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Many fantasy players view the tight end as one of the hardest positions to draft. But maybe it's actually simpler than we think, and we're just overanalyzing.
The pool of effective offensive contributors beyond the top-tier players is expanding as more schemes incorporate the position.
Here's how you should attack the position in 2026 fantasy football drafts.
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Fantasy Football TE rankings: Best tight ends for 2026 drafts
I ranked 30 projected starting tight ends this season based on their fantasy football impact.
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 1 | Brock Bowers | LV |
| 2 | Trey McBride | ARI |
| 3 | Tyler Warren | IND |
| 4 | Colston Loveland | CHI |
| 5 | Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL |
| 6 | Sam LaPorta | DET |
| 7 | Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE |
| 8 | George Kittle | SF |
| 9 | Tucker Kraft | GB |
| 10 | Dallas Goedert | PHI |
| 11 | Travis Kelce | KC |
| 12 | Dalton Kincaid | BUF |
| 13 | Jake Ferguson | DAL |
| 14 | Mark Andrews | BAL |
| 15 | T.J. Hockenson | MIN |
| 16 | Kenyon Sadiq | NYJ |
| 17 | Isaiah Likely | NYG |
| 18 | Hunter Henry | NE |
| 19 | Juwan Johnson | NO |
| 20 | Terrance Ferguson | LAR |
| 21 | Brenton Strange | JAC |
| 22 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT |
| 23 | Dalton Schultz | HOU |
| 24 | Chig Okonkwo | WAS |
| 25 | Gunnar Helm | TEN |
| 26 | AJ Barner | SEA |
| 27 | Oronde Gadsden | LAC |
| 28 | Greg Dulcich | MIA |
| 29 | Cade Otton | TB |
| 30 | Mike Gesicki | CIN |
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When should I draft a tight end in 2026 fantasy football?
There is a pretty obvious tier one for this year. While the top two options are certainly better than the bottom two, it would be a bit silly not to include both sophomore superstars.
- Brock Bowers
- Trey McBride
- Tyler Warren
- Colston Loveland
Though I view them as nearly identical talents, Brock Bowers is my clear TE1 heading into this season. Trey McBride is by no means a bad option, but if you plan on taking a TE in the first 2-3 rounds, it should be Bowers.
Sophomore TEs Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren end this tier. However, if you don't grab Bowers or McBride, I recommend waiting for Warren, who falls later than Loveland. Warren has one thing in common with Bowers and McBride: he's the top receiving target in his offense. You can't confidently say that about Loveland when Rome Odunze and Luther Burden both exist.
After these top four, there is a pretty clear tier break. The five TEs in this tier offer far less comfort and, honestly, aren't that much cheaper.
- Kyle Pitts Sr.
- Sam LaPorta
- Harold Fannin Jr.
- George Kittle
- Tucker Kraft
The truth is, once the top four are off the board, my advice is to punt the TE position until the end of your drafts. Sure, if any of these five TEs in tier two fall to a value, you can grab them. However, if there are still valuable WRs and RBs available, taking them is the best option.
The difference in fantasy points per game between the TE3 and the TE10 last season in PPR leagues was less than one fantasy point per game.
If you wait until the end of your drafts to grab a TE, here are some late-round options I like:
- Dallas Goedert
- Dalton Kincaid
- Isaiah Likely
- Brenton Strange
- Chig Okonkwo
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