In July, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, and I are all updating our Fantasy Football Tiers for quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. To try to make mine a little bit different, my tiers are based almost exclusively on my 2026 projections. I say almost, because there is a huge tier of tight ends that I have projected to score in the nine- to 10-point range and I broke those up, putting the guys in that range with more upside in a higher tier. There are a couple of other tweaks, but for the most part I will tell you below where these guys project and when I would draft them. Let's jump right in.
Tier 1
Brock Bowers
Colston Loveland
Trey McBride
The first surprise comes right off the top. Why in the world is Loveland already in Tier 1? Well, because I project him to outscore McBride this year. Loveland averaged 14.2 PPR Fantasy points per game from Week 9 through Week 18 last year. He averaged 18.6 PPR FPPG in his two playoff games. McBride should still be very good but I expect regression in both volume and touchdowns. I have the tier 1 tight ends projected between 13.7 and 14.6 PPR FPPG, though I expect one of them beats those projections by at least a full point.
Tier 2
I was a coward last month. I put Tyler Warren in this tier because everyone drafts him before LaPorta and Pitts. The Keenan Allen acquisition, and a groin tweak for Warren, gave me the courage to say what I thought all year: LaPorta and Pitts are going to outscore him by at least a point per game. I have them both projected for 13.5 PPR FPPG and worth a pick in Round 5 but I often find LaPorta and Pitts in Round 7 or later. I expect both to benefit from new tight-end-friendly offensive coordinators but that is not all. LaPorta's rookie year was better than Warren's and Pitts was better than Warren last year. In other words, they are very talented tight ends who also get a boost because their new offensive coordinators have a long history of throwing more than 25% of their team's passes to tight ends. While I don't project it, I would not be surprised if one of the tight ends in this tier finishes the year as TE1.
Tier 3
Tyler Warren
Tucker Kraft
Warren and Kraft could both be top three tight ends and it wouldn't surprise me that much. I have them projected to score around 12.5 PPR FPPG, which would be a nice improvement for Warren in Year 2 and a step back from Kraft. Kraft has progressed well from his torn ACL last year and expects to play Week 1, but that doesn't mean he'll be himself. He has been a huge outlier, averaging 9.1 yards after catch per reception, and that has masked his relatively low target volume. I am worried about him matching that YAC in his first year off the ACL. If he does, I'm way too low on him.
Tier 4
I am struggling with Likely more than anyone else, so I put him in a tier of his own. He projects for 11.5 PPR FPPG, which also puts him in his own tier. On the positive side, I believe in his talent as a pass catcher; he is free from the shadow of Mark Andrews, and camp reports have been fantastic. On the negative side, his preseason snap share looked a lot like it did in Baltimore. Likely could be the breakout tight end this season and beat my projection as the number two pass catcher in New York. He could also be stuck in the Dalton Kincaid part-time player trap and struggle to produce top 12 numbers. Thankfully, he's much cheaper than what my projection suggests he should be.
Tier 5
Travis Kelce
Harold Fannin Jr.
Dallas Goedert
Dalton Kincaid
George Kittle
It pains me to tier Fannin this low. It also pains me to watch Deshaun Watson play quarterback, and I feel like the Browns are absolutely going to give him one more chance as a starter. If they surprise me and name Shedeur Sanders the starter, I will move Fannin up at least one tier. The other concern for Fannin is that KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have had fantastic camps, giving Fannin more competition for targets. For now, he belongs in this tier of tight ends projected to score about 10 FPPG but possessing upside to score much more.
Tier 6
Dalton Schultz
Hunter Henry
Mark Andrews
Brenton Strange
Jake Ferguson
Juwan Johnson
This group projects very similarly to Tier 5. In fact, Schultz projects slightly better than a lot of the guys in Tier 5 after Jayden Higgins tore his ACL. I just don't know that any of them have the upside to be true difference makers at the position. It used to be that a solid 10-point projection made you a surefire TE1. Thankfully, the position looks much deeper this year. If you do settle for a boring low-end TE1, Schultz should be your pick.
Tier 7
Greg Dulcich
T.J. Hockenson
Chigoziem Okonkwo
Pat Freiermuth
Cade Otton
Oronde Gadsden II
Michael Mayer
Darren Waller
Terrance Ferguson
It is amazing that there are even this many tight ends to consider that could score 10 FPPG, but I see a path for all of these guys if things go right. My favorite is still Dulcich, assuming they don't have a reunion with Jonnu Smith, who is still a free agent. Gadsden would be the most exciting player in this tier if the team didn't seem to prefer David Njoku and Charlie Kolar right now. Ferguson could be the best tight end handcuff option in deeper leagues. I actually expect him to be TE1, but that role could matter much more if Puka Nacua or Davante Adams miss time. Mayer is also a bit of a handcuff, but with the Raiders lack of receiving options, Mayer could be a TE2 even with Brock Bowers healthy.
