CFB: Early Top Five 2021 College Fantasy TE Rankings
I lied last week when I would be done with these rankings. I’m not! Lucky you, now you get to read about my top five fantasy tight ends for the 2021 season. If you want to look at my other rankings, check out running backs here, quarterbacks here, and wide receivers here.
5. Greg Dulcich - UCLA
Dulcich worked his way from walk-on to one of the best receiving threats in the entire conference. His targets were inconsistent toward the end of the year (two catches vs Stanford (that both happened to be touchdowns), one catch vs Arizona in the last four games), but also saved his best game for that stretch, reeling in eight catches for 167 yards vs USC. He was excellent at stretching defenses vertically, averaging nearly 20 yards/catch as a TE. A few more pluses: He was a top-ten graded TE by PFF, Dorian Thompson-Robinson returns for his senior season to throw him passes, and he’s the No. 1 threat in the UCLA offense. All the ingredients for a top-five TE.
4. Isaiah Likely - Coastal Carolina
I didn’t watch a ton of Coastal Carolina games last season, I was obviously missing out on watching Likely. He landed on the all-conference team and was a PFF second-team All-American after a strong 2020 season. Likely improved his yards/catch every season, 8.8 to 13.5 to 20.0, while reeling in five touchdowns each season. Despite playing through an injury toward the end of the year, Likely recorded a 95.0 receiving grade over his last five games of 2020, the highest amongst all FBS TE.
3. Arik Gilbert - Georgia
Gilbert announced he will play his 2021 season at Georgia after spending his freshman season at LSU. There are some Kyle Pitts comps thrown around about Gilbert, not shocking when you see his 6-5 249 frames. LSU had plenty of QB inconsistencies that limited Gilbert’s production in 2020 (35 catches, 368 yards, two touchdowns), but now he’ll catch passes from projected first-rounder JT Daniels. The former No. 5 overall players in the 2020 HS class should have a real chance to be the best TE in the country by the season’s end.
2. Jalen Wydermyer - Texas A&M
Wydermyer has been the go-to guy in College Station since his arrival in 2019, starting double-digit games both years, and leading the Aggies in catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns as a sophomore. Over the last two years, his PFF receiving grade is 88.3, trailing only the No. 1 guy on this list. He’s garnered All-SEC honors both seasons with the Aggies and performs well lined up on the line or split out wide. He won’t get to catch passes from Kellen Mond anymore, but I’ll trust whoever is under center can replace that production that Mond had.
Charlie Kolar - Iowa State
Was there ever any doubt with this spot? Kolar has been amongst the top tight ends in the country for years now and finally gets to take the top spot with Kyle Pitts off to the NFL. He’s not a superb blocker, but that's not the reason he ranks No. 1 on this list. A two-time All-American and Mackey Award finalist, Kolar is the clear-cut No. 1 option for the Cyclones, and has by far the best chemistry with his QB (Brock Purdy) than anyone on this list. He’s not going to stretch the field after the catch, but there might not be a better jump-ball receiver in college football in 2021.
Writer
-By: TJ Mathewson