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An Overview of the Tight End Position
Well, you can say this about the tight end position in fantasy football—they keep it interesting.
There isn't a more difficult position to navigate in fantasy than at tight end. For starters, it is shallow—alarmingly so. Take a quick look at the tight end rankings here at Footballguys. Now see how far down that list it takes to start getting antsy about rolling that dude out each and every week.
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That number ain't 12, is it?
However, fantasy managers who hit on the right tight end (or are willing to pay retail for the right elite one) can be afforded a sizable edge over the competition. In prior years, we saw the likes of Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots and Travis Kelce of the Chiefs not only finish in the top spot, but blow every other tight end in the league out of the water by the kind of margin that wins leagues.
And it happened again in 2025—Trey McBride of the Cardinals outscored Kyle Pitts Sr. of the Falcons by over 105 PPR points. By 6.2 fantasy points per game.
So, is that the best plan—pay up for a big name? Is it wiser to exercise a measure of patience and draft a Tier 2 tight end in the hopes they can crash the party at the top? Or are late-round dart-throws the best use of draft capital this year?
As it happens, the answer to all of those questions is "yes." And "no." Because just like every other position in fantasy, there are multiple strategies to consider at tight end—each with advantages and disadvantages.
Tight End Draft Strategies
Door No. 1: Godzilla and Kong
It's next to impossible to get fantasy analysts to all agree—picking a restaurant at the Fantasy Football Expo turns into a Congressional hearing every year. But just about everyone agrees that in 2026 the top tier at tight end consists of two players—McBride and Brock Bowers of the Raiders.
Bowers was the highest-scoring tight end in fantasy two years ago. McBride dominated the position in 2025. Both are just entering the prime of their careers. They are Godzilla and Kong.
The potential advantage is as obvious as it was with Kelce and Gronkowski before him—if you can roster a player who posts a touchdown more per game than anyone else at his position, it is a sizable edge. Party time.
Party Hard Time.
The pair also doesn't carry the price tag on draft day that Kelce did in his heyday—per Average Draft Position Data at Footballguys, Bowers goes first among tight ends, with both getting drafted in the back half of Round 2.
But there's a reason why that price is lower, and why Bowers is being drafted ahead of McBride. There are valid questions about whether McBride can dominate the position again, although he was second to Bowers in points in 2024. Bowers' 2025 is a season best forgotten—five missed games and a TE11 finish in PPR points.
There's also the matter of that gap between McBride and the rest of the tight ends last season. Yes, McBride outscored the TE2 by a huge margin. But the gap between Pitts and the No. 12 tight end was less than three PPR points per game. That "edge" isn't one—fantasy managers who don't get a monster performance from an elite tight end just overpaid—with a cost at running back or wide receiver.
Managers who draft a tight end that early best not be wrong.
Door No. 2: The Second String
Confession time—far more often than not, this is the door this moron will walk through on draft day. If Bowers or McBride falls into Round 3, that might get the old wheels spinning. But otherwise, it's the second tier of tight ends where the value is.
Maybe. I dunno.
Colston Loveland of the Bears and Tyler Warren of the Colts both showed elite upside at times as rookies and are available multiple rounds after McBride comes off the board. Pitts, who was last year's runner-up in points, is being drafted in the eighth round on average. Green Bay's Tucker Kraft averaged over 15 yards a catch last year and was third in PPR points per game.
He's available in Round 7.
Granted, there are risks involved with these Tier 2 guys. Pitts made disappointing fantasy managers a habit before last year. Warren and Kraft both missed significant time in 2025 with injuries. Travis Kelce of the Chiefs was quietly third in PPR points at the position last year, but he's not the fantasy force he once was. George Kittle tore his Achilles in the postseason.
The longer you wait, the more those questions start potentially outweighing upside. But take the right Tier 2 tight end, and you can get elite fantasy upside without the elite price tag.
Value is a good thing in fantasy football—or so I've heard.