5 Fantasy Football Tight End Target Hogs to Draft: High-Volume Pass-Catchers for 2025

July 8, 2025

Joey Pollizze's fantasy football tight end target hogs to target and draft in 2025. His top TE1 candidates and high-volume pass-catchers, including Trey McBride and more.

The tight end landscape has definitely changed in recent years. After only five tight ends finished with above 175 PPR fantasy points in 2022, nine finished above that 175-point threshold in 2023, and another seven scored above that mark last year. Therefore, it's safe to say that the tight end position is deeper than ever.

That has to do with offenses continuing to involve tight ends in the passing game. As a matter of fact, 13 different tight ends saw at least 83 targets in 2024. With more of them increasingly becoming prolific pass catchers, selecting a tight end who could see a high target share might be a great recipe for success in 2025. 

So, which tight ends will be target hogs this season? Should fantasy managers select these tight ends in drafts? Let's dive in and find out. 

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Not many fantasy managers knew what to expect from Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in his first season. He was coming in as a rookie on a Raiders offense that featured below-average quarterback play (Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell, and Desmond Ridder). However, Bowers easily exceeded expectations by having one of the greatest rookie tight end seasons in NFL history. 

Bowers was a massive target hog in Las Vegas' offense in Year 1. He led all tight ends in targets (153) and ranked sixth among all pass catchers with those 153 targets. That helped the Georgia product finish as the overall TE1 in PPR formats behind a 112-catch, 1,194-yard, five-touchdown campaign in 2024. 

Here is every 20+ yard reception by #Raiders TE Brock Bowers during the 2024 season: pic.twitter.com/AN5EKhXDFE

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) June 30, 2025

After earning over 150 targets as a rookie, Bowers should be in store for another high target share season. The Raiders didn't add any playmakers through free agency, and two rookies (Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr.) will operate as the team's WR2 and WR3. That surely works in the tight end's favor in 2025. 

With an upgraded quarterback in Geno Smith, Bowers should be heavily involved in the passing game once again. As a result, he is a fantastic target to pick in the second round of fantasy football drafts. He will operate as the Raiders' top pass catcher and has the upside to finish as the overall TE1 in 2025. The 22-year-old scored at least 15 PPR fantasy points in nine games last year. 

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

Despite only catching two touchdown passes last season, Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride was a fantasy superstar, thanks to his impressive 29.3% target share. McBride saw a career-high 147 targets in 2024, which helped him post solid all-around numbers. He caught 111 passes for 1,146 yards across 16 games. 

That led to McBride finishing as the TE2 in PPR formats. He averaged 15.6 PPR fantasy points per game and scored above 17 PPR fantasy points in five of the final seven weeks of the 2024 season. The 25-year-old also saw double-digit targets in six of those seven games from Week 12 to Week 18. 

Given that nothing has really changed in Arizona's offense from last year, we should expect McBride to remain a target hog with the Cardinals. The tight end will remain a go-to option for quarterback Kyler Murray, and it's hard not to love his upside later in the second round of fantasy football drafts. 

McBride ranked top-3 among all tight ends in target share, air yards share (25.3%), yards after the catch (513), juke rate (8.9%), and yards per team pass attempt (2.20) in 2024. Although the Pro Bowler only scored two touchdowns, that number should only increase after he saw 21 red zone targets a season ago. That makes him a reliable TE1 for fantasy managers early in drafts. 

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings 

It's not a total surprise that Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson didn't make much of an impact in 2024. He was coming back from a torn ACL that he suffered late in the 2023 season and was going to be limited for most of the year. That was surely the case, as Hockenson missed the first seven games and didn't play over 50% of the team's offensive snaps until Week 12. 

Nevertheless, Hockenson should be back to 100% on the field for the 2025 season. He is another year removed from that ACL injury and has shown some encouraging signs in the second half of last year. The 28-year-old saw at least six targets in six of the final nine games. That means the Vikings' tight end could return to his pre-ACL self. 

The last time we saw Hockenson play in a full season was back in 2023. Even though he tore his ACL later in the year in Week 16, he put up some of the best numbers of his career while being a focal point in that Minnesota offense. He saw 127 targets across 15 games and led all tight ends with a 24.3% target share that season. 

#Vikings TE TJ Hockenson says JJ McCarthy’s throws remind him of Matt Stafford’s:

“I remember catching passes from Staff (Matt Stafford)… it zips on you, looks like it’s not coming, but it’s coming. JJ has the juice behind it where it kind of has that effect.”

🎥: @greenlight… pic.twitter.com/zHvJxmdopD

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) May 6, 2025

Therefore, Hockenson should return to being a target hog with the Vikings. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy could look to check down to his reliable tight end in his redshirt rookie season, and being in Kevin O'Connell's scheme should lead to a productive year for the six-year veteran. That will make him a strong TE1 option in fantasy this year. 

Evan Engram, Denver Broncos 

It was just two years ago that former Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram saw 143 targets in 2023. While that number might be hard to obtain this year, there's no reason why Engram can't see over 125 targets in his first year with the Denver Broncos. The veteran signed a two-year deal with the Broncos in free agency after the Jaguars let him go following a subpar 2024 campaign. 

This landing spot in Denver couldn't be any better for Engram. He joins an ascending Broncos offense that has an up-and-coming quarterback in Bo Nix and has the potential to be Nix's second favorite target in the passing game behind Courtland Sutton. That all could help the 30-year-old become a target hog in 2025. 

Additionally, head coach Sean Payton has spoken highly of Engram all offseason. Payton has often referred to using the veteran in a "Joker" role in this offense. That "Joker" role has been a staple in Payton's offenses for a long time, and the plan is for the Broncos to utilize him all around the formation to create mismatches for opposing defenses. 

Given Denver's lack of receiving options and Engram's potential in the "Joker" role, he should be heavily involved in this offense in 2025. As a result, he could finish toward the top of the tight end position in both targets and catches this season. He is certainly a sneaky target to draft in the eighth or ninth round of fantasy football drafts. 

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns 

It took Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku some time to get going in his career. He saw less than 90 targets in each of his first six NFL seasons. However, Njoku has emerged as a reliable target in Cleveland's offense over the past few years. He saw 123 targets in a career year in 2023 and then finished with a 22.8% target share across 11 games last season. 

Njoku has definitely been one of the most targeted tight ends since the start of the 2024 season. If he had not missed six games due to three lower-body injuries (ankle/hamstring/ knee) last year, he likely would have ranked top-3 among all tight ends in targets. He averaged 8.8 targets across his 11 contests and was on pace to finish with 150 targets in 2024. 

2024 TE target share (min. 10 games)

1. Trey McBride- 26.5%
2. Brock Bowers- 23.6%
3. Travis Kelce- 22%
4. DAVID NJOKU- 21%

FPPG (0.5 PPR)

1. George Kittle- 13.2
2. Brock Bowers- 12.2
3. Trey McBride- 11.8
4. DAVID NJOKU- 10.6

David Njoku's ADP: 115 (TE10) 🤔#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/RHJaSlHUxI

— SleeperBrowns (@SleeperBrowns) July 3, 2025

Although the team's quarterback play was subpar, they frequently targeted the 6-foot-4 tight end in the passing game. He saw at least seven targets in eight of 11 contests and had multiple 12-plus target games. It's hard to envision Njoku not remaining a target hog in 2025, especially since the Browns are running out Cedric Tillman and Diontae Johnson as their WR2 and WR3 to start the year. 

So, Njoku has a perfect opportunity to build on his high target share from the last two years. He should remain a key factor in this Cleveland offense for whoever earns the starting job. If you decide to pass on a tight end in the early rounds, then look to target the Browns' playmaker in the eighth or ninth round. He has too upside to pass on at this point in fantasy drafts. 

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