2025 Fantasy Football Flag Plants: Tight End

Three TE's to help you navigate fantasy's most frustrating position.

Jay Felicio
Draft Prep 2 Days Ago

Must Drafts. My Guys. Ride-or-Dies.

Whatever you call them, the intention remains the same. Leave every draft with as many of them on your team as possible.

For my first series here at QB List, I’ll be breaking down my “Flag Plants” for the 2025 Fantasy Football season. There’s no singular set of criteria. No formula or made up “J.A.Y.” metric. Just a couple of players at each position that I plan on drafting a whole lot of this summer. Some will be studs I’m willing to “buy the risk” at their ADP, while others are bounce-back candidates set to shed their previous bust status. Some will be guys I simply think are being drafted too low.

For the final installment of this year’s “Flag Plants,” we head to the always ugly tight end position. I’ve had four names for each position so far in this series (check out QB, RB, and WR), but I could only come up with three tight ends I was comfortable calling my flag plants. I’m not going to force a name on a list just to hit an imaginary quota. I’ll never recommend or write up a player I don’t believe in for nice round numbers. Now let’s get to it.

 

Brenton Strange – Jacksonville Jaguars

(FantasyPros ADP: TE20, 166 Overall)

 

My interest in Brenton Strange has more to do with the opportunity that has materialized in Jacksonville, rather than anything about Strange himself. (sidenote: how has nobody given him the nickname Dr. Strange?) The Jaguars released starting tight end Evan Engram and wide receiver Gabe Davis, as well as traded Christian Kirk to the Texans. The only significant pass catcher added was WR/CB Travis Hunter, likely giving Dr. Strange (I’m giving him the nickname) the starting tight end gig and a path to potentially third in the pass-catching pecking order.

That may not sound like much, but when you’re talking tight ends in fantasy, you’ll take what you can get. If you want an elite option like Brock Bowers or Trey McBride, you’re going to have to pay up. Both have ADPs inside the top 30 picks. I prefer to wait on the position more often than not, targeting one of two types of players: high upside guys who can produce on minimal touches, or solid but unspectacular players with a clear path to targets. Strange is the latter. In the seven games where Strange played at least 60% of snaps, he averaged five targets and 3.4 receptions with a solid 7.8 yards per reception and caught two touchdowns. In seven games without Engram (not the same seven), Strange averaged nearly three more targets, two more catches, and five more points per game.

Brenton Strange’s 2024 Splits with/without Evan Engram (per FTN Splits Tool)

New Jags Head Coach Liam Coen was at the helm of the Bucs offense that saw tight end Cade Otton have a breakout season in 2024. With even a slight bump in opportunity from what he saw last season, Strange can easily return on the minimal investment needed to draft him. An ADP of TE20 is far too low.  

 

George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers

(FantasyPros ADP: TE3, 39 Overall)

 

Remember how I said I prefer to wait on tight end? George Kittle is an exception this season. It all depends on where his ADP settles. Similar to Dr. Strange, Kittle has a path to increased targets in 2025.  Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was traded to the Washington Commanders (who should wear these jerseys full-time), and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is set to miss multiple games as he recovers from last season’s torn ACL and MCL. Kittle averages three more points per game without Deebo on the field over his career, and until Aiyuk returns, should be Brock Purdy‘s top passing option.

Another thing working in Kittle’s favor is that the 49ers’ defense lost a lot of players this offseason, including:

LB Dre Greenlaw

CB Charvarius Ward

S Talanoa Hufanga

DE Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos

DT Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins

The 49ers will likely find themselves in a position to have to throw the ball more than they have in the past few seasons. If I’m able to snag Kittle in the fourth round or later, I’m drafting him with Cero Miedo!

 

Isaiah Likely – Baltimore Ravens

(FantasyPros ADP: TE15, 145 Overall)

 

Had tight end Mark Andrews been traded or released this offseason like the rumor mill clamored he would, Isaiah Likely would…likely (hold it in Jay) be drafted inside the top 5-7 tight ends off the board. But at the time of writing, Andrews is still a Raven and should remain so for the season. It seemed as if Likely leapfrogged Andrews on the depth chart after his Week 1 breakout versus the Chiefs (9 catches on 12 targets, 111 yards and 1 TD), but that would end up his best game of the season. 

Andrews struggled for most of the year, but finished strong. Over the second half of 2024, Andrews had 25 catches on 33 targets for 316 yards and SIX touchdowns. His tuddy total was the second most in the league over that span, and his 9.6 yards per target and 12.6 yards per reception were both top 10 at the position. But Likely wasn’t too shabby himself. Over the same span, Likely had 18 receptions on 24 targets for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Those three TDs were tied for fifth most, while his 8.6 yards per target and 1.6 yards per route run ranked 9th, and his 11.4 yards per reception ranked 13th.

Andrews turns 30 at the start of the season and is an unrestricted free agent once it ends. Likely is still just 25 and rumored to be extended by the Ravens in the near future. Even if Andrews is decently involved in the Ravens offense, Likely is more than worth his TE15 ADP. If we were simply a year too early on the hostile tight end takeover in Baltimore, Likely could be a league winner.

(Data sourced from FTN Fantasy. )

 

 

Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Parker McDonald (@TheCarbonFox on Twitter/X)