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Five tight end (TE) fantasy football sleepers, value picks to target late in 2026 drafts. These are undervalued TE sleepers to draft in the later rounds.
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another edition of late-round sleepers. Recently, we published five late-round running backs and wide receivers, and now we have tight ends fantasy managers should be targeting with our five late-round tight end fantasy football draft values and sleepers for the 2026 season. Tight end can be a volatile position, but the talent pool is a little bit deeper in 2026 than years past. Fantasy football drafts can be won if you are able to find that league-winning upside in the later rounds. Later in the drafts, fantasy managers can go in several directions when selecting a player, including prospects, players returning from injuries, forgotten veterans, or even skilled players with potential playing-time concerns.
Regardless of the format, it's vital to have at least a handful of sleeper targets at each position heading into your fantasy football drafts. Below, you will find some late-round running backs for you to consider drafting this season.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific NFL players for your draft prep enjoyment. Usually only available to Premium subscribers, the outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2026 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all 300+ of our 2026 player outlooks, along with many other premium articles and tools available exclusively in our 2026 Draft Kit.
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Juwan Johnson, Saints, Fantasy Football Outlook
New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson enters his age-30 campaign having just blown past his career-best marks with 102 targets, 77 catches, and 889 yards. This only led to three touchdowns, but one can't help but feel bullish with such enticing volume. He came out of the gate hot, finishing Weeks 1 and 2 as the TE4 and TE3, respectively. In fact, he'd be the TE13 or greater in seven of his first 10 games, and 10 of the 17 tilts overall.
The Saints waited until the middle of Week 8 to flip Tyler Shough in at quarterback, all while the running back group dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness, so the second half is a better indicator for 2026 expectations. And between Weeks 9-17, Johnson's 9.6 half-PPR fantasy points per game was the seventh-best tally (min. 5 games) even without a single end-zone target in that span. His two TDs in that window were caught 5-10 yards out, and he looked like a secondary read on both plays.
After the Rashid Shaheed trade, Juwan Johnson was the TE5 in yards per game and TE8 in receptions per game.
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) August 20, 2026
In fact, Johnson only had one end-zone target all year, and no Saint had more than three outside of Chris Olave (14!). If they funnel action to Olave, or newcomers Jordyn Tyson and Oscar Delp, and don't let Johnson eat in the red zone, then fantasy managers will be disappointed given the half-PPR ADP at the 139th pick (TE17). Our rank around pick 150 bakes in a bit more volatility. However, with Tyson slated to miss two months, the Saints could rely on Johnson more, making him a solid pick at his current ADP.
Isaiah Likely, Giants, Fantasy Football Outlook
New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely steps into a featured role after John Harbaugh saw what he was capable of in Baltimore, but can he produce consistently here? He was limited by injuries in 2025, both to himself and Lamar Jackson, which led to just 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown. Likely required surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot, which shelved him through August and forced him to miss the first three games of the season. But alongside the overall offensive depression, he was far behind Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews, and Zay Flowers.
TE Isaiah Likely is going to be a huge part of the Giants offense, even when Malik Nabers returns. Likely has quickly developed into Dart's security blanket and favorite receiver. He also works an area of the field where Dart thrives.
Likely had six catches during live drills…
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) August 20, 2026
Though the Giants' offense will be different than '25, if Likely goes from last year's 53% route participation rate toward Theo Johnson's 73% mark, we could be very happy. Mix in that Malik Nabers (knee) is no sure bet to recover, and the 6-foot-4 Likely could find himself with a prominent role with lots of red-zone attention. Though it's been nearly two years since he dominated the Chiefs for 111 yards and a TD (nearly two, those pesky toes) in Week 1 of 2024, the 26-year-old has a ceiling that most TEs don't possess. Because of his talent, the Harbaugh connection, and his path to more involvement, his RotoBaller rank as the half-PPR TE15 is close to his TE13 ADP (pick 110) in August.
Jake Ferguson, Cowboys, Fantasy Football Outlook
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson has finished as the TE8 in two of his last three seasons, most recently posting 600 yards on a career-high 82 receptions while scoring 8 times. At RotoBaller's TE13 heading into 2026 drafts, he's going later than what he has already shown to be somewhat of a baseline, and under the right circumstances, he's capable of putting up week-winning performances.
With five-time Pro Bowl receiver CeeDee Lamb missing time early in the year with a high ankle sprain, Ferguson became a safety blanket for quarterback Dak Prescott, seeing the fourth most targets in the league through the first five weeks of the season, and pacing as the fantasy TE1 through Week 7. The presence of Lamb and 2025 breakout George Pickens is enough to keep Ferguson from cracking the top-12, but should either miss time in 2026, the former fourth-rounder out of Wisconsin has insurance upside rare to the position, capable of stepping into a top-two role in one of the league's most potent offenses without looking out of place.
Jake Ferguson pic.twitter.com/Rj3w6pQkEY
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 17, 2026
Even with Dallas' two Pro Bowl receivers at full health, Ferguson's floor is still high enough to more than justify his 10th-round ADP. In the 11 games in which all three players saw a normal workload in 2025, Ferguson made at least five catches in seven. With the Cowboys' focus through free agency and the NFL Draft squarely on the defensive side of the ball, Ferguson's role should look familiar entering his fifth season in Dallas. For 2026 drafters opting to wait on tight end, the 27-year-old profiles as a can't-miss late-round pick, both for his reliable volume-based floor and legitimate top-five upside.
Terrance Ferguson, Rams, Fantasy Football Outlook
You've heard of a crowded running back room, but rarely is the amount of talented tight ends a deterrent to fantasy football success. However, that's exactly the issue tight end Terrance Ferguson faces in Los Angeles. During the 2025 season, the Rams shifted toward using 13 personnel more often, meaning three tight ends could see the field at once, alongside Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Four tight ends - Tyler Higbee, Ferguson, Colby Parkinson, and Davis Allen - were part of the rotation, to varying degrees.
Terrance Ferguson's Route Tree Expanding in 2026 https://t.co/tIsrVWyQZY
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) August 21, 2026
Ferguson only played 38% of the team's offensive snaps. The Rams' brass complicated matters even more by drafting Max Klare in the second round of the NFL Draft. Ferguson, a second-round pick in 2025, is the most explosive of the group. He led all tight ends in deep targets, despite earning 25 total all season. The receiving upside is tremendous, but the snap count may not be up to snuff. However, the Rams are expanding Ferguson's route tree, and he has been stepping up as a playmaker in training camp. The upside is there for Ferguson, who could easily smash Yahoo Fantasy ADP 126 as he is poised for an expanded role heading into 2026.
Gunnar Helm, Titans, Fantasy Football Outlook
Following an ankle sprain during his 40-yard dash at the 2025 combine, Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm has had an uphill climb to make an impact as a pro, but it seems to be slowly taking shape. As a fourth-round pick in last year's draft, Helm platooned at Tennessee's tight end spot with Chig Okonkwo to amass decent numbers as a rookie. He totaled 44 receptions on 55 targets for 357 yards and two touchdowns despite playing for the NFL's third-worst offense in passing yards per attempt (5.7 YPA).
The team evidently saw enough in Helm through that action; Okonkwo signed with the Washington Commanders in March, and the team didn't draft a tight end in April until the seventh round. The former Texas standout's competition for receiving work at the position includes Daniel Bellinger and Kylen Granson - both of whom have fewer than 100 career receptions in at least three NFL seasons. The arrow seems to be pointing up for a Titans offense that added first-round rookie Carnell Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson at wide receiver, and Brian Daboll joins the team as offensive coordinator to call plays and develop Cam Ward.
Pro Football Focus has named Tennessee Titans TE Gunnar Helm a 2026 breakout candidate.
📸 Kyle Terada, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect https://t.co/qlF9UP1HCk pic.twitter.com/UdMHqULdoi
— The Titans Wire (@TheTitansWire) August 18, 2026
Helm will certainly slot behind Tate, Robinson, and veteran Calvin Ridley in Tennessee's target tree. Still, he'llhave a path to routes and relevance for an offense that could be significantly more functional in 2026. He is RotoBaller's 24th-ranked tight end in overall PPR rankings, fitting into a tier with T.J. Hockenson and Dalton Schultz as other tight ends with a monopoly on their teams' positional snaps but a limited chance to be a featured part of the offense. In dynasty formats, Helm could be a late-round dart that joins lineups in positive matchups, but he will need a productive year to avoid convincing the Titans to draft a replacement next spring.
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