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Best Ball Tight End Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football TEs and Analysis

Brock Bowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, TE, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

John's fantasy football best ball rankings for the tight end position ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Which players are the best value in best ball leagues at TE.

In best ball formats, unlike other fantasy football league setups, you never have to hope the players you put in your starting lineups outscore those on your bench, and won't be annoyed when they don't. This is because, in this format, you don't really have a lineup to set.

Instead, you'll always get the maximum number of points you could have because your starting lineup will automatically include your top-scoring players. For tight ends, who don't have quite the scoring ceilings that wide receivers or some running backs do, this isn't quite as impactful in rankings.

Still, the nature of best ball leagues lends to players with higher ceilings getting drafted earlier. Other than that, things are mostly the same, but that doesn't make the format completely boring! So, let's dive into the best ball TE rankings for the 2025 NFL season.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

10. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Kelce was absolutely horrible last season as a receiver. Sure, he had some solid weeks for fantasy, but he's just too old and beat up to be a good pass-catcher anymore. ESPN Analytics gave him the single worst receiving grade of any player in the league in 2024.

Kelce's athleticism has quickly faded, and while his shrewdness at dissecting zone coverages is still impressive, he's just not sudden and doesn't play with great strength. He looks like he should have retired a year ago already, yet he wants to play for another season. I wouldn't draft him.

 

9. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

It's hard to evaluate Njoku for fantasy purposes. On one hand, he's very talented. But on the other hand, he's on the team with possibly the worst quarterback room in the entire NFL, and the team just added the hyper-productive Harold Fannin Jr., a rookie TE from Bowling Green, in the 2025 NFL Draft.

If you draft Njoku, you're really hoping quarterback Joe Flacco starts, despite his age. Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Kenny Pickett are just not good QBs.

 

8. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Andrew's 2024 season was completely propped up by touchdown volume. His inexplicable goose eggs in Week 3 and Week 4 were forgotten (mostly) by fantasy football managers, as he went on to have a career-high in touchdowns. There are trade rumors swirling around him right now, but nothing has come to fruition yet.

Part of that has to do with his absolute inability to perform in the playoffs. Andrews' value could change massively on another team, depending on who it is. With the Ravens, he's very risky. You're counting on 10 or more TDs for him to return value.

He doesn't get enough playing time as a route-runner and doesn't have enough target volume to support a huge season right now.

 

7. Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins

Smith is another player whose value makes sense at his spot. He had a breakout season with the Miami Dolphins, often overshadowing both wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, in what was one of the biggest surprises in fantasy football in 2024.

Smith (Jonnu) is yet another case study in how Smith (Arthur), the former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator and current Pittsburgh Steelers OC, ruins the fantasy values of his players. His resurgent 2024 year was tied to... getting away from Smith (Arthur). He's solid value here.

 

6. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Hockenson's additional time off will have helped him recover more from the ACL tear he suffered in January 2024 during the 2023-2024 NFL playoffs. Hockenson returned ahead of schedule last season but didn't make too much of a splash, which is reasonable.

He had quarterback Sam Darnold, who is just bad, throw it to him while he was recuperating from a serious ailment.

Hockenson will turn 28 soon, and if his knee heals up nicely (and it appears that it is), he should have a nice few years ahead of him. In addition, the Vikings will get a huge upgrade at quarterback, as J.J. McCarthy will be the starter in 2025. Hock should have a great bounce-back season and could end up with his best career marks.

I like taking him as the TE6.

 

5. Evan Engram, Denver Broncos

Engram's move from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Denver Broncos has sparked plenty of excitement in the fantasy community and rocketed him up fantasy draft boards. He has a chance to serve as the team's second-best pass-catcher behind wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

I'm skeptical of Engram's worth as the TE5, though. Sure, the Broncos had a solid passing offense last season. Still, his TE2 season in 2023 was heavily propped up by massive target volume, and his route-running efficiency metrics (plus his poor receiving efficiency, at under 8.5 yards per catch) don't inspire a lot of confidence moving forward.

I'd probably have him a bit lower.

 

4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

LaPorta's skill set and play didn't regress in 2024 compared to his standout rookie season in 2023. Still, as the Lions' run-heavy offense accommodated wide receiver Jameson Williams more, LaPorta's target volume decreased, much to the chagrin of fantasy managers.

Williams and fellow WR Amon-Ra St. Brown remain with the Lions, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs will likely continue earning solid target volume. LaPorta has the talent to offer impressive upside, but you should expect plenty of mediocre games to come along with it.

I'd say he's a tad overrated at TE4, but that's not a surprise considering his talent. It's usually good to bet on talent over projected volume, too. With Ben Johnson, the former Lions offensive coordinator, now gone to the Chicago Bears, perhaps we could see LaPorta get more work this year.

 

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle had one of his best seasons ever in 2024 -- but that was primarily due to the absence of running back Christian McCaffrey for most of the season. McCaffrey is such a target hog, especially for an RB, that his presence leads to significantly reduced looks for the rest of the team's pass-catchers.

Still, even with slightly lower upside (if McCaffrey can manage to stay healthy), Kittle's game is nowhere near slowing down. He'll turn 32 this season, but elite tight ends have a long history of playing at a high level well into their 30s, so there isn't much to worry about here.

 

2. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

McBride had a massive season in 2024. His breakout third-year campaign saw him targeted 147 times, and he caught 111 of those passes for 1,146 yards and two touchdowns. I'm not 100 percent sure he repeats these numbers in 2025, though.

While McBride is good enough to earn a significant target share, the team also drafted WR Marvin Harrison Jr. last season, with the fourth overall pick. He was targeted 116 times, yet hauled in just 62 passes. It wouldn't be surprising to see Harrison's target share creep up in Year 2.

In a run-first offense, that could mean McBride has less of a chance of finishing as the TE2 than he did last season, especially if his touchdown luck doesn't improve -- and he's caught just six TDs in 49 career games.

 

1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Well, obviously. Bowers had a historic season with very little good quarterback play. Now, he'll get a massive upgrade in QB Geno Smith, who somehow made the Seattle Seahawks offense look competent, despite the fact that they didn't have a real offensive line.

But Bowers said he sucks sometimes. It's great to have humility. Still, why would you pick anyone over him? Sure, there are other solid TEs to pick from, but Bowers was already TE1 in 2024, and no one would be surprised if he surpassed his numbers this season.



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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




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