2026 College Fantasy Football Tight End (TE) Rankings

July 25, 2026

Dan Fornek's top 30 college fantasy football tight end draft rankings for 2026. These CFB fantasy TE rankings include the top 30 players among Power 4 tight ends.

College fantasy football has officially arrived at Yahoo for the 2026 season. That means that we will be doing our best to help you crush your preseason drafts when they open up on August 3rd here at Rotoballer. We will get things started with our top 30 college tight end rankings for the 2026 season.

The basic lineup format for Yahoo college fantasy football requires one tight end position. Tight ends are far less consistent in college than the NFL, which means finding a player with the right usage or utilization could be a real difference-maker each week. Knowing the players who had good seasons in 2026 and find themselves in new situations (like Penn State tight end Benjamin Brahmer) could lead to big scoring weeks.

These rankings are put together by Dan Fornek and will be updated throughout the summer as we get more clarity on which players are navigating injuries or role changes heading into the 2026 season.

College Fantasy Football Tight End Draft Rankings

2026 College Fantasy Football Tight End News

Trey'Dez Green, LSU

One player who didn't transfer but could see an explosion in fantasy production is LSU tight end Trey'Dez Green. Green is a physical specimen, measuring in at 6-foot-7, 240 pounds who has been tracked running at over 20 miles per hour on the field. He ranks seventh among all returning tight ends in the NCAA in receiving yards (433) and first in touchdowns (7) last season.

Green made news at SEC Media Days when he told reporters that new head coach Lane Kiffin was moving him around the field to create mismatches, a move that could suggest a breakout season in a new, explosive passing offense. Kiffin's tight ends at Ole Miss in 2025 accounted for 19.7% of the team's passing yardage and 34.6% of the receiving touchdowns.

Green should quickly emerge as the top target in an offense featuring a new quarterback (former Arizona State signal-caller Sam Leavitt) and eight transfer wide receivers.

Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech

Nobody would have been surprised if Texas Tech tight end Terrance Carter Jr. declared for the 2026 NFL Draft last season. Carter transferred to Texas Tech in 2025 after two successful seasons at Louisiana (76 receptions for 944 yards and seven touchdowns in 25 games) and immediately overcame the jump in talent.

Carter was a top-10 tight end in production in his first season with the Red Raiders, ranking sixth in the nation in targets (74), third in receptions (55), fifth in receiving yards (624), and 10th in touchdowns (5). The only returning pass catcher from Tech's 2025 playoff team that had receiving yards is redshirt senior Coy Eakin (637).

The fifth-year tight end would have had a chance to enter the 2026 season as the fantasy TE1 had transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby not been ruled ineligible due to gambling. Will Hammond, a redshirt sophomore coming off a torn ACL, was named the starter after the Sorsby saga and is trending toward being full go for Week 1.

Benjamin Brahmer, Penn State

Benjamin Brahmer was a key part of Iowa State's passing attack over the last three seasons, catching 75 passes for 977 yards and nine touchdowns in 33 career games. Brahmer had a career year in 2025 while being used as a utility weapon in Matt Campbell's offense, finishing 20th among all tight ends in receiving yards (446). His 19.3% of plays from a wide alignment (as a wide receiver) ranked second among all tight ends.

Brahmer followed Campbell to Penn State and ultimately was the highest-ranked transfer in the team's 40-man portal class. He isn't the most dynamic downfield weapon, but makes up for it with his excellent size (6-foot-7) and strong hands (5.1% drop rate in 2025). Expect Brahmer's chemistry with fellow Iowa State transfer Rocco Becht at quarterback to flash early and often in 2026.

Dorian Fleming, Maryland

Maryland tight end Dorian Fleming made the leap from Georgia State in 2024 to Maryland last season after a strong redshirt freshman campaign (49 receptions for 558 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games). Unfortunately, he was unable to have the same impact in his new landing spot with a true freshman quarterback.

Fleming still posted a respectable stat line in his first season in the Big Ten, catching 40 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns. However, Maryland's passing offense was consistently hamstrung by the growing pains of true freshman quarterback Malik Washington. Washington completed just 57.7% of his passes for 2,963 yards and 17 touchdowns with nine interceptions in his first collegiate season.

It's fair to expect Washington to grow in year 2, which should lead to more opportunities for Fleming to showcase his impact in the passing game. If he can clean up his drop issues (9.9% drop rate the last two seasons) he can operate as the focal point for Maryland's passing attack.

Mark Bowman, USC

The first (and only) freshman on the top 30 tight end rankings is USC's Mark Bowman. The Mater Dei (California) product was viewed by many as the second-ranked tight end in the 2026 recruiting class and secured a very lucrative NIL offer to stay at home and play for the Trojans.

Bowman enrolled early in the winter and immediately made a positive impression, setting himself up to be the day-one starter during his true freshman season. Bowman is a solid route runner who has flashed the ability to generate YAC after averaging 13.6 yards per reception in his final high school season.

Bowman has been compared to Brock Bowers as a prospect and now finds himself in a Lincoln Riley offense that has historically featured pass-catching tight ends dating back to his days at Oklahoma (Mark Andrews). Bowman's ability to get open and make plays after the catch could make him a solid safety blanket for returning quarterback Jayden Maiava in 2026.

Cole Rusk, Arizona

Cole Rusk began his college career at Murray State in 2023, catching 39 of 54 targets for 512 yards and six touchdowns. He transferred to the University of Illinois for the 2024 season, but suffered a torn ACL and played zero games. Rusk had modest production in his second season with the team (19 receptions for 217 yards and a touchdown) before ultimately transferring to Arizona for the 2026 season.

Rusk is a former wide receiver with impressive athleticism and route running for his size. He ranked seventh among returning tight ends in yards per route run (1.94) while averaging a 38.1% slot rate in his career.

Arizona returns fifth-year quarterback Noah Fifita, who is coming off a career-best season (64.3% completion rate for 3,228 yards, 29 touchdowns, and six interceptions). There will be plenty of opportunities for a pass catcher to emerge with the team's top two receivers leaving this offseason. Rusk is not only a dark horse to lead the team in receiving production, but he's an intriguing athlete at the tight end position in fantasy in 2026.

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