Not sure which tight ends to draft this year? Check out the top 10 rankings of the best fantasy football tight ends for the 2026 NFL season.
The tight end position for fantasy football continues to evolve, as the youthful wave is dominating the top part of this position. With household names like Brock Bowers and Trey McBride atop the position yet again, who else rounds out this year’s crop of tight ends?
Let’s dive into the top 10 tight ends for the 2026 fantasy football season. Which TEs are on your do or do not draft list this year? Any referenced average draft position (ADP) platform data references the Sleeper platform.
1. Brock Bowers
2025 Finish: TE11
It shouldn’t be any surprise to see Bowers top the 2026 tight end list, as he is the best pass catcher on the Las Vegas roster by a few country miles. As Klint Kubiak looks to revamp the Raiders’ offense, Bowers will be moved all over the formation, setting him up for a potential JSN utilization, which would be great for his fantasy football stock.
If you are eyeing drafting a tight end early this draft cycle, Bowers in the second round is a perfect choice, and he should be the first TE off the board.
2. Trey McBride
TE1
McBride was a fantasy football revelation last season, as he cleared the TE field and filled the role as the top pass catcher in Arizona. While the QB room still remains without a long-term solution, welcoming Jacoby Brissett back will do wonders for McBride’s potential role in the passing attack.
While you shouldn’t have any serious concerns about McBride, having both a healthy Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson will take a few targets away from McBride, so just factor that into your pre-draft rankings when looking at available tight ends.
3. Colston Loveland
TE12
The three-headed pass catcher group for the Chicago Bears will do wonders for fantasy football this year, and Colston Loveland is very much in the thick of that group. As the best pass catcher in Ben Johnson’s offense, Loveland is in line for another strong year, as he looks to climb the rankings and entrench himself as a weekly TE1 option.
The target share between Loveland, Rome Odunze, and Luther Burden III may take a few weeks to get solidified, but you can safely draft Loveland in the fourth round as the TE3 off the board.
4. Tyler Warren
TE4
The departure of Michael Pittman Jr. opens up a considerable amount of targets for the Indianapolis Colts to fill, and while the recent addition of Keenan Allen will cut into some of that, Tyler Warren is in line for an increase to his overall workload.
Finishing at the TE4 as a rookie, Warren is looking to restart his strong connections with Daniel Jones; as long as Jones remains healthy, Warren will be able to reclaim his spot as a tried-and-true TE1 in the Colts’ offense this year. Oh, and there doesn’t seem to be much concern around Warren’s recent groin injury, so no need to drop him down your draft board.
5. Tucker Kraft
TE24
Coming back from an ACL tear, Tucker Kraft has been working his back into playing shape for the 2026 NFL season. While he may start out the year on a monitored snap count for the first few contests, Kraft’s role in the Green Bay offense makes him a high-priority target in the middle rounds.
Kraft is in line to bounce back in a big way this year, and he should be able to eclipse his previous career marks, as his best fantasy finish was TE10 two seasons ago. If Kraft can be back to full speed by Week 4, he absolutely should be a TE1 option this year.
6. Harold Fannin Jr.
TE6
Even after drafting two rookie wideouts in April, Harold Fannin Jr. is still the best pass catcher in the Cleveland Browns’ offense. Fannin shocked the fantasy football world last year by finishing as the TE6 in his rookie year, as he was the only CLE pass catcher that you could trust.
Now dealing with competition for targets with KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, Fannin was able to shed David Njoku this offseason, meaning that there is absolutely no competition at TE for snaps. While the Cleveland offense is tough to trust for any fantasy-relevant impact, Fannin is going to be one of the only (outside of Quinshon Judkins) players that you can put into your lineups on a weekly basis.
7. Sam LaPorta
TE27
Sam LaPorta suffered a hip injury in training camp this week, making his Week 1 playing status a bit cloudy. But in a new-look offense led by former Arizona offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, LaPorta’s stock is on the up and up, as he should be able to put his season-ending back injury behind him from last year and reclaim a fantasy-relevant spot in the Detroit offense, catching passes from Jared Goff.
Just be aware that there are a lot of mouths to feed in the DET passing attack, so there may be a few boom/bust weeks for LaPorta as game script dictates who earns the majority of targets in that week.
8. George Kittle
TE13
George Kittle is doing everything he can to be ready for Week 1, and all signs this offseason have pointed to the Achilles injury not having any setbacks. However, if you decide to take a shot at Kittle around picks 90-100, just know that you will likely need to draft another TE later on for early-season coverage.
Solid fill-in options include NO’s Juwan Johnson, TEN’s Gunnar Helm, HOU’s Dalton Schultz, and LAR’s Terrance Ferguson.
9. Kyle Pitts
TE2
Kyle Pitts enjoyed a career season last year, registering his first TE1 finish since his rookie season, and that came on the heels of a rocky QB room for the Atlanta Falcons. With no further clarity on which southpaw will be throwing him passes this year, Pitts is still in the TE1 conversation, but not near where he finished last year.
Having scored five touchdowns last year, there is a chance for touchdown regression to hit Pitts this season, as he has increased his TD output by one in every season. Pitts will continue to command targets near the line of scrimmage, but with rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch having lived near the line of scrimmage in college, Pitts could see some of his workload take a hit.
10. Dallas Goedert
TE7
While DeVonta Smith and rookie Makai Lemon are being talked up as the beneficiaries of the A.J. Brown trade, tight end Dallas Goedert is a quiet winner of this move as well. As the offense transitions into a new scheme under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, there seems to be a trend of more play-action, under-center work for the Eagles’ offense, giving Goedert a shot at repeating as a TE1.
Goedert is currently coming off the board around pick 120 on most platforms, meaning that you can wait until around Round 10 to get TE1 production. The Eagles will be a bit tough to figure out offensively when the season begins, but look for Goedert to regain his footing as one of Jalen Hurts’ favorite targets this year, giving your fantasy football roster a diamond in the rough at the tight end position.
The tight end position for fantasy football continues to evolve, as the youthful wave is dominating the top part of this position. With household names like Brock Bowers and Trey McBride atop the position yet again, who else rounds out this year’s crop of tight ends? Let’s dive into the top 10 tight ends for the 2026 fantasy football season.
