After four seasons of consistent but unspectacular production, Tyler Conklin joins the Los Angeles Chargers with a chance to seize the starting tight end role. While his fantasy ceiling remains limited, his steady usage history makes him a name to monitor in deeper leagues and tight end premium formats.
An injury to TE Irv Smith in 2021 created a starting opportunity for Conklin in his fourth season in the NFL. He finished with 61 catches for 593 yards and three touchdowns on 87 targets. Despite his growth, Conklin scored over 11.0 fantasy points in PPR leagues in only three matchups (7/71/1, 3/11/2, and 7/56).
In 2022, he finished with similar success (58/552/3 on 87 targets) with the Jets. His best production came in three games (8/84, 6/79/2, and 6/80). Conklin failed to score over his final nine contests while receiving 77.2% of New York’s tight end snaps.
Conklin ended 2023 with 87 targets for the third consecutive season. He matched his career-high in catches (61) while setting a new top in receiving yards (621). On the downside, his lack of scoring led to no games with more than 14.00 fantasy points in PPR formats. Conklin finished 16th in tight end scoring (138.30 fantasy points), with emptiness over his final eight matchups (2/18, 4/33, 3/35, 4/57, 4/18, 4/36, 4/45, and 2/16).
The change to Aaron Rodgers at quarterback for the Jets led to less value for Conklin last season (51/449/4 on 72 targets). He gained only 8.8 yards per catch with playable value in only four games (5/93, 6/55, 5/59, and 8/57/1).Â
His floor over the past four seasons gives Conklin a chance to win the Chargers’ starting tight end job this year. He’ll go undrafted in all formats in 2025.
