2026 Fantasy Football Rankings Breakdown: Tight Ends

May 18, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Our 2026 projections have been released, so it’s time to go position-by-position and briefly explain what I’m seeing as the draft season starts to take shape.

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I’ve already covered quarterbacks, and since I typically start with the two onesie positions–quarterback and tight end–when developing my initial draft strategy, why not tackle the tight end position next?

For reference, I’ll discuss my early rankings/projections, consensus rankings over at FantasyPros, and Underdog ADP, which I’ve found to be the sharpest in the industry. I’ll also include the player’s finish last season, whether it’s their full-season finish or their per-game ranking, if they missed time.

The Top 6

My rankings, consensus rankings, and Underdog ADP agree that the top six tight ends are Trey McBride, Colston Loveland, Brock Bowers, Tucker Kraft, Tyler Warren, and Harold Fannin, in some order. That’s the order I have them in, while ADP favors Bowers as the TE1. I don’t think fantasy managers can really wrong with this group, but if this ADP holds, I’m going to be drafting a lot of Tucker Kraft this season.

Tucker Kraft, Packers

Kraft was one of my favorite middle-round values last year, and if his ADP lingers in the sixth or seventh round this season, he’s going to be my primary target at the position. The ACL tear that ended his season in Week 9 may have obscured one of the most impressive statistical profiles at the tight end position. In seven games before the injury, he averaged 14.0 points per game—the overall TE1 on a per-game basis—and was playing at a 73-catch, 1139-yard, 14.6-touchdown pace.

The PFF metrics were historic for a player in just his second full year: 99th percentile in YPRR (2.33) and 100th percentile in YAC per reception (10.8) among tight ends. His 90th percentile route grade suggests this wasn't a small-sample fluke, as he was creating separation and turning targets into big plays at an elite rate. His ESPN OVERALL score (89th percentile) and the 86th-percentile avoided tackle rate further reinforce the profile. Kraft is on track to return for Week 1, but at a seventh-round ADP, the value is significant if he comes back near full health. You're getting a player who was producing at a TE1 per-game pace before the injury for a fraction of the price of the tier above him.

If I miss on Kraft and Fannin is still around, I’ll be pleased to nab him as a fallback, though his offensive environment isn’t as favorable as Kraft’s.

Harold Fannin Jr., Browns

Fannin's rookie season was one of the more quietly impressive debuts at the position—he finished TE5 overall in 16 games while playing for one of the least functional offenses in the league. He caught 72 of 103 targets for 731 yards and six touchdowns, and his PFF pass route grade (80th percentile) and YPRR (1.68, 78th percentile) both suggest he was doing real work as a route runner despite playing through significant QB instability. The standout metric is his avoided tackle rate—0.31 per reception, 97th percentile among tight ends—meaning Fannin is a legitimate YAC weapon who can turn short throws into meaningful gains even when the quarterback can't push the ball downfield. The issue with his profile is the ESPN receiver scores. His OPEN score (16th percentile) and OVERALL score (22nd percentile) suggest he isn't consistently winning clean against coverage. He compensates through YAC rather than pure separation.

David Njoku's departure makes Fannin an every-down player, and a Browns team expected to trail most weeks means the volume should be there. The quarterback situation is the entire ceiling question. Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel are vying for the starting job, with Sanders in the pole position. The good news there is that Fannin’s numbers–4.7 catches for 52 yards and 0.67 touchdowns–were much better with Sanders at quarterback. Fannin should develop into an every-week weapon if the quarterback situation settles. He's going as a top-six tight end, and that price is defensible on volume alone. Whether he's an elite TE1 or a target-share mirage depends almost entirely on the passer.