Fantasy Football Tight Ends With Overall TE1 Upside for 2025

August 17, 2025

Joey's upside fantasy football tight ends, breakouts and elite TEs who can finish as the overall TE1 in 2025. His top picks include Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, more.

The hardest position to navigate in fantasy football is the tight end position. Most of these tight ends are inconsistent each week, and there are usually only a few elite options at the position. Last year, though, the position was the best it ever was, as eight different tight ends scored above 10.5 PPR fantasy points.

We also saw a new tight end finish as the overall TE1 in 2024. Brock Bowers' TE1 finish last season marked the fourth straight year that there was a new TE1 finisher. Mark Andrews (2021), Travis Kelce (2022), Sam LaPorta (2023), and Bowers (2024) have finished as the overall TE1 in each of the last four years.

So, which tight end could finish as the overall TE1 this year? Let's dive in and look at every tight end with overall TE1 upside.

Safe Bets: Overall TE1 Upside

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders 

After finishing as the overall TE1 last year, Bowers has every opportunity to repeat as the top tight end in 2025. He would become the first tight end to repeat as the overall TE1 since Kelce did it during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. It's hard to envision the Raiders playmaker not finishing that high again, considering he just had the greatest rookie season by a tight end in NFL history.

Bowers caught 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns across 17 games. His 112 catches were the most all-time by a rookie pass catcher, and his 1,194 receiving yards were the most by a rookie tight end in NFL history. That historic season helped the 22-year-old average 15.5 PPR fantasy points per game.

Yeah Brock Bowers is that guy

(via @Raiders)pic.twitter.com/tWWyuEg9IN

— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) August 14, 2025

It's crazy to see what Bowers did in his first NFL season while catching passes from Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell, and Desmond Ridder. The former Georgia star ranked 19th in catchable target rate, 10th in red zone targets, and 22nd in target quality among all tight ends in 2024. Now, he gets a quarterback upgrade in Geno Smith.

Smith ranked top-10 in accuracy rating, true completion percentage,  and money throws among all quarterbacks last season. So, Bowers could certainly build off his incredible rookie season. He has a better quarterback throwing to him and doesn't face much competition for targets. Since he is the top pass catcher in this Las Vegas offense, another overall TE1 finish could be in the cards.

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals tight end McBride was so close to finishing as the overall TE1 in 2024. He actually averaged more PPR fantasy points per game (15.6) than Bowers (15.5) and only finished with 12.9 PPR fantasy points fewer than the Raiders playmaker in 2024. So, McBride has an overall TE1 upside this year.

He finished as the overall TE2 last season, and no tight end had a higher target share than the Cardinals' tight end (29.3%) a year ago. That high target share helped McBride score in double figures in PPR formats in 13 of his 16 games. The 25-year-old also finished as a top-4 fantasy tight end in six of the final seven weeks.

As a result, McBride could finish as the overall TE1 this year for the first time in his career. He ranked first among all tight ends in expected fantasy points per game last year, and the Colorado State product should remain the top pass catcher in this Arizona offense. The Pro Bowl playmaker averaged a whopping 11.7 targets over the final seven weeks of the 2024 season.

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Although San Francisco 49ers tight end Kittle has been one of the most consistent fantasy options at the position over the last few years, he has never finished as the overall TE1 in his career. Since 2018, Kittle has had an overall TE2 finish (2019), three TE3 finishes (2018, 2022, 2023), and one TE4 finish (2021).

His best shot to finish as the overall TE1 actually came last year, as Kittle averaged the most PPR fantasy points per game among all tight ends. He averaged 15.8 PPR fantasy points per game and was on pace to finish with the most fantasy points at the position if he didn't miss two games due to injuries. The veteran scored over 14 PPR fantasy points in 11 of his 15 games in 2024.

George Kittle has led all TEs in yards per route run in 6 of his last 7 seasons

2018: 2.82 YPRR, 1st
2019: 3.12 YPRR, 1st (most ever by a TE)
2020: 2.84 YPRR, 1st
2021: 2.35 YPRR, 1st
2022: 1.73 YPRR, 4th
2023: 2.19 YPRR, 1st
2024: 2.62 YPRR, 1st (behind only Puka Nacua and… https://t.co/H8jnzEhH26 pic.twitter.com/lZuUQvrnGP

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) August 14, 2025

So, Kittle could definitely finish as the overall TE1 in 2025. He finished first in yards per route run (3.10) among all tight ends last year, and the 31-year-old could see upward of 100 targets for the first time since the 2019 campaign. Deebo Samuel Sr. is no longer in San Francisco, and Brandon Aiyuk could miss the first few weeks of the regular season due to his ACL recovery.

Those added targets could help Kittle finally finish as the top fantasy tight end in 2025. The eight-year veteran should remain a key pass catcher in this 49ers offense.

Outside Chance: Overall TE1 Upside

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

There's no doubt that Kelce was once one of the best tight ends in fantasy. From 2016 to 2022, the former Cincinnati alum finished as the overall TE1 in six of those seven seasons. In the one year that he didn't finish as the top fantasy tight end, he finished as the TE2. However, the Chiefs' tight end hasn't finished as a top-two tight end in each of the past two years.

In 2024, Kelce had his lowest fantasy finish (TE5) since the 2015 season. He only averaged 12.2 PPR fantasy points per game and totaled a career-low 823 receiving yards. Nonetheless, if there is any tight end who could bounce back following a subpar season, it would be the long-time Chiefs playmaker.

While Kelce does face some competition for targets with Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Marquise Brown, this Chiefs offense should lean on the pass more than they did a season ago. If MVP Mahomes shows up throughout the year and he winds up throwing for over 4,700 yards and 40 touchdowns, the veteran tight end will be the biggest beneficiary.

Now, the chances of him finishing as the overall TE1 are slim. He is entering his age-35 season, and Mahomes could spread the ball around on offense more than ever with four solid pass catchers in the receiving game. At the end of the day, though, the Chiefs quarterback loves to look Kelce's way in the middle of the field.

If the Chiefs choose to prioritize the run and Mahomes only throws for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, that likely isn't enough for Kelce to finish as the top tight end. However, we could bank on this Kansas City offense being better than it was in 2024, which would help Kelce's fantasy value immensely.

Long Shot: Overall TE1 Upside

Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

Fantasy managers have seen a rookie tight end finish as the overall TE1 in consecutive years. LaPorta accomplished that feat in 2023, and then Bowers did it last season. So, why can’t Indianapolis Colts rookie tight end Warren finish as the overall TE1 in his rookie campaign in 2025?

The Colts selected Warren with the 14th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Penn State product did a little bit of everything in his final college season. Not only did he catch 104 passes for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns, but he also totaled 26 carries for 218 yards and four touchdowns on the ground for the Nittany Lions.

While we don’t really know if Warren will be utilized in the run game at all, he has the potential to stand out in the passing game in his first NFL season. He has been making highlight plays all throughout training camp, and the 23-year-old is expected to have a significant role in Year 1.

Tyler Warren stock is going UP 📈 pic.twitter.com/xytlFFxKhA

— PFF Fantasy (@PFF_Fantasy) August 13, 2025

The biggest thing likely holding back Warren from a top tight end finish is the team’s quarterback room. Daniel Jones and backup Anthony Richardson Sr. could struggle to get the rookie the ball in open space. Nonetheless, we saw what Bowers did last year with subpar quarterback play. Although it is a long shot for the Colts' tight end to finish as the overall TE1, the talent and skill set are both there for him to put up elite numbers.

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