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The 2023 season will provide answers to some of the biggest questions in fantasy football. Five teams are defined by their tight end questions.

What is the passing rate in Baltimore?

Mark Andrews is an elite performer. On his career, Andrews has 2.18 yards per route run, a 99th percentile performance among tight ends with more than 200 career routes since 2008. He has been targeted on 24.9% of his routes, the 100th percentile performance among tight ends, with more than 200 receiving routes since 2008. The only question has been Baltimore's passing volume. In his career, Andrews has ranked 23rd, 25th, 19th, 1st, and 10th in route volume among tight ends. His season where he finished as TE1 was the season he finished first in route volume. His 80.1 receiving yards per game in 2021 ranks as the 9th-best tight end season in NFL history. Andrews should benefit from Baltimore's move from former offensive coordinator Greg Roman to Todd Monken. In four seasons calling plays in the NFL, Monken's average season was 1% over expectation, and his lowest passing expectation rate has been league average. Monken returned to the NFL after spending the last three seasons at Georgia. During each of the past two seasons, Georgia's tight end Brock Bowers led the team in receiving, so this could be an outstanding combination for Andrews. Andrews is on an exclusive list of active players capable of producing the best tight end season of all time if Baltimore's passing volume allows him the opportunity.

What is the passing volume in Atlanta?

After a 110-target rookie season in 2021, Kyle Pitts missed seven games in 2022 and was held to only 59 targets, 28 receptions, 356 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. A healthy Pitts should be in line for a major rebound and could benefit if Atlanta throws more frequently in 2023. The scale and scope of that rebound will depend on Atlanta's passing volume. The team's passing rate in 2022 was 13% under expectation based on the team's game situation with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder under center. In his tenure as an offensive play caller, Arthur Smith has consistently been run-heavy, but 2023 is arguably his best set of offensive skill players in his career as a play caller. The team still has a major question at quarterback, with Desmond Ridder struggling as a rookie. The team's passing rate was 13% under expectation based on the team's game situation, with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder under center in 2022. If Desmond Ridder develops, that number could trend towards the normal 4% to 11% under the passing rate expectation range of Arthur Smith's prior offenses. The team had only 28.9 dropbacks per game, which ranked last in the league, and had 29.3 seconds per play, which ranked 27th. If his team regresses toward the league median in pace and/or passing rate, Pitts could be a major volume rebound.