1. Trey McBride, TE, ARI
The ultimate edge in fantasy football this season was easily Trey McBride after Jacoby Brissett took over as the Cardinals’ QB. McBride blew away the competition to finish as TE1 and averaged 18.6 points per game, 11th among non-quarterbacks. Arizona is among the plethora of teams that cleaned house and will have a new head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterback. Brissett is still under contract, but Kyler Murray is expected to be traded. I do think Brissett winds up starting a few games for the Cards next season, but I expect another long-term option on the roster. How drastic were McBride’s splits with Brissett under center? He saw an additional two targets per game, but the main factor was end zone targets. McBride had two in Murray’s five starts and a whopping 16 from Week 6 on with Brissett. McBride averaged nearly 10 more points per game after the QB change. He’s no doubt worthy of coming off the board as the TE1 next season, but I won’t be drafting him. I expect McBride to be around a late first to mid second-round pick, and while replicating his 2025 production would make him worth that capital, it’s a classic case of buying all the risk.
2. Brock Bowers, TE, LV
Despite playing in just 12 games, Brock Bowers finished as TE11 in total points and was tied with Tucker Kraft and George Kittle for TE2 in points per game behind Trey McBride. With a better quarterback (assumedly) in Fernando Mendoza, a hopefully better coaching staff and offense, Bowers is right in the conversation for TE1 in fantasy and should be one of the top three tight ends off the board. He’s not three.
3. Colston Loveland, TE, CHI
Although the rookie tight end didn’t have his first double-digit game until Week 9, Colston Loveland finished as a TE1 for the season, thanks to scoring 10+ points in seven of 10 games down the stretch. Cole Kmet was much more involved early in the season, but Loveland had the typical rookie second-half surge. It helped that various receivers were dealing with injuries, but the cat is out of the bag, and he’s not going back in. (Side note: who puts a cat in a bag? Seriously!) Loveland will be one of the first tight ends off the board next season, and deservedly so. But don’t buy all the risk and reach for him in the early-middle rounds.
4. Tyler Warren, TE, IND
Will the real Tyler Warren please stand up? The stud rookie started as an offensive rookie-of-the-year candidate, averaging 13.6 points per game over the first ten weeks. But from Week 11 on, that dropped to 7.5 PPG. His per-game struggles began before Daniel Jones‘ season-ending injury, so it can’t be (entirely) pinned on that. With the defense playing well and Jonathan Taylor running the ball, Indy didn’t have to air it out much in the middle of the season. With such a loaded group of pass catchers, it came as no surprise that someone would inevitably get left out. The good news for Warren is that both Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. are free agents. While it’s still too early to know for sure, it sounds like the Colts would re-sign at most one of the receivers, so there should be plenty of targets to go around. Daniel Jones is also a free agent, however, and is recovering from a torn ACL, so there are a lot of question marks for the Colts offense as we head into the offseason. But Warren should be fine and will be a target of mine if there’s any sort of dip in draft cost.
5. Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, ATL
Good things happen when you get Kyle Pitts the ball, and it finally seems like the Falcons have figured that out. It’s a little too late for Raheem Morris, but new head coach Kevin Stefanski wasn’t afraid to feature tight ends in Cleveland, a promising sign for Pitts’ future. Pitts finished in the top five in yards per route run and yards after contact per reception, setting career highs across the board and earning his first top-five fantasy finish. Kyle Pitts Szn was finally real, and it was spectacular.
6. George Kittle, TE, SF
George Kittle is just one of those guys. Even if you hate the 49ers, it’s impossible to hate him. That’s why it was so tough to see him carted off the field in the first round of the playoffs against the Eagles, ending this season and probably affecting next year as well. The recovery timeline for a torn Achilles is about 9 to 12 months, but Kittle is about to turn 33. I can speak from experience, as I approach my 40th birthday, that getting older doesn’t help with the speed of recovery from injury. His draftability won’t be known until probably mid-summer at the earliest.
7. Tucker Kraft, TE, GB
Tucker Kraft was enjoying a career year before being blindsided by a torn ACL, totaling nearly 500 receiving yards and six touchdowns in just eight games. Still just 25 years old, even if he’s unable to start the season, he should fully recover from the injury and pick up right where he left off. Kraft tied Brock Bowers and George Kittle for TE2 on a points-per-game basis.
8. Harold Fannin Jr., TE, CLE
Harold Fannin Jr. was the only reliable pass-catcher for the Browns for about 99% of the season, which was enough to propel the uber-talented rookie to TE8 on a points-per-game basis. Fannin caught 72 passes and six touchdowns and even ran one in for a score. There’s so much in flux for Cleveland heading into 2026, but one thing is certain. Fannin is here to stay, for real football and fantasy.
9. Sam LaPorta, TE, DET
Sam LaPorta finished the season as TE7 in points per game, but it was cut short by a herniated disc in Week 10. The offense will look different in 2026 with Drew Petzing as the Lions’ new OC, but LaPorta should stay involved enough to remain a TE1 for fantasy purposes if his usage even sniffs a fraction of Trey McBride‘s in Arizona, where Petzing was before. He’s TE1 overall in points-per-mustache leagues.
10. Dalton Kincaid, TE, BUF
Dalton Kincaid led the Bills (and all tight ends) in yards per route run and also topped the team in yards per reception, ranking fourth among tight ends. He was the Bills’ most explosive pass catcher, which reflects more on the team’s overall state than on Kincaid’s abilities. Although he struggled to stay healthy, when he is on the field, Kincaid is a borderline TE1. If the Bills don’t acquire any additional weapons this offseason, Kincaid would benefit the most.
11. Oronde Gadsden II, TE, LAC
Oronde Gadsden II is another of the multiple rookie tight ends who emerged for a stretch this season, scoring 12 or more fantasy points in four straight games in the middle of the season. That includes a 29.4-point performance against the Colts, followed by 18.7 versus the Vikes. It’s hard to take much away from the Chargers’ pass catchers in the second half of the season with Herbert battling a broken hand, but Gadsen should be considered a borderline TE1 with upside for 2026.
12. Brenton Strange, TE, JAC
Strange things are happening in Jacksonville, and that’s a good thing. Brenton Strange scored double-digit fantasy points in 50% of his games and is a solid backup option if you fade tight end early in drafts.
13. Juwan Johnson, TE, NO
Juwan Johnson tied with Tyler Warren for TE10 with 11.1 fantasy points per game. Johnson set career highs in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, and with Taysom Hill out of the picture, should see increased involvement in 2026. He’s a solid back-end TE1 with limited upside.
14. Jake Ferguson, TE, DAL
Jake Ferguson had a nice little stretch as the TE1 overall from Weeks 2 to 5, but that ended quickly as soon as CeeDee Lamb returned. He finished as the TE11 in points per game and a solid TE1. If George Pickens doesn’t re-sign with Dallas, Fergie would see the biggest benefit.
15. Dalton Schultz, TE, HOU
You know that Japanese takeout place your wife always suggests when you’re trying to figure out where to eat, and every time you complain, “Ugggghhhh. I don’t want that.” But when you inevitably agree and get the food, you realize it’s actually pretty good and have to apologize to your wife for doing it again? That’s Dalton Schultz. Since the 2020 season, he’s finished outside the top 18 just once and has finished as a TE1 four of the six seasons. I’m counting this year because he tied with Hunter Henry and Dalton Kincaid for TE13 in points per game, just .01 behind Juwan Johnson. Close enough for me. Schultz isn’t a guy you’re excited to draft, but if you fade the position, he’ll be a decent option more often than not.
16. Theo Johnson, TE, NYG
Theo Johnson‘s “Gronk” comparisons turned out to be somewhat exaggerated. Shocking, I know, but he was a favorite target of Jaxson Dart in the end zone, catching five of Dart’s nine touchdown passes. With the expectation that Todd Monken is in line to take over as offensive coordinator, Johnson could truly breakout in a system known for featuring tight ends.
17. Dallas Goedert, TE, PHI
Dallas Goedert bounced back bigly in 2025. He finished as TE6 in points per game, but was heavily reliant on a career-high 11 touchdown catches. Goedert is a solid borderline TE1, but his value could skyrocket if the Eagles end up trading A.J. Brown and don’t acquire another pass catcher.
18. Travis Kelce, TE, KC
“Say you’ll remember Kelce
facing defense in press,
ready, set, hut, baby
Red jersey and Jordan cleats
Say you’ll draft him again
even if it’s not on your fantasy teams, ah-ah, ha”
Editor’s Note: Jay has been relieved of his duties.
19. Isaiah Likely, TE, BAL
We FINALLY got the Kyle Pitts breakout. Can we please get Isaiah Likely next? The pending free agent offers mouthwatering upside thanks to his athleticism and explosiveness, but he hasn’t been able to put it together for more than a few games in Baltimore. If he ends up as the TE1 in a tight-end-friendly offense (maybe following Monken to New York?), he has legit Top-5 potential.
20. Mason Taylor, TE, NYJ
Mason Taylor wasn’t able to get much going in his rookie season, which isn’t surprising, given the Flaming Hindenburg of Sadness they call the New York Jets offense. Taylor has the talent and the pedigree to become a fantasy weapon, but the Jets have to get their mess under center figured out before you can consider drafting him.
21. Mark Andrews, TE, BAL
If Isaiah Likely leaves via free agency, an increase in targets for Mark Andrews could help offset the decline in his skills.
22. T.J. Hockenson, TE, MIN
Not quite sure what happened to T.J. Hockenson, but with three top-five fantasy finishes in his first five seasons, he’s worth drafting late and seeing if he can get his mojo back. He could find himself in a new uniform next season, as his contract has no guaranteed money in 2026.
23. Terrance Ferguson, TE, LAR
Remember the name Terrance Ferguson at the end of the 2026 drafts. The rookie tight end saw only 25 targets, but among the 54 tight ends who saw at least that many, Ferguson ranked first with 21 yards per reception and ninth with 9.24 yards per target.