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Should you draft Kenyon Sadiq, Eli Stowers, or Eli Raridon in fantasy football in 2026? RotoBaller's fantasy outlooks for these rookies tight ends.
Not that long ago, rookie tight ends were a no-fly zone for smart fantasy football managers since they never delivered much in their rookie season. The last few years, though, the model has changed with Brock Bowers, Sam LaPorta, Tyler Warren, Harold Fannin Jr., and Colston Loveland making a significant impact in their first NFL season. This year's rookie tight ends have a lot to live up to, so let's take a look at three of the top options to consider for your fantasy roster this season. We'll look at Kenyon Sadiq, Eli Stowers, and Eli Raridon.
While none of these players is high on draft boards coming into the season, they could be great values if they break out. Keeping an eye on them late in redraft leagues and even on the waiver wire could pay off, so let's break down where they deserve consideration.
Below, we'll dive into the draft outlooks of Sadiq, Stowers, and Raridon, who could emerge as starting tight ends in standard-sized leagues by the end of the season
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Kenyon Sadiq Fantasy Football Outlook
The top tight end taken in this year's NFL Draft was Sadiq. Sadiq joined the Jets out of Oregon at the No. 16 overall pick. Since 2020, a rookie tight end taken in the first round has finished in the top 12 tight ends in PPR leagues every year. Can Sadiq continue that trend this year?
The athletic playmaker had hernia surgery and suffered a setback, and he missed time working with the starting offense as a result. He has the raw skills to rack up yards over the middle and with breakaway straight-line speed.
A glimpse at rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq, who can be a Swiss Army knife for the #Jets offense. pic.twitter.com/C9V08LXnh0
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) August 1, 2026
Sadiq is working in practice, as you can see in the clip above, and head coach Aaron Glenn has repeatedly said he'll be ready to play in Week 1. However, he could ramp up slowly after missing so much time in the build-up to the season. While he is out, Mason Taylor and Jeremy Ruckert will fill in, with Taylor providing the better fantasy upside of the two young replacement options.
While Taylor had flashes in his rookie year, Sadiq has a much higher ceiling once he gets fully integrated. Sadiq is the No. 30 TE in RotoBaller's redraft rankings, so he can be left on the waiver wire in most formats or grabbed in the final round if you want to stash him for upside down the road.
In dynasty leagues, though, it's a different story since he does have so much more future potential. He's ranked as the No. 9 tight end in RotoBaller's Dynasty rankings at the position.
Eli Stowers Fantasy Football Outlook
No other tight ends besides Sadiq were drafted in the first round, but the Eagles selected Stowers out of Vanderbilt with the No. 22 pick in the second round at No. 54 overall. Stowers does not have nearly as clear a path to playing time as Sadiq and will likely be brought along slowly behind incumbent veteran Dallas Goedert.
Goedert had 60 catches for 591 yards and 11 touchdowns last year, but he is on a one-year deal after signing a new cap-friendlier contract this past offseason. The team could be ready to go younger at the position next season if Stowers shows promise this year.
Stowers is a converted QB who set the record for a tight end in both the broad jump and vertical jump at the NFL Combine after racking up over 1,400 yards in his last two seasons in college. The elite athlete has plenty of big-play potential if he can find his way onto the field for the Eagles, who are looking to replace pass-catching production after the departure of A.J. Brown.
Unfortunately for managers looking for immediate impact, Stowers is a developmental project and is working to improve both as a blocker and a receiver in his first pro camp. He hasn't flashed any big plays in the preseason yet, but he is getting better.
Many will focus on Eagles rookie TE Eli Stowers failing to record a catch against the Patriots.
Yet I’d like to focus on Stowers’ improvements as a blocker and his ability to find work after the catch when others make a play.
Stowers is trending in the right direction. 📈 pic.twitter.com/mcfJwtJSjC
— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaNFL) August 23, 2026
Down the road, or if Goedert goes down, Stowers will be a strong play, but he's high-risk coming into the season since he could have a very minimal role. While that long-term potential makes him the TE12 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings, he's only the TE50 in redraft leagues.
Eli Raridon Fantasy Football Outlook
Even though he was taken as the ninth tight end off the board, Raridon could actually make the earliest impact of these three options during the regular season. Unlike Sadiq, he's been able to practice throughout training camp, and unlike Stowers, he seems set for a role right away.
The Patriots selected Raridon in the third round with the No. 95 overall pick out of Notre Dame. While he only had 48 catches for 623 yards and three touchdowns in four seasons for the Golden Domers, most of that production came last year, when he totaled 482 receiving yards.
He was lined up to be the team's third tight end, but a season-ending injury to Julian Hill (knee) has allowed him to step up as the team's primary backup behind Hunter Henry.
Henry is a favorite target of Drake Maye and will likely get most of the work at the position this year, but Raridon is also expected to have a meaningful role in the team's offense. Some reports out of training camp even had him getting more work with the first offense than Henry this preseason, although that could be mainly just to help get him up to speed.
Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels has a history of using multiple tight ends effectively, and Raridon has the raw athletic ability to take a big jump and make some plays at the next level. Quarterback Maye effectively involves his tight end and usually spreads the ball around to plenty of targets. In the first preseason game, Raridon looked solid even if this gain ended up coming back:
Eli Raridon sighting 👀👀👀
Was negated by a penalty on Caleb Lomu, unfortunately 😢 pic.twitter.com/CUjip279EX
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BennyGIFs) August 14, 2026
He missed the team's second preseason game with an unspecified situation, but if he's back and ready to go before the start of the season, he will be a sleeper to watch. In standard-sized redraft leagues, Raridon can be a last-round flier if you believe in the breakout potential. He's only the TE45, though, in RotoBaller's redraft rankings, so there's no need to reach too early.
In dynasty formats, he carries much more value due to his long-term potential, and he's ranked as TE33 in RotoBaller's rankings for that format. Coming into the year, he's a player to monitor and possibly stash if you're desperate for depth or playing in a format that digs extremely deep at tight end.
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