One of the hardest positions to draft in fantasy football is tight end. There isn’t a lot of depth throughout it, making the top-end guys more valuable. The use of tight ends is rising in the NFL as the league shifts toward heavier personnel packages like 12 and 13, but few tight ends are getting consistent targets week to week.

Some like to target a high-end tight end early to get better positional value, while others like to stream tight ends week to week, hoping one sticks. There is no necessarily wrong way to play it; it all depends on how the board falls during the draft.

With fantasy season picking up steam, here’s my list of tight ends to target in your league. (PPR)

1. Trey McBride

There’s no doubt Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride should top this list. He led all tight ends in receiving yards last year with 1,239 and had 12 catches for 20+ yards. He knows how to stretch the field vertically as a target while being a workhorse underneath.

The Cardinals are viewed as one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, meaning they’ll likely pass more since they’ll likely be playing from behind. With new head coach Mike LaFleur, expect McBride to get a lot of work as the No. 1 target for whoever gets the starting quaterback reps.

Last season, McBride led tight ends in target share at 27.39% and in YAC at 583 yards. He is a fringe first-round pick for me in PPR leagues.

2. Brock Bowers

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers didn’t have the sophomore season many anticipated. In 2025, he dealt with injuries that limited him to 12 games, and in some of those games, he clearly wasn’t healthy. Still, he finished as TE 11 in fantasy last year and averaged 14.7 points per game while on the field.

Entering 2026, Bowers is healthy, and the situation with the Raiders looks like night and day compared to a season ago. New head coach Klint Kubiak will be calling the shots, and whether it’s Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza starting, Bowers should be the focal point of the offense.

Bowers ranked among the top 10 tight ends in receptions, yards, target share, touchdowns and yards per route run in 2025.

3. Tyler Warren

It was his rookie season, and Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren showed he’ll be a consistent tight end option for years to come. He finished as TE 4 last year with 76 receptions, 817 yards and four touchdowns. He ranked sixth last season in target share and 10th in targets per route run.

He’ll be an even bigger factor in the Colts’ offense this season with the departure of Michael Pittman Jr., who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Warren can push downfield vertically but also block in line, making him a prime target for play-action looks.

In a PPR league, he should get consistent points and likely top his 11.1 points-per-game mark from last season.

4. Harold Fannin Jr.

One of the bigger surprises during last year’s fantasy football season was Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. emerging as one of the league’s better tight ends. He finished as TE 6 in PPR leagues, with a target share of 21.36 and over 6.04 yards per route run.

With the Browns hiring Todd Monken, expect him to use his tight ends in the creative way he used them in Baltimore. Fannin should have an easier time working in the middle this season, with the Browns rebuilding their receiving core, featuring players like KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.

5. Colston Loveland

The hype around Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland has steadily grown throughout this offseason, and for good reason. Fans should be excited for him to leap in his game, but make sure not to overvalue him in fantasy.

Loveland finished as TE 12 last year, having 713 yards and six touchdowns. He had 10 receptions of 20+ yards and averaged 10.3 fantasy points per game last season. One statistic that jumps out with Loveland is his average depth of target, which was 9.10, which is just a crazy stat. It means he isn’t just running short routes; he’ll consistently push downfield, and Caleb Williams will find him.

The Bears are still a run-heavy offense under Ben Johnson, so expect them to continue leaning into it. Loveland will make a jump, but I’d still be wary of taking him in the first three rounds.

6. Kyle Pitts

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is one of the most talked-about fantasy players, it feels like every season. How could he not be? He was taken in the top five of his draft class, so with that draft position, many feel he should be producing more in fantasy.

2025 was that year. He finished as TE 2, with 928 yards and five touchdowns, for 210.8 points. He tied McBride for the most 20+ yard catches with 12. The Falcons’ offense may look different this season with Tua Tagovailoa taking the starting snaps, but with Kevin Stefanski at the helm, expect Pitts to get his fair share of targets.

7. Tucker Kraft

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was on the way to greatness before he went down with a season-ending ACL injury last season. In his eight games played, Kraft had 489 yards and six touchdowns, for 14.7 fantasy points per game. He was eighth in tight ends in YAC with 344 yards.

Kraft was on track to finish among the top five tight ends in 2025, but he’s coming into 2026 ready to pick up where he left off. All signs point to him being ready by Week 1, and he’ll be one of the main options in the Packers’ offense.

8. George Kittle

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been one of the most consistent fantasy football options over the past couple of years. While his production has dipped slightly, he still deserves to be in the top 10 on this list. Kittle went down with an Achilles injury in the Wild Card round last season, but signs are pointing to him being ready for Week 1.

Kittle was TE 13 last season, having 628 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 14.7 points per game and had 2.15 yards per route run for the Niners offense last season. With head coach Kyle Shanahan at the helm, Kittle will always get his targets throughout a game.

9. Sam LaPorta

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta entered the league and dominated off the bat. In his rookie season, he was targeted 120 times and finished with 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. 2025, he dealt with injuries and underwent surgery for a herniated disc that ended his 2025 season.

From what it sounds like, LaPorta should be ready for the start of training camp. LaPorta finished 2025 as TE 7 and was averaging 11.9 points. In nine games, he had 489 yards, so he’s still deserving of a top 10 spot.

10. Dallas Goedert

There were reports that Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert wouldn’t be back with the team in 2026, but the team brought him back in free agency. He may not light up the stat sheet every year, but he’s been a consistent tight-end option over the past couple of years. He finished 2025 with 11 touchdowns as TE 7.

His target share, YPRR and YAC are lower than others, but he’s a reliable target for quaterback Jalen Hurts underneath, making him a legit red-zone option. The Eagles selected Eli Stowers in this year’s draft, but that shouldn’t impact Goedert’s targets much.

11. Jake Ferguson

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson was a sneaky good option throughout the 2025 season. He finished fourth among tight ends in receptions with 82 and had 777 yards and 8 touchdowns. We all know how stacked the Cowboys’ offense is, and with the attention on everyone else, Ferguson has become one of Dak Prescott’s favorite targets over the middle.

Ferguson finished as TE 5 last season, averaging 11.1 points per game. If you miss out on the top options on this list, don’t panic. Ferguson is a great option in the middle rounds.

12. Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce’s decline has been evident, but in 2025, he finished as TE3. Kelce had 108 targets, catching 76 for 851 yards and five touchdowns. Do I expect him to have this good of a season again? No. That’s why he’s lower on the list, but with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid still there, anything is possible. With Kraft, Bowers and LaPorta injured last season, that was a main reason Kelce finished in the top three.

Still, he showed he has it, with 424 YAC yards last season and a 19 percent target share. Kelce is a great mid-round option.

13. Dalton Kincaid

I’ll come out and say it. I’m a full-on believer in Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid. If he can put together a fully healthy season, there’s no reason he can’t be a top seven tight end in fantasy. With Josh ALlne slinging the rock, Kincaid has been a consistent threat downfield.

In 2025, Kincaid led all tight ends in yards per route run with 2.77 and tied for first in targets per route run with 0.24. Health is the name of the game for Kincaid, and if he is, he’ll be a steal in the later rounds.

14. T.J. Hockenson

Minnesota Vikings tight end TJ Hockenson’s production has taken a significant dip since his 2022 and 23 seasons, when he had over 900 yards. He hasn’t topped 500 yards in the past two seasons and was targeted only 66 times last season. The Vikings’ offense didn’t have good quarterback play in the slightest, which is a major reason, but the hope is that Hockenson bounces back in some capacity in 2026.

I wouldn’t draft Hockenson as my starting tight end, but he’s a solid depth option in 12-team leagues or, if he’s on waivers, a good streaming option. Until he shows he can be a reliable option, I’d stray away from Hockeons being the main guy.

15. Isaiah Likely

Looking at the stats, you could be asking why New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely is even near the top 15. He finished as TE 45 last season, having just over 300 yards. The Giants hired his former head coach, John Harbaugh, and, in free agency, paid Likely a good amount of money. The hope is he’ll be one of Jaxson Dart’s main targets over the middle and be a reliable option week to week.

Likely did have an ADOT of 7.97 last season, showing he can push the field vertically. If given more consistent targets, I’d expect Likely to finish among the top 15 tight ends.

Rest of Rankings

16. Mark Andrews

17. Juwan Johnson

18. Kenyon Sadig

19. Brenton Strange

20. Dalton Schultz

21. Oronde Gadsden

22. Hunter Henry

23. Pat Freiermuth

24. AJ Barner

25. Cade Otton

26. Chig Okonkwo

27. Gunnar Helm

28. Even Engram

29. Mike Gesicki

30. Eli Stowers