2026 Fantasy Football Rookie TE Rankings (Post NFL Draft) - Kenyon Sadiq, Eli Stowers, Oscar Delp, Justin Joly, Max Klare, Nate Boerkircher

April 30, 2026

RotoBaller's fantasy football rookie tight end (TE) rankings for after the 2026 NFL Draft. These tiered rookie rankings are for rookie drafts, dynasty drafts, and more.

This year's rookie tight end class isn't loaded with high-end talent, but we saw 22 TEs come off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tight ends are the most difficult position to sort through in fantasy football, so we're here to help with our post-draft fantasy football tight end rankings for 2026. Below, check out the top 20 tight ends for upcoming rookie drafts.

These updated 2026 rookie TE rankings are put together by Matt Donnelly, Phil Clark, Jackson Sparks, and Andrew Lalama. These rankings will be updated throughout the offseason, up until the start of the 2026 NFL regular season, based on training camp intel, preseason performances, and more. Read below to find out where Kenyon Sadiq, Eli Stowers, Oscar Delp, Justin Joly, Max Klare, Nate Boerkircher, and more stand, among all others.

In addition to these rookie rankings, in our 2026 fantasy football rankings dashboard, you will also find our team's Dynasty League rankings. Bookmark that page, and use it to prepare for all of your 2026 fantasy football dynasty league drafts.

NFL Rookie TE Rankings for Fantasy Football (Post-Draft)

Check out our PPR fantasy football rankings and standard (non-PPR) fantasy football rankings as well:

2026 Fantasy Football Rookie Tight End Outlooks

Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets

New York Jets rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq has the potential to handle a large role right away. The Jets selected Sadiq with one of their three first-round picks on Thursday night, making him the first and only tight end off the board on Day 1. The Jets weren't heavily mocked to take a tight end, given that they already had 2025 second-round pick Mason Taylor on the roster. However, the selection of Sadiq showcases New York's desire to build out a young core on offense, presumably in preparation for drafting and installing a rookie quarterback next year.

The Jets will pair Sadiq with Taylor, star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, and first-round receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in an offense led by quarterback Geno Smith this year. There are a lot of mouths to feed, and Smith isn't the most reliable passer, but Sadiq's talent alone will make him an intriguing fantasy option. After all, he had 51 catches, 560 yards, and eight touchdowns just last year at Oregon. He immediately ranks as the overall TE9 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty fantasy football rankings.

Eli Stowers, Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have selected Vanderbilt tight end prospect Eli Stowers with the 54th overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Stowers is just the second tight end selected so far this year, as well as the first to hear his name called on Day 2. There had been rumblings of the Vandy product being a first-round pick, but he ended up going near the middle of the second. The 23-year-old caught 111 passes for 1,407 yards and nine touchdowns over his final two seasons at school.

He'll offer the Eagles a long-term solution at the tight end position with Dallas Goedert slated to hit free agency (and widely expected to sign elsewhere) next offseason. Stowers might not have much redraft appeal as long as Goedert is healthy and on the team, but he could jump onto the weekly fantasy radar in 2027. Plus, he's an appealing dynasty option in this successful Eagles offense, ranking as the overall TE15 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty fantasy football rankings.

Oscar Delp, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints have selected University of Georgia tight end Oscar Delp with the 73rd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Delp played four seasons at Georgia, recording 20 receptions for 261 yards and a touchdown across 14 games as a senior in 2025. While Delp recorded just 70 receptions across 55 career games at Georgia, he's had his receiving opportunities limited by playing behind talented tight ends in Brock Bowers and Lawson Luckie.

Delp tested out as a high-level athlete for his position and is thought to have some upside as a three-down tight end. The Saints have veteran tight ends Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant currently at the top of their tight end depth chart, which will likely limit Delp's playing time as a rookie. Still, deep-league dynasty managers may want to consider taking a flyer on Delp.

Eli Raridon, New England Patriots

The New England Patriots selected Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon with the 95th overall pick late in the third round in the 2026 NFL draft on Friday evening. All four of Raridon's collegiate seasons came with the Fighting Irish, and he accumulated 48 catches for 623 yards and only three touchdowns in his 40 total games. The 22-year-old dealt with some knee injuries early in his collegiate career, but he was healthy in his junior and senior seasons and had 32 receptions for a career-high 482 yards in 12 games in 2025, although he didn't score a single touchdown.

At the very least, the 6-foot-6, 245-pounder will give young quarterback Drake Maye a big target in the passing attack next to Hunter Henry after Austin Hooper left in free agency this offseason. Raridon should enter his rookie season as the TE2 in New England behind Henry as the Pats look to get back to the Super Bowl. Raridon is developing as a pass-catcher. He won't be on the fantasy radar in redraft leagues unless Henry misses time with an injury.

Nate Boerkircher, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars have selected Texas A&M tight end prospect Nate Boerkircher with the 56th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This was the Jaguars' first selection of the draft, and they spent it on a tight end despite already having Brenton Strange on their roster. We shouldn't be too surprised by the addition, though, as pre-draft reporting indicated that the Jaguars wanted to come out of the draft with an impact tight end to complement Strange on offense. After four years with Nebraska, Boerkircher transferred to A&M for the 2025 season and ultimately tallied 19 catches, 198 yards, and three touchdowns.

Those are underwhelming receiving metrics, and while the Jaguars do plan to get him more involved in the passing game, he's a blocker first and foremost. He posted a 72.2 PFF grade in run blocking last season. Ranked as the consensus #162 prospect in the draft according to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, some might say this was a bit of a reach for Jaguars general manager James Gladstone. The fantasy rankings would tend to agree, as Boerkircher falls outside the top 85 tight ends in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings.

Max Klare, Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams have selected Ohio State tight end Max Klare with the 61st overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Klare played the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Purdue before transferring to Ohio State for his redshirt junior season.

Across 14 games with the Buckeyes in 2025, Klare recorded 43 receptions for 448 yards and two touchdowns. With Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, Davis Allen, and Klare, the Rams have one of the deepest tight end rooms in the NFL. While Los Angeles utilized two and three-tight end personnel at a very high rate in 2025, it will likely still be difficult for Klare to see much playing time or target volume as a rookie.

More Dynasty Fantasy Football Analysis