Everybody knows what a Bust is in Fantasy Football, but what is a Grenade? More than just a bad pick, a grenade could be a good player drafted at his absolute peak, buying all the risk. He could also be a late-round dart-throw pick whose upside is so low he’s just taking up valuable roster space. I’ll rate each player on a scale from 1 to 5 💥 (think of these as grenade blasts, since we’re fresh out of grenade emojis). One 💥 means minimal concern, while five 💥💥💥💥💥 signals a player you should steer clear of entirely.
Predicting breakouts is fun, but steering readers away from overpriced landmines can be just as valuable. That was the goal of last year’s Fantasy Grenades series. I didn’t miss on any of my tight end calls, but that’s not too hard to do when there are only two. Before we look at this year’s tight end grenades, let’s take a look at 2025.
Jonnu Smith was the most accurate grenade call at any position. The “sticky grenade to the face from across the map on Halo 2”, if you will. After being drafted around TE11 following his career year in Miami, Smith caught only 38 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. He finished as the TE35 in PPR scoring and was rostered in fewer than 3% of leagues by season’s end. The crowded depth chart and low-volume passing offense were exactly the problems we expected. Most importantly, Pat Freiermuth finished with more catches, yards, touchdowns, and fantasy points. Nugget lives to see another day.
Verdict: Hit
Sam LaPorta is tougher to judge. The anticipated volume concerns were valid with LaPorta seeing only 5.4 targets through nine games. But he remained productive enough to still average 11.9 PPR points per game. That was right around top-five production at the position and essentially justified his TE4 price tag. Unfortunately, a herniated disc required back surgery and ended his season after Week 10. The injury made him a bad pick in hindsight, but it wasn’t the reason he appeared on the grenade list, and his production when healthy wasn’t poor enough to call it a hit either.
Verdict: Push
A 1-0-1 record means the tight end grenades produced no misses, although only naming two players didn’t leave much room for me to blow myself up.
Now, let’s take a look at my 2026 Fantasy Football tight end grenades.
Oronde Gadsden II – Los Angeles Chargers
There was a magical stretch of the 2025 season where Oronde Gadsden II appeared to be the next great breakout at tight end, scoring 12+ points in four straight games, including a near 30-burger against the Colts. And even with him slowing down towards the end of 2025, the excitement for his sophomore season was palpable heading into the offseason (myself included). That is, until Mike McDaniel became the team’s OC.
If you’re mildly confused like I was at one point, you can thank my right and man, the handsome fella known as Brett Ford. He accurately brought to my attention that McDaniel prefers tight ends with blocking skills over pure pass-catchers, which is likely why McDaniel let Mike Gesicki walk when he became the Dolphins’ head coach. That theory checks out with the Chargers’ offseason additions of superb blockers Charlie Kolar and David Njoku.
Gadsden’s Fantasy Grenade Rating:
💥💥💥💥 (4/5)
Gadsden’s ADP of TE20 prevents him from being a full-fledged fiver, but McDaniels’ preference for blocking tight ends, the additions of Kolar and Njoku, and the already small target share available make it near impossible for Gadsden to provide any sort of fantasy value in 2026.
Jake Ferguson – Dallas Cowboys
Jake Ferguson seems like a nice fella. The kind who calls his mom every night and helps little old ladies across the street. But that stretch to start 2025 where he was the TE1 from Weeks 2-5? Hogwash. Poppycock. Ludicrousness.
Why, you ask?
- Without CeeDee Lamb (left Week 2 with injury): 18.6 PPR points per game
- With CeeDee Lamb: 9.6 PPR points per game
Even after that blazing-hot run, Fergie still landed just outside the top 10 tight ends in points per game (TE11). Right now, he is being drafted around TE15, so he is far from a catastrophic pick. But if you are hoping for more than fringe TE1 numbers and the occasional tuddy, get ready to fill your belly with a heaping helping of disappointment.
Ferguson’s Fantasy Grenade Rating:
💥💥💥 (3/5)