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RotoBaller staff's league-winners for the 2026 fantasy football season at the tight end position. Expert draft advice and targets from RotoBaller, including Harold Fannin Jr., Terrance Ferguson, and more.
The tight end position is often the most difficult to fill in fantasy football. However, managers who can find the next league-winner will not only have a prime position advantage, but also have a potential 15.0+ PPR point per game option in their weekly lineup.
In this piece, we will spotlight some of the top "league-winners" at the tight end position who you can find within parts of the draft from members of our RotoBaller fantasy football staff, including Adam Koffler, Dan Palyo, Andy Smith, Joey Pollizze, and Corbin Young.
Who will be this season's league winners? Let's dive in!
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Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams
Ferguson caught just 11 balls on 25 targets last season but finished with 231 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie.
This one takes some projecting due to his limited role, but the stars are starting to align.
For starters, Ferguson told reporters he's slimmed down and is learning all positions in the offseason (F, Z, X, Y).
He's also running more intermediate routes, which should increase his target share. That'll be needed for every-week consistency, considering his aDoT was a massive 18.6 yards.
With a loaded tight end room and a really good run game, it's not likely Ferguson takes on an every-down role. But guess what? We don't need that from him in order to get spike weeks in fantasy football.
This guy will get deep targets. Per Fantasy Points Data, he led all tight ends in that category despite logging just a 35% route participation rate.
Ferguson won't be the number one or even number two target on his team; that's a given with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams on the field.
However, with such a thin wide receiver room, there's been a lot of talk about him being "WR3" in this offense. That's a valuable role, especially considering this team is projected to score the most points in football this season.
The contingency upside comes into play if Nacua or Adams are forced to miss any time. Ferguson averaged 43.5 yards and a touchdown on just a 57% route participation rate in two games Adams sat last season.
You could do a lot worse with your last pick in 2026.
- Adam Koffler
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Goedert is going off the board as the TE13 but has a clear path to finishing as a top-10 option at the position. Even though the Eagles drafted Eli Stowers as their "future" TE in the draft, Goedert has been taking nearly all first-team reps in camp and is slated to remain the clear starter in 2026.
Additionally, the Eagles parted ways with their WR1, A.J. Brown, which will be a key factor in Goedert's resurgence this season. While they drafted Makai Lemon and acquired Dontayvion Wicks, Goedert should see a heavy dose of targets this fall.
While the sample is not large, when Brown was off the field, Goedert took on a major role. In Week 8 of the 2025 season, Goedert totaled 17.1 PPR points and found the end zone twice. In 2024, from Weeks 2 through 4 when Brown was out, Goedert averaged 7.7 targets per game and totaled 15.7 PPR points per game.
Yes, the sample is small, but when Brown was off the field, Jalen Hurts looked Goedert's way far more than in most weeks. Without a proven No. 2 option opposite DeVonta Smith, Goedert will be the safety blanket for potentially the vast majority of the season.
If you fade the TE position, target Goedert with confidence.
- Andy Smith
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
At just 21 years old, Loveland caught 70 balls for 906 yards and six touchdowns on 107 targets (including two playoff games).
He did that despite not getting a full-time role until Week 8 and playing alongside Cole Kmet for 15 games.
From then on, Loveland led the entire pass-catching group that included D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Kmet in the following categories:
- Targets per game (7.1) and target share (19.3%)
- Targets per route run (0.26)
- Receiving yards per game (63.7)
- Receiving yards market share (25.6%)
- Yards per route run (2.34)
- Red zone targets (14)
- First read target share (22.9%)
- First downs per route run (0.113)
- Fantasy points per route run (0.52)
At 21 years old! In a Ben Johnson offense that is notoriously difficult to learn. And Loveland put up those numbers on just a 65% route participation rate (25th among tight ends).
Moore is now gone, and Burden is dealing with a groin injury that will force him to miss a few weeks leading up to Week 1.
Odunze battled a foot injury last season, and while all signs point to him being in a good place health-wise, it's unclear whether that will affect him throughout a full 17-game season.
All of that opens the door to Loveland being at worst a top three option on a high-powered offense that is projected to play in a lot of competitive, high-scoring games as a result of their lackluster defense.
At best, Loveland is pass-catcher number one in a Ben Johnson offense led by an ascending star quarterback in Caleb Williams.
If camp highlights and talk are any indication of Loveland's ceiling in 2026, the sky's the limit.
Rome Odunze on how rare Colston Loveland’s skills are:
“Rare, diamond. It’s impressive to see his route running ability and then you get him down there blocking. His versatility is incredible and super glad that he’s on the crew and I learned a lot from him based on his routes… pic.twitter.com/ThPcu8AjpA
— BearsMuse (@ChiBearsMuse) August 19, 2026
- Adam Koffler
Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Tyler Warren was living up to his late-round TE title, averaging a strong 13.1 PPR points per game over his first 12 professional games. However, once Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending injury in Week 14, Warren would go on to post a much lower 6.3 PPR points per game over his last five contests.
However, with Jones back to full strength in training camp, a sophomore breakout is in play for the former Penn State standout. During his rookie season, he drew 21.1% of the team's targets despite playing in a crowded WR room. With Jones under center, he drew 18 red-zone targets, including 10 within the 10-yard line. He was even given three carries within the five-yard line, which allowed him to find the end zone once with his legs.
Like Flowers, his situation has largely improved. The Colts opted to part ways with Michael Pittman Jr. in the offseason, opening a path for Warren to be the "1B" to Alec Pierce's "1A." In 2025, Pittman was a target hog, drawing 111 targets, the 21st-most in the sport. He caught 80 passes for 784 yards, all of which will be up for grabs.
While Josh Downs should take a prominent role, much of this will go to Jones' target in the middle of the field. While the price tag is high, there is a path where Warren not only outperforms the likes of Colston Loveland, but also delivers managers with far more draft value, as he is going 10 picks later.
Even with the addition of Keenan Allen, Warren could be the "WR1" in this offense.
Tyler Warren Has High Hopes for Colts Offense in 2026 https://t.co/sEUAYeEnwa
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) July 28, 2026
- Andy Smith
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
After Rashid Shaheed was traded to the Seahawks, Johnson averaged 61.2 receiving yards and an 18% target share while playing on 66% of the team's snaps in Weeks 10-18. The Saints ranked fifth in neutral script pass rate and 1st in pace (26.3 seconds per snap).
This should be a high-volume offense that leans toward the pass game. With Jordyn Tyson injured to start the season, Johnson should garner the second-most targets behind Chris Olave. Johnson finished second on the Saints in first-read target share (19.4%), with his efficiency increasing to 1.93 yards per route run in Weeks 11-18 compared to the season-long average (1.76).
He was deployed as a slot receiver for the Saints, running a route in the slot 55.6% of the time. Until Tyson returns, Johnson should be a streaming tight end with TE1 upside. He finished as a TE1 in 53% of his games last season, averaging 13.9 PPR/G in those TE1 finishes. In deeper leagues with multiple flex spots, Johnson could be a starter.
- Corbin Young
Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. quickly emerged as a fantasy star in his first NFL season. Despite sharing TE1 snaps with veteran David Njoku for most of the year, Fannin didn't let that stop him from making an immediate fantasy impact. He finished as the TE6 in PPR formats and averaged a solid 11.7 PPR fantasy points per game.
Following that incredible rookie campaign, Fannin could take his fantasy game a step further in 2026. He now has some NFL experience, and Njoku is no longer on this team after signing a free-agent deal with the Chargers.
In five games without Njoku last year (which includes a game in Week 14 in which Njoku left early), Fannin averaged 15.1 PPR fantasy points, had a 26% target share, and his receiving touchdown rate jumped to 11.8%.
Even though the quarterback play remains suspect in Cleveland, Fannin has so much potential in a Browns offense that has no true WR1. Just look at Bowers back when he finished as the overall TE1 in 2024. His quarterbacks were Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O'Connell that year, but he was the top target on a Raiders offense that often trailed in games.
There is a real opportunity in front of Fannin to finish as the overall TE1 this year. He ranked in the top 10 among all tight ends in air yards share, designed targets, yards after catch, explosive rating, and fantasy points per route run last year, all while splitting with Njoku. The departure of Njoku opens up more targets and more chances in the passing game for the second-year TE to explode.
- Joey Pollizze
Gunnar Helm, Tennessee Titans
I'm all about waiting at tight end this year, but even if you do draft a Brock Bowers or Colston Loveland early, you'll want to invest in some depth at the position. Helm is one TE2 who is going very late in drafts and interests me. I've been snagging him sometimes with my very last pick, as it seems he's off the radar for a lot of drafters this season.
I wrote about vacated targets recently here, and when you look exclusively at the number of targets vacated at the tight end position from last season, Tennessee has the largest raw total with 79. Those targets departed when Chig Okonkwo left for Washington in free agency.
.@Titans rookie TE Gunnar Helm scores his first NFL TD on National Tight Ends Day!
TENvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/uLFeGXdRmX
— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025
Helm was targeted 55 times himself, as Cam Ward targeted his tight ends at a higher rate (134 times) than any quarterback last season during his rookie year.
While I expect the incoming slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson to soak up some of Chig's target volume, I think the potential for Helm to see 75+ targets himself is there.
The Titans did add Daniel Bellinger from the Giants to give them another solid blocker and pass-catcher at the position. But I also think we will see them both used together in 12 personnel. Brian Daboll's Giants went 12 personnel 32% of the time last year, which was twice as often as Tennessee did in 2025.
Speaking of Daboll's Giants, Jaxson Dart targeted Bellinger and his other tight end, Theo Johnson, 100 times last year. The formula is there for more tight end targets in Tennessee with a young QB and a thin wide receiver room.
Helm is a talented second-year player with a potentially huge increase in opportunity this year. While I am not investing in Cam Ward's receivers at cost, I think a dart throw on his TE1 is well warranted considering how often he used them and how often Daboll used his in New York last season.
- Dan Palyo
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