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Updated PPR tight end (TE) rankings for fantasy football. Tiered TE rankings for 2026, including George Kittle, Isaiah Likely, Terrance Ferguson, and more.
The start of the NFL season is a few weeks away, and we are entering the heart of the fantasy football draft season. At RotoBaller HQ, we continue to update our ranks to account for the latest training camp news and are back with our PPR fantasy football tight end rankings for 2026. Tight ends can be volatile, and some managers lock in that top-tier tight end in Brock Bowers and Trey McBride early on. This year, plenty of value can be had in the middle rounds.
Our 2026 fantasy football rankings are put together by Nick Mariano, a top-accuracy industry ranker and the lead forecaster here at RotoBaller. In the rankings below, check out where pass-catchers such as Harold Fannin Jr., George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Jake Ferguson, Juwan Johnson, Isaiah Likely, Terrance Ferguson, and more.
In addition to these PPR rankings, our 2026 fantasy football rankings dashboard also provides our team's Dynasty League rankings and Rookie Rankings. Bookmark those pages, and use them to prepare for all of your 2026 fantasy football drafts.
Bookmark our updated and revamped fantasy football rankings portal for all league formats!PPR rankings | Half-PPR rankings | Non-PPR (Standard) rankings | Rookie rankings | Superflex rankings | Best Ball rankings | Underdog rankings | Dynasty rankings | IDP rankings | Injuries
PPR Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings
| TE Tier |
TE Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Brock Bowers | TE | 21 |
| 1 | 2 | Trey McBride | TE | 26 |
| 2 | 3 | Colston Loveland | TE | 44 |
| 3 | 4 | Tyler Warren | TE | 64 |
| 3 | 5 | Tucker Kraft | TE | 70 |
| 3 | 6 | Sam LaPorta | TE | 77 |
| 3 | 7 | Kyle Pitts Sr. | TE | 97 |
| 4 | 8 | Harold Fannin Jr. | TE | 103 |
| 4 | 9 | Dalton Kincaid | TE | 114 |
| 5 | 10 | George Kittle | TE | 116 |
| 6 | 11 | Travis Kelce | TE | 119 |
| 6 | 12 | Dallas Goedert | TE | 122 |
| 6 | 13 | Mark Andrews | TE | 126 |
| 6 | 14 | Jake Ferguson | TE | 127 |
| 7 | 15 | Juwan Johnson | TE | 131 |
| 7 | 16 | Isaiah Likely | TE | 136 |
| 7 | 17 | Brenton Strange | TE | 140 |
| 7 | 18 | Hunter Henry | TE | 150 |
| 8 | 19 | Chig Okonkwo | TE | 157 |
| 8 | 20 | T.J. Hockenson | TE | 159 |
| 8 | 21 | Terrance Ferguson | TE | 163 |
| 9 | 22 | Pat Freiermuth | TE | 173 |
| 9 | 23 | Dalton Schultz | TE | 179 |
| 9 | 24 | Cade Otton | TE | 196 |
| 10 | 25 | Oronde Gadsden II | TE | 206 |
| 10 | 26 | Greg Dulcich | TE | 211 |
| 10 | 27 | Colby Parkinson | TE | 214 |
| 10 | 28 | Mike Gesicki | TE | 215 |
| 11 | 29 | AJ Barner | TE | 218 |
| 12 | 30 | Kenyon Sadiq | TE | 219 |
| 13 | 31 | Gunnar Helm | TE | 224 |
| 13 | 32 | Michael Mayer | TE | 248 |
| 13 | 33 | David Njoku | TE | 251 |
| 13 | 34 | Evan Engram | TE | 253 |
| 13 | 35 | Darren Waller | TE | 256 |
| 13 | 36 | Darnell Washington | TE | 263 |
| 13 | 37 | Dawson Knox | TE | 264 |
| 14 | 38 | Charlie Kolar | TE | 266 |
| 14 | 39 | Noah Gray | TE | 282 |
| 14 | 40 | Cole Kmet | TE | 285 |
| 14 | 41 | Theo Johnson | TE | 289 |
| 14 | 42 | Daniel Bellinger | TE | 307 |
| 14 | 43 | Jake Tonges | TE | 312 |
| 14 | 44 | Elijah Arroyo | TE | 313 |
| 14 | 45 | Eli Raridon | TE | 315 |
| 14 | 46 | Erick All Jr. | TE | 318 |
| 14 | 47 | Eli Stowers | TE | 321 |
| 14 | 48 | Noah Fant | TE | 327 |
| 15 | 49 | Mason Taylor | TE | 328 |
| 15 | 50 | Oscar Delp | TE | 340 |
| 15 | 51 | Austin Hooper | TE | 341 |
| 15 | 52 | Luke Schoonmaker | TE | 344 |
| 15 | 53 | Matthew Hibner | TE | 350 |
| 15 | 54 | Cade Stover | TE | 352 |
| 15 | 55 | Ja'Tavion Sanders | TE | 353 |
| 15 | 56 | Nate Boerkircher | TE | 355 |
| 15 | 57 | Elijah Higgins | TE | 357 |
| 15 | 58 | Tyler Higbee | TE | 368 |
| 15 | 59 | John Bates | TE | 369 |
| 16 | 60 | Tommy Tremble | TE | 373 |
| 16 | 61 | Adam Trautman | TE | 374 |
| 16 | 62 | Max Klare | TE | 377 |
| 16 | 63 | Tyler Conklin | TE | 386 |
| 16 | 64 | Tanner Hudson | TE | 388 |
| 16 | 65 | Josh Oliver | TE | 389 |
| 16 | 66 | Mitchell Evans | TE | 390 |
| 16 | 67 | Brock Wright | TE | 394 |
| 16 | 68 | Davis Allen | TE | 397 |
| 16 | 69 | Luke Farrell | TE | 398 |
Fantasy Football Tight End Player News
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) visited Los Angeles on Wednesday with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the surgery on his torn Achilles in January. It was an encouraging visit, with Kittle's recovery ahead of schedule and giving him a legitimate chance to play in the regular-season opener in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams.
Kittle injured his Achilles in January during the second quarter of the 49ers' NFC Wild Card game. While he is now 32 years old, it's a very encouraging sign for a 49ers offense that is dealing with injuries to wide receivers Mike Evans (quad) and has already lost Ricky Pearsall (knee) for the season. Kittle played in 11 games last season and was extremely efficient, hauling in 57 of his 69 targets for 628 yards and seven touchdowns with an 11.02 yards per reception.
RotoBaller currently ranks Kittle as the TE9 for upcoming drafts; however, if he is cleared to play Week 1, that will surely go up. He has finished in the top five at the position in six of the last eight seasons, and in the two seasons he didn't, he played in no more than 11 games.
Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson is seeing his route tree expand significantly heading into 2026, according to The Athletic's Nate Atkins. With star wide receiver Puka Nacua (groin) not practicing, Ferguson is stepping up as a playmaker for reigning MVP Matthew Stafford.
During joint practice with the New Orleans Saints, Ferguson caught two touchdowns in the red zone and was used all over the formation, a development that is exciting for the second-year tight end. "Coming in (last year), I never expected to play the positions I'm playing. Being able to play F, Z, Y, and X, all of them together, it's definitely been a big jump."
Ranked as the TE21 in RotoBaller's positional rankings, Ferguson is a high-upside tight end to target in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.
Isaiah Likely, New York Giants
New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely is becoming one of Jaxson Dart's most trusted targets, according to Jordan Raanan. Likely caught six passes during live drills in Thursday's joint practice with the Miami Dolphins, with Raanan describing him as Dart's security blanket and favorite receiver. This hasn't come out of nowhere.
Dart and Likely started building chemistry during the spring, and the Giants have featured their tight ends heavily throughout training camp. Likely gives Dart a big target in the middle of the field and can move around the formation, something New York has taken advantage of all summer.
Malik Nabers is still working his way back from last year's knee injury, but Raanan expects Likely to remain a major part of the offense even once Nabers returns. Likely caught only 27 passes for 307 yards and one touchdown with Baltimore last season. His role in New York is shaping up to be much bigger.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (hip) is dealing with a hip injury he picked up earlier this week, according to Nolan Bianchi. LaPorta was not practicing Thursday, though head coach Dan Campbell said he doesn't think the issue will threaten the start of his season. Campbell stopped short of guaranteeing that, however.
LaPorta was limited to nine games last year after a back injury eventually required surgery, finishing with 40 catches for 489 yards and three touchdowns. He spent the offseason rehabbing but was back to full participation when Detroit opened training camp in late July.
The new hip issue interrupts what had otherwise been a healthy summer for the fourth-year tight end. Campbell's initial outlook is a positive one for fantasy managers, but LaPorta's progress over the next couple of weeks will determine whether that holds.
Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (groin) exited Wednesday's training camp practice early, and he is now expected to miss about a week with a minor groin injury, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.
Warren has been viewed as one of fantasy's biggest risers throughout draft season, pegged as an obvious candidate to absorb some of Michael Pittman Jr.'s 110 vacated targets from a year ago, but the recent signing of veteran receiver Keenan Allen has created a murkier picture, and the injury could see him slip in drafts.
Still RotoBaller's TE4 for 2026, Warren projects to be a difference-maker at the position, but the gap between him and fellow second-year tight end Colston Loveland has potentially widened in recent days.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
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Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with bye weeks, stats, and projections, ADPs, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research and updates them constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for George Kittle, Tyler Warren, Isaiah Likely, Travis Kelce, Sam LaPorta, and Terrance Ferguson:
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