2026 Fantasy Football Rankings - CBS - TE

Bowers has the tools to be the best tight end in fantasy football. He finished TE2 in 2024 and TE4 on a per-game basis in 2025 despite missing five games. His 12.0 points per game over those 12 games were essentially identical to his rookie production. The underlying metrics are elite: 88th percentile PFF pass route grade among tight ends, 81st percentile in YPRR (1.70), and a 72nd percentile contested catch rate that reflects his physicality when the ball is in the air. His ESPN OVERALL score (89th percentile) is among the best in the sample. The limitation has always been team context. The Raiders are one of the worst offensive environments in the league, i.e. fewer touchdowns scored, and Bowers has had to absorb that drag on his production. He's going as the consensus TE1, likely due to the belief that Fernando Mendoza will turn the Raiders’ offense around.

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—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.

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.

When Kittle is healthy, there's an argument he's the most complete tight end in the game. His ESPN OVERALL score (100th percentile) and PFF pass route grade (100th percentile) were both the best in the entire TE sample last season—and this was in only 10 games before a torn Achilles ended his year. In those 10 games, he averaged 12.8 points per game, TE2 on a per-game basis. In 2024, he was the overall TE1 at 13.9 per game over 14 games. His YPRR (2.15, 95th percentile) and his contested catch rate (84.6%, 92nd percentile) confirm that he's an elite route runner and a physical mismatch when the ball is in the air. The 49ers added Mike Evans and Christian Kirk to replace Jauan Jennings, and Brock Purdy's 98th percentile CPOE should give us plenty of confidence that Kittle will continue to receive quality targets. The torn Achilles recovery is the entire story. He could miss the start of the season, and the timeline matters enormously at his current TE10 ADP—a price that gives you significant upside if he plays 13-plus games and a frustrating experience if he misses the first month and/or the injury lingers deep into the season. Draft him knowing you'll need a streaming plan for the early weeks, and that you're paying a discounted price on one of the best players at the position when he's right. And he might be right by the fantasy playoffs.

Kelce remains one of the most reliable tight ends in the league, which is a strange thing to say about a 36-year-old, but the numbers keep showing up. He's finished TE4 and TE6 the last two seasons–TE7 and TE8 on a per-game basis–while playing 33 of 34 games. His ESPN OPEN score (87th percentile) says he's still getting free in coverage, his PFF route grade (73rd percentile) is strong, and the YAC (72nd percentile) shows he's still functional as a run-after-catch option. The Chiefs' offense has evolved, with Rashee Rice healthy, Xavier Worthy as a genuine vertical threat, and Kenneth Walker replacing Isiah Pacheco at running back. Whether Kelce retains the same volume in a more balanced attack is the open question. He's going as the TE12, and two straight years of TE7-8 per game production for a player available in the double-digit rounds is reasonable value even if the ceiling is limited at this point in his career.