-yard plateau for the first time in his career. A two-time Pro Bowl player, he’s become one of the more efficient players in the NFL and is getting better every year.
87. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
The second Kelce brother to make this list, and third-straight tight end, Travis Kelce is the best player in the league wearing No. 87 right now. He’s also arguably the best tight end in the game now that Rob Gronkowski has called it a career. Kelce is fresh off his third-straight 1,000-yard season for the Chiefs. He finished this past campaign with 103 receptions for 1,336 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s impossible to cover over the middle of the field and quickly became Patrick Mahomes favorite target.