For the fourth time in the last half-decade, the Kansas City Chiefs are set to play in the NFL’s grandest game as they face the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 in Super Bowl LVIII. Advocates of Missouri sports betting will point to this as another missed opportunity.
Much of the focus on the Chiefs’ budding gridiron dynasty has been on coach Andy Reid and his prodigal quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, but there are also lesser-known players making the Kansas City machine tick.
One of those is a third-year tight end out of Duke, Noah Gray. He had a career-high 305 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 2023-24 season, posting an approximate value (per Pro-Football-Reference.com) of 3 for the Chiefs this season.
Gray did all this on a salary cap hit of $1,018,444, which works out to $3,339 per yard for the season. But how does that measure up among tight ends representing the best value?
To determine that, BetMissouri.com – the best place to check for updates on legislation which would make Missouri sportsbook apps legal and regulated – consulted Pro-Football-Reference.com. There we found the salary cap hit and receiving yards of every NFL tight end during 2023-24 NFL regular season. We used each player’s dollars-per-yard figure to set this list of the 10 most value-driven players at the position. Salary and yards were included for all teams the player was on this season. The blocking skill of each tight end was not quantified for this list.
Best Value NFL Tight Ends In 2023-24 Season
Super Bowl Odds for KC
Gray and the Chiefs are listed as 2-point underdog against the Niners on ESPN BET Sportsbook, with a +108 moneyline for Kansas City, to -128 for San Francisco in the big game in Las Vegas.
MORE: Chiefs SB Odds
Gray Among Most Efficient TEs In 2023-24
Among tight ends in the league, Gray’s $3,339 figure for cap dollars per receiving yard ranked 10th overall. He was just behind Kylen Granson of the Indianapolis Colts (ninth at $3,034 per yard) and Tucker Kraft of the Green Bay Packers (eighth at $2,836 per yard).
Leaguewide, Jake Ferguson of the Dallas Cowboys had the most efficient season at the position, with 761 receiving yards on a $1,046,221 cap hit, resulting in a $1,375 per yard total for the year. Tanner Hudson of the Cincinnati Bengals ($1,484) was second and Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals ($1,548) ranked third.
When broken down by receiving yards alone, Gray’s 305 yards was 10th among the group, well behind McBride (925 yards), LaPorta (889) and Ferguson (761).
Follow BetMissouri.com to see if operators that would offer Missouri sports betting promos are able to enter the state soon.
