All throughout the off-season, there was a drumbeat growing for Tucker Kraft as the preferred option for the “wait on Tight End” types. He boasted the yards-after-catch ability that made explosive plays a regular occurrence, and his 14% touchdown rate showed the promise of the upside for fantasy managers. His role in the offense was the only limiting factor in his profile, where he ran a route on 53.5% of drop-backs last season. That appears to be a thing of the past, as 2025 has found Kraft with a gaudy 94% route participation through two games. Kraft currently ranks as the TE1 on the season, thanks in large part to his 9.1 yards after catch per reception, which has helped him amass 140 yards and 2 scores on 8 catches. The absence of Jayden Reed only creates additional opportunity for Kraft, who has moved all the way up to TE4 in our consensus ranks. –Eric Romoff
Another major riser up the Tight End ranks is Juwan Johnson of the Saints. Johnson is a somewhat stealthy veteran presence at the position, having spent much of his career hovering around the Tight End middle class, averaging between 7 and 8 points per game over his last three seasons. This year, however, he seems to have clicked into form – emerging as the Saints’ #2 pass-cacher and averaging nearly 16 fantasy points per game. Johnson is currently the leader at his position with 144 air yards and is pacing to surpass the total that Brock Bowers posted in his record-breaking rookie campaign. He’s converted these air yards to 125 receiving yards and a score on 13 receptions and is clearly the 2nd option on a pass-happy Saints offense averaging 40 attempts per game. Johnson spikes up to TE5 in this week’s rankings. –Eric Romoff
Apart from a couple of flashes in the pan as a rookie, Ja’Tavion Sanders has largely been off the fantasy radar. His athletic profile and production at Texas made him a worthy pick in the 4th round, but limited opportunity kept him from establishing a role in the offense. Those winds appear to be shifting as 2o25 finds Sanders running a route on 68.1% of Panthers’ drop-backs, earning a 12.8% target share through 2 weeks. Much of that work came last week, when Sanders drew 9 targets, including 4 in the red zone, for 7 catches, 54 yards, and a touchdown. Obviously, Tight End production is something that can swing wildly from week to week, but it’s nice to see some of his rumored upside show up in the box score. Ultimately, Sanders is still in the middle class of the Tight End rankings, but the spike week moves him up a couple of tiers to settle in as my TE19 for Week 3. –Eric Romoff