These are Rich Hribar's 2026 fantasy tight end rankings with brief analytical notes on every fantasy relevant player.
The full rankings for PPR, Half-PPR, Superflex, and TE Premium leagues are downloadable and sortable on our main fantasy rankings page.
Rich's 2026 positional tiers will publish later this summer.
These notes will be updated throughout the offseason as the landscape changes.
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2026 Fantasy Tight End Rankings:
1. Trey McBride: A perfect storm of team injuries propelled him to the most positional leverage for a TE1 ever. Ran 121 more routes than the next closest tight end. Even expecting regression and the field to be tighter on his heels in 2026, McBride has usage, age, and production on his side. I still believe he is a better bet to run more routes than Bowers to split hairs up top.
2. Brock Bowers: Injuries impacted his top-down production in 2026, but has still opened his career as the TE3 and TE2 in fantasy points per game. Clear lead target in his passing tree with an upgrade in play caller. The only potential hang-up is high-end ceiling attached to a rookie passer.
3. Colston Loveland: Ended the season with at least 15% of the team’s targets in each of the final nine games, drawing a target on 24.7% of his routes for 1.97 yards per route run over that span. Over the final five games of the season, Loveland was on the field for 80.9% of the team's dropbacks, receiving a target on 30.5% of his routes with 2.34 yards per route run.
4. Tyler Warren: Strong rookie season, catching 76 of 112 targets for 817 yards and 4 touchdowns. TE3 in route participation (83.6%). Should be expected to have more on his plate in year two with Michael Pittman gone.
5. Tucker Kraft: Was on his way to a massive breakout season last year before an ACL injury in Week 9. Before his injury, Kraft was third among tight ends with 469 receiving yards, second in touchdowns (6), and fourth in fantasy points per game (14.7). Kraft will be right around 10 months in his recovery at the start of the season, with the Packers losing wide receiver targets Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks.
6. Harold Fannin: Led the team in targets (107), receptions (72), receiving yards (731), and touchdowns (6) as a rookie. Led all tight ends that ran at least 100 pass routes last season in target rate per route (24.7%) while posting 1.68 yards per route run (13th) in an anemic offense. More target competition in year two, but a potential offensive upgrade for tight end usage under Todd Monken.
7. Sam LaPorta: Only appeared in nine games last season due to a herniated disc. LaPorta is expected to be available for training camp as a full go. Before his injury, he was averaging 2.0 yards per route run (TE4) and was TE7 in fantasy points per game (11.9).
8. Kyle Pitts: Had his best season since his rookie year, catching 88 of 118 targets for 928 yards and 5 touchdowns. His end-of-year production, with Drake London (and Michael Penix) injured, carried him to a strong finish. Over the opening 10 games, Pitts was averaging 4.7 catches for 43.4 yards per game with 1 touchdown, so there is still some risk here for limited ceiling output. Only three games as TE3 or better in weekly scoring despite a spike in overall output.
9. George Kittle: Can be a riser with positive reports this summer and avoiding the PUP to start the season following an Achilles injury in the postseason. He will turn 33 this October, missing time in every season since 2018, but he is still an impact player on the field. TE3 in fantasy points per game when active, averaging 5.2 receptions for 57.1 yards per game with 7 touchdowns.
10. Mark Andrews: Hitting 30 years old, Andrews had the worst season of his career in 2025. He could be an attempt at catching a falling knife, but the Ravens have lost Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar this offseason to potentially boost the need for expanding Andrews's role, while he still can make an impact near the end zone. Even in a down year, Andrews was fourth among TEs in end zone targets (10).
11. Isaiah Likely: 26 this season, will finally get out of the shadow of Mark Andrews and log full-time snaps in an open target tree outside of Malik Nabers, who may start the season slowly returning from injury.
12. Oronde Gadsden: As a fifth-round pick, he caught 49 passes for 664 yards and 3 touchdowns. No tight end in the league averaged more yards per catch (13.6) with as many receptions as Gadsden last season. Lost steam due to injuries that dragged this offense down in bulk, and he had a limited ability to contribute as a blocker. The Chargers ran the ball only 30.5% of the time when Gadsden was on the field, compared to 50.3% when he was off the field. Can create explosives per target under Mike McDaniel, but McDaniel also wants to run the football, which can cap route participation.
13. Jake Ferguson: TE11 in points per game last season (11.1) and has attachment to a high-upside offense, but also has to contend with two major target earners in his passing tree. Through seven games with CeeDee Lamb banged up, Ferguson caught 51 passes with 6 touchdowns, drawing a target on 27.6% of his routes with 1.59 yards per route run. Then, over the final 10 games, he had just 31 receptions and 2 touchdowns, drawing a target on 15.4% of his routes and averaging 0.93 yards per route.
14. Dalton Kincaid: Hyper-efficient last season with 2.73 yards per route run (TE1), but his limitations with injuries, as an in-line player, and his role in the run game on a run-heavy team have limited his opportunities. Kincaid only played 33.4% of his snaps in-line last season. Over his three seasons in the league, Kincaid has been on the field for 64.1% of the team's dropbacks. He did not have surgery, but offseason reports indicate that Kincaid will still need to be managed in 2026 due to his knee injury.
15. Dallas Goedert: Career-high 11 touchdowns covered the tracks of a limited season. Goedert averaged 4.0 receptions (his fewest since 2021) and 39.4 yards (his fewest since 2019) per game in 2025 with a career-low 9.9 yards per catch. A target bump could be in order with a potential trade of A.J. Brown, but additions of Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers can keep that in check. Has missed games in seven straight seasons.
16. Travis Kelce: Turning 37 this October, he is coming off a season in which he caught 76 of 108 targets for 851 yards and 5 touchdowns. Kelce was targeted on a career-low 18.8% of his routes, his first season below the 20% mark. He has been below 1.5 yards per route in each of the past two seasons after posting at least 1.8 yards per route every season prior.
17. Juwan Johnson: Johnson set career-highs in targets (102), receptions (77), and receiving yards (889) in 2025 to go along with 3 touchdowns. TE12 in points per game (10.6) on 18.1% of the targets (TE7). The Saints have added a host of offensive weapons to bring down that target share.
18. Kenyon Sadiq: The former 4-star recruit is a versatile player, the youngest tight end in this class, and made noise at the NFL Combine with his athletic testing. He joins a Jets offense that is not overly attractive, but Frank Reich has featured tight ends, with the position holding a 24.5% target share on his teams.
19. Chig Okonkwo: 50 or more receptions in each of the past three seasons, but never found his footing as a complete player due to being one of the worst run blockers at his position. Over his rookie contract, Okonkwo never reached a 70% route rate in a season. The new home in Washington does provide an upgrade in quarterback play and play calling, while the team lacks true target earners outside of Terry McLaurin.
20. Brenton Strange: Has raised his receptions and yardage every year in the NFL. Strange was targeted on 19% of his routes (TE14) with 1.71 yards per route run (TE4) but only managed a TE18 season in points per game (9.8). The Jaguars added two rookie tight ends and have a lot of target competition.
21. Hunter Henry: Had a career-high 768 receiving yards, catching 60 passes to go along with 7 touchdowns. Was a touchdown-or-bust fantasy option as he had only 87 targets, drawing a target on 18.9% of his routes (TE31). Henry will turn 32 in December.
22. Greg Dulcich: A non-zero chance that he leads Miami in targets in 2026. Dulcich averaged 2.38 yards per route run last year on his 141 routes, which was second among all tight ends with 100 or more pass routes on the year. He was targeted on 23.4% of his routes, which would have ranked fifth among the same group. He was on the field for only 26.6% of dropbacks and has 67 career receptions over four seasons, so there is also a low floor here, attached to a passing offense that does not inspire much confidence.
23. Dalton Schultz: Caught a career-high 82 passes for 777 yards (his most since 2021) and 3 touchdowns. He was second on the team with 106 targets. Schultz is more volume-dependent than dynamic, but he is a reliable asset at the position. He was on the field for 77.5% of the dropbacks (TE7) with 19.2% of the Houston targets (TE6).
24. AJ Barner: Solid second season, grabbing 52 of 68 targets for 519 yards and 6 touchdowns. 28.5% of his fantasy output was tied to touchdowns, with one TE1 scoring week over his 12 games without a score.
25. Gunnar Helm: Expected to take on a larger role in his second season after a solid performance on his snaps as a rookie. He only ran a route on 38% of the dropbacks, but Helm was targeted on 22.4% of his routes, which only trailed Harold Fannin (24.7%) and Tyler Warren (22.4%) among rookie tight ends. Helm’s 1.45 yards per route ranked fifth among rookie tight ends.
26. T.J. Hockenson: Coming off a down year with 51 receptions for 438 yards and 3 touchdowns. Posted career lows in yards per catch (8.6) and receiving yards per game (29.2). He was also coming off a down year to close out 2024 after returning from his ACL injury. That combination of limited production can be excused in both seasons due to injuries and quarterback play, but how much ceiling is left to chase?
27. Colby Parkinson: Led the team's tight end unit in targets (56), receptions (43), yards (408), and touchdowns (8), despite only running a route on 39.2% of the dropbacks. Still lacks a full-time role in an offense that should be due for passing touchdown regression. 36.9% of his fantasy points were via touchdowns, the second-highest rate in the league.
28. Terrance Ferguson: Needs more playing time in a crowded target tree, but has immense upside per target if the stars align. Ferguson only played 49% of his snaps in-line, playing 26.3% in the slot and 22.7% out wide. He averaged 18.6 air yards per target with 56% of his targets coming on throws 20 or more yards downfield.
29. Michael Mayer: Had early-career highs in targets (50), receptions (35), and receiving yards (328) with a touchdown. The best handcuff tight end? Mayer was targeted on 22.7% of his routes (TE6 out of 47 tight ends with 200 or more pass routes last season) with 1.49 yards per route (TE18). On 116 routes with Brock Bowers sidelined, Mayer was targeted on 26.7% of his routes with 1.96 yards per route run.
30. Pat Freiermuth: Coming off career lows with 2.4 receptions for 28.6 yards per game. He was targeted on a career low 16.6% of his routes. New offense and loss of Jonnu Smith gives him added outs, but the addition of Michael Pittman is a significant thorn in the way he earns targets.
31. Jake Tonges: A potential early-season streamer should George Kittle start the year on PUP. Tonges was targeted on 19.8% of his routes with 1.28 yards per route run with Kittle sidelined in 2025.
32. Cade Otton: Has not stacked crazy counting stats over his rookie contract, but was a reliable player in the offense who produced when the Bucs were missing multiple pass catchers over the past two seasons. Otton has played over 90% of the offensive snaps in three consecutive seasons.
33. David Njoku: Will turn 30 this July, and is coming off 33 catches for 293 yards and 4 touchdowns. Njoku has averaged only 7.9 and 8.9 yards per catch the past two seasons, missing 11 games.
34. Evan Engram: Caught 50 passes for 461 yards and 1 touchdown last season with Denver. Set a career low with 28.8 yards per game. Averaged a career-low 4.4 air yards per target. Engram was limited due to playing part-time, as he is not active in the run game. He only ran a route on 53.9% of the dropbacks.
35. Darnell Washington: Caught a career-high 31 passes for 364 yards and 1 touchdown. Despite the growth as a receiver, Washington was still primarily featured in the run game. Pat Freiermuth ran a route on 54.9% of the dropbacks, while Washington was at 35.6%.
36. Theo Johnson: The addition of Isaiah Likely roadblocks Johnson from taking a huge step as a pass catcher, but he should still be a part of the offense. Matt Nagy comes from a high utilization of 2TE sets at Kansas City. The Chiefs were second in the league in 12-personnel rate over the past three seasons (30.1%) with Nagy there, and fourth in 13-personnel rate (7.9%).
37. Cole Kmet: More handcuff than standalone piece, but he was a contributor in the base offense when Chicago was at their best, catching 30 passes for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns. From Week 10 on, the Bears played 12 personnel on 35.4% of their snaps (6th) and 13 personnel on 13.4% (2nd).
38. Elijah Arroyo: Did not get much run as a rookie, catching 15 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. As a rookie, Arroyo was on the field for 26.6% of Seattle's dropbacks, limited at the end of the year by a knee injury.
39. Eli Stowers: Will he have a real role in the 2026 offense, or is he more of a long-term play who has limited playing time, as we covered so far with Terrance Ferguson and Elijah Arroyo? I tend to side with the latter outcome as being the most probable, but keep him on waiver speed dial since Dallas Goedert has missed time in seven straight seasons.
40. Mike Gesicki: Limited role in the offense, but on the field when the Bengals are passing while drawing attachment to Joe Burrow. Gesicki played 28.9% of the snaps in 2025, but the Bengals threw the ball at an 82.8% rate on those snaps.
