2026 Fantasy Football Top Tight End Rankings, Odds & Analysis

In order to build a fantasy championship, you have to be prepared for your draft. That means to start early in considering your targets and fades.

In this column of my 2026 fantasy football rankings, we’re focusing on the top 32 tight ends.

Find out why Brock Bowers is a must-draft this season and other ways to navigate the tight end position in 2026 fantasy football leagues.

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2026 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings

My 2026 fantasy football tight end rankings are based on half-point-per-reception leagues.

1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
2. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
3. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
4. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
5. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
6. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
7. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
8. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
9. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
10. Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers
11. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
12. Isaiah Likely, New York Giants
13. Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders
14. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
15. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
16. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
17. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
18. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
19. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
20. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
21. AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks
22. Greg Dulcich, Miami Dolphins
23. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
24. Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets
25. Gunnar Helm, Tennessee Titans
26. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
27. Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams
28. David Njoku, Los Angeles Chargers
29. Eli Stowers, Philadelphia Eagles
30. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
31. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
32. Mason Taylor, New York Jets

Top 10 Fantasy Tight Ends: Analysis

Let’s take a closer look at my top 10 fantasy tight ends.

1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Most Receiving Yards:
Receiving Yards O/U:
Receiving TDs O/U:

Brock Bowers had an injury-plagued season where everything went wrong for the Raiders. But now, Klint Kubiak is the head coach, so Bowers is getting one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL. Expect Kubiak to make Bowers the absolute focal point of the passing game, just like he did with Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle.

Add in the fact that the Raiders’ receiving corps is underwhelming, led by Jalen Naylor, and it’s hard not to see Bowers get absolutely peppered with targets. Bowers is my favorite target in fantasy football drafts this season. I’m taking him as early as No. 13, which is way above ADP. I expect Fernando Mendoza to start sooner than later, and we all know how a tight end is a rookie’s best friend.

2. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

Most Receiving Yards:
Receiving Yards O/U:
Receiving TDs O/U:

Trey McBride is coming off a historic season, but everything went in his favor there. Marvin Harrison Jr. got injured. Plus, Jacoby Brissett and the Cardinals were playing football as if it were Madden, constantly dropping back to pass and padding their stats in garbage time.

I’m not underestimating McBride’s talent, as he’s clearly the second-best tight end in football. I’m just saying that his stats were inflated, and we don’t pay for last year’s stats around these parts. With a new playcaller in Mike LaFleur, and Carson Beck likely starting at some point for the rebuilding Cardinals, bet on regression for McBride this season.

3. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

Receiving Yards O/U:
Receiving TDs O/U:

If I miss out on Bowers in the second round, Colston Loveland is my Plan B. The talented tight end showed a high ceiling as a rookie, including a massive game against the Bengals, where he put up 118 yards and two touchdowns. There’s a legitimate chance that he can emerge as the top target in the Bears’ passing game, in an explosive offense with Ben Johnson calling plays.

With that in mind, Loveland is a terrific choice in the third round. Don’t worry that he had an inconsistent first year. That’s par for the course for rookies, especially tight ends. It’s wheels up for the former Michigan Wolverine in Year 2.

4. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

Most Receiving Yards:
Receiving TDs O/U:

Tucker Kraft was absolutely exploding for the Packers before he tore his ACL. Think back to that game against the Commanders in Week 2, when he had six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. This is an explosive player who has rare YAC ability for a tight end. The sky is the limit here.

If I miss out on Bowers and Loveland, Kraft is my Plan C. There’s just too much upside here. Yes, he’s coming off a torn ACL, but he had plenty of time to recover. Like Loveland with the Bears, there’s a chance that Kraft can be the top target for the Packers. With Romeo Doubs now in New England, targets are even more consolidated in Green Bay.

5. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

Receiving Yards O/U:
Receiving TDs O/U:

Tyler Warren had a rock-solid rookie season. But this is a tier of tight ends that I tend to avoid. If I miss out on Bowers, Loveland, or Kraft, I’m generally waiting on tight end at that point. That doesn’t mean that Warren isn’t worth taking, I just view him as a more of a floor pick.

The good news is that targets are more consolidated between Warren, Alec Pierce, and Josh Downs, since Michael Pittman Jr. was dealt to the Steelers. With that said, this is still an offense that wants to run the football. With Daniel Jones recovering from a torn ACL, expect that to continue to be the case in 2026.

6. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

Most Receiving Yards:
Receiving TDs O/U:

Sam LaPorta is returning from injury, set to play a season with Drew Petzing as the new offensive coordinator. We all know how Petzing loves his tight ends. Just look at how prominently McBride was featured in the Cardinals’ offense.

With that said, this is the same story as with Warren here. I’m not shopping for tight end at this stage of the draft. I understand LaPorta’s upside, especially with what he did as a rookie, but the Lions have a lot of mouths to feed, and they like to run the football.

7. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

Most Receiving Yards:

Harold Fannin Jr. had a terrific rookie season, but we have to see if he can establish rapport with Deshaun Watson, who is the overwhelming favorite to be the Browns’ starter this year.

Cleveland selected two wideouts in this year’s draft, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. Each of those are talented wideouts. Even with David Njoku gone, there are a lot of targets in this offense. I didn’t even mention Jerry Jeudy yet. The Browns could once again be an abysmal offense, even with Todd Monken calling plays. For that reason, I don’t usually target Fannin, but TE7 feels like the right spot for him in my rankings.

8. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Most Receiving Yards:
Receiving Yards O/U:
Receiving TDs O/U:

Now here’s my tight end target if I miss on Bowers, Loveland, or Kraft. Travis Kelce quietly had a bounce-back season in 2025, it just doesn’t look as impressive because the Chiefs were a dumpster fire once Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending injury.

Kelce increased his yards after catch per reception from 8.5 to 11.2 last year. That was his highest since 2022, when he had 12.2 YAC/R, en route to 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns. While I don’t think he’ll get to that level again, it’s clear that Kelce has something left in the tank. This is likely to be his final year. I’m expecting rock-solid production.

9. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

Receiving Yards O/U:
Receiving TDs O/U:

Kyle Pitts reminded everyone why he was such a highly touted prospect. He finished with 88 catches for 928 yards and five touchdowns. The problem was that a lot of that production came with Drake London sidelined and Kirk Cousins under center. London is back in action, while Cousins is a Raider.

I still can see Pitts having a productive season, but it’s more of an unclear situation. We have to see if he can establish a rapport with Tua Tagovailoa, who may be forced into action if Michael Penix Jr. isn’t ready to return from a torn ACL.

10. Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers

Receiving Yards O/U: TBD
Receiving TDs O/U: TBD

Here we have another one of my favorite tight end targets. I’m above consensus on Oronde Gadsden because he’s got rare downfield ability for a tight end. It was impressive to see him put up 49 catches for 664 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 13.6 yards per reception.

With Mike McDaniel calling plays, the Chargers figure to have a much more explosive offense. With Jesse Minter now coaching the Ravens, we could see a downgrade on defense, which could mean more shootouts. I know the Chargers signed Njoku, but he’s declining. Take advantage of the buying opportunity that’s been given to us, as it’s made other fantasy managers concerned with Gadsden. Bet on the talent here.

Photo Credit: AP/Rick Scuteri