Projecting Rest of Season Top 12 Tight Ends in 2026 Fantasy Football

November 13, 2026

Bruno ranks the top-12 tight ends in fantasy football for the rest of the 2026 NFL season. Who are the best TEs in the NFL for fantasy football for the rest of 2026?

Kirk Cousins' return to the Minnesota Vikings gives T.J. Hockenson a reason to climb the tight end rankings. Las Vegas has named Fernando Mendoza its Week 10 starter following the trade. The Indianapolis Colts traded Keenan Allen and Josh Downs, leaving Tyler Warren with fewer established receivers competing for Daniel Jones' throws.

Those changes shape how I'd value the position in a 12-team PPR league for Weeks 10-17. Colston Loveland moves into my top five on the strength of his last four games. Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and Tyler Warren each have a bye left, which gives George Kittle an extra scheduled start.

Bowers, McBride, and Kittle are the three I'd pay up for. If the price of that tier is too high, I'd ask about Hockenson before his first game back with Cousins. I'd make a smaller offer for Sam LaPorta while Detroit's passing volume is down.

Tier 1

TE1 Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Bowers has caught 14 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns over his last two games. He's reached 70 receiving yards in each of his last four, and his 658 yards lead NFL tight ends despite missing the first two weeks.

The Las Vegas Raiders' move from Cousins to Mendoza adds uncertainty after a productive stretch. I'm keeping Bowers first because he's earned 70 targets in seven games and turned those chances into six touchdowns. His receiving production has held up even when he doesn't score, including 73 yards against the Los Angeles Rams and 70 against the Buffalo Bills.

I'd cover Bowers' Week 13 bye and keep him for the playoff run. He gets Tennessee in Week 16 and Arizona in Week 17.

Kirk Cousins connects with Brock Bowers for a touchdown against San Francisco.

— @NFL November 8, 2026

TE2 Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals scored three points against the Seattle Seahawks, and McBride still caught seven passes for 54 yards. He has at least seven receptions in all nine games this season. He leads tight ends with 73 catches on 94 targets, enough volume to keep him near the top even as Arizona changes quarterbacks again.

Carson Beck will make his first NFL start in Week 10 after Arizona placed Gardner Minshew (elbow) on injured reserve, ending his season. Michael Wilson (neck) also went on injured reserve, removing a receiver who had 51 catches.

McBride should command a large share of Beck's attention, but losing Wilson also makes it easier for defenses to concentrate on him. I prefer Bowers' downfield production, while McBride's catches make him the closest challenger in PPR. Arizona's bye falls in Week 14.

Trey McBride juggles it around and scores the TD!

@DETvsARI on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/G8aLJwlZEA

— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

TE3 George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle's bye is already behind him. That's one extra available game compared with Bowers or McBride over the remaining fantasy season, and a reason I'd be comfortable trading for him if I couldn't afford another empty week at tight end.

He's caught 17 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown over his last three games. He has five receiving touchdowns through eight appearances.

The San Francisco 49ers added Keenan Allen on Tuesday, increasing the receiving competition around Kittle. I'd still take Kittle third with Brock Purdy at quarterback. Kittle caught eight passes for 88 yards against the Atlanta Falcons and four for 58 against the Raiders, without a touchdown in either game.

Tier 2

TE4 Isaiah Likely, New York Giants

Likely has 69 targets, 46 receptions, and six touchdowns in eight games. The New York Giants have already had their bye, so he's another option who can stay in the lineup every week through the fantasy championship.

His production has fallen in J.J. McCarthy's first two starts for the Giants. Likely caught two passes for 12 yards against the Houston Texans, then five for 53 yards and a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. That leaves him below Kittle, whose quarterback situation is more settled.

Likely's latest touchdown came from Jameis Winston while McCarthy was briefly out of the game. The season-long receiving work is what keeps Likely fourth, with Detroit and the Dallas Cowboys on his schedule in Weeks 16 and 17.

TE5 Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

Loveland has caught 24 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns since Week 6. Across the first five games, he had 13 receptions for 110 yards and no scores. The recent stretch is the better guide to what I'd expect after the Chicago Bears' Week 10 bye.

He caught four of six targets for 54 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including a 38-yard gain that helped set up the winning field goal.

I'd take Loveland over LaPorta for the rest of the season. Loveland has at least four receptions in four straight games, while LaPorta has eight catches combined over his last three. The New Orleans Saints come first after the bye, followed by Detroit in Week 12.

TE6 Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

Warren's recent totals are modest. He's caught eight passes for 62 yards in the two games since his return, following two missed games. The reason I'd trade for him now is Indianapolis' decision to move both Allen and Downs at the deadline.

Allen and Downs drew 115 combined targets in Indianapolis. Warren already has 38 catches in seven games, and his chance to take on more of that work puts him ahead of LaPorta and Hockenson.

Jones has six passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions, limiting how aggressively I'd chase Warren's touchdown upside. Indianapolis' Week 13 bye also needs covering before a playoff schedule of Tennessee, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Cleveland Browns.

TE7 Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

LaPorta has eight receptions for 83 yards and no touchdowns in the three games since Detroit's bye. Before the break, he caught 27 passes for 316 yards and three scores across five games.

The Lions have attempted 25 passes in each of their last two games. LaPorta drew five of Jared Goff's 25 attempts against Miami and caught four for 32 yards.

LaPorta stays seventh because of the receiving work he established before the bye. I'd need to see that volume return before moving him back into the top five. LaPorta's Week 15 visit to Minnesota also deserves a backup plan after the Vikings held him to three catches for 33 yards in their first meeting.

TE8 T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

I'd buy Hockenson if his manager still values him as a fringe starter. He enters the quarterback change with four receptions in each of his last three games, totaling 126 yards and two touchdowns.

Cousins threw 20 touchdown passes in nine starts with the Raiders. Hockenson has 35 receptions for 328 yards this season, and I'd expect his yardage to improve with the change at quarterback.

Their previous work together supports that projection. Through Minnesota's first eight games in 2023, Hockenson caught 53 passes for 478 yards and three touchdowns with Cousins as the starting quarterback.

Tier 3

TE9 Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Kelce has nine receptions for 139 yards over his last two games. He added a one-yard rushing touchdown against the New York Jets.

The Kansas City Chiefs have Rashee Rice back and added Downs at the deadline. With more competition for targets, I'd avoid paying a top-5 price for a tight end who has scored twice through the air in eight games.

Kelce has 482 receiving yards in eight games. That yardage keeps him ahead of Harold Fannin Jr., who has 453 in nine.

TE10 Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

Fannin's last three games have produced 18 catches for 287 yards and a touchdown. The trouble is how unevenly those numbers arrived. He had 10 receptions for 154 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers, then two catches for 42 yards against New Orleans.

Shedeur Sanders threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns against the Saints, but Fannin drew only two targets. His 39-yard touchdown accounted for nearly all of his receiving yardage. The two targets were a sharp retreat from the 21 he received across the previous two weeks.

Fannin has 453 receiving yards and four touchdowns through nine games for the Cleveland Browns. I'd use Dalton Kincaid through Cleveland's Week 11 bye while I see whether Fannin's targets rebound against Houston and Las Vegas.

TE11 Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

Kincaid has outgained Tucker Kraft by 78 receiving yards despite catching six fewer passes. With Buffalo's bye already complete and the Green Bay Packers' bye still ahead, I'd take Kincaid first if those were my two choices for the rest of the season.

The Bills have gotten 30 receptions for 429 yards from him in eight games. His last three appearances account for 14 catches, 152 yards, and a touchdown.

The seven-catch game against Las Vegas produced only 38 yards, while four receptions against the Baltimore Ravens gained 86 and included a touchdown. Minnesota then held him to three catches for 28 yards.

TE12 Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love threw for 372 yards against the New England Patriots, and Kraft caught one pass for one yard. Christian Watson and Matthew Golden combined for 335 receiving yards in that game, leaving Kraft's managers with almost none of the benefit from a huge passing performance.

I wouldn't discard the three games before it. Kraft caught 15 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns during that stretch. His season totals of 36 receptions and 351 yards keep him just inside the cutoff.

I'd start Kraft against Minnesota if I need him in Week 10. He caught three passes for 65 yards in their first meeting, enough for me to hold him through Green Bay's Week 11 bye.

Dallas Goedert is my closest omission. He has at least four catches in five straight appearances, but no receiving touchdown since Week 1. Philadelphia scored 11 points on Sunday and now heads into its Week 10 bye.

Mike Gesicki has six receiving touchdowns to Kraft's three, but Kraft has 17 more catches. I'd take Kraft at a similar price in PPR.

Make sure to follow Bruno on X: @MuleKickSports.

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