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Joey Pollizze shares an early look at the tight end position for the 2025 fantasy football season, giving insight into his favorite ADP values, breakouts, and bust candidates.
We are in the thick of the NFL offseason, and it has been a wild few weeks. Sam Darnold signed a massive $100.5 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks, Davante Adams signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams, and Deebo Samuel Sr. was traded to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round pick.
With all the crazy signings that have happened so far in free agency, now is a good time to look ahead to 2025 fantasy football drafts. Although you won't be drafting for a few more months, it's never too early to start visualizing where certain players might go in drafts. In this article, we will dive into the tight end landscape as we head closer to the 2025 NFL Draft.
So, who will be the best option at the tight end position next season? Who might be potential value picks? Who should fantasy managers avoid? Let's find out the answer to those questions.
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The Studs
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Brock Bowers will be the first tight end to go off the board in 2025 fantasy drafts. He is coming off arguably the greatest rookie tight end season in NFL history and just finished as the overall TE1 in fantasy in his first year.
Bowers averaged 15.5 PPR fantasy points per game behind a 112-catch, 1,194-yard, and five-touchdown campaign. Those strong numbers will likely make him a second-round pick in most fantasy leagues.
Brock Bowers TD! His 5th of the season
📺: #LACvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/p4dizJZbjo— NFL (@NFL) January 6, 2025
Bowers also got a quarterback upgrade this offseason after the Raiders traded for Geno Smith. Although Smith didn't really target his tight ends in Seattle, he didn't have a tight end like Bowers in any of those seasons. As a result, don't expect Las Vegas to go away from getting its best playmaker the ball in open space.
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride was allergic to getting into the end zone last season. McBride only caught two touchdown passes on his 111 catches. However, his high volume in the passing game made him a reliable TE1 option each week.
The former Colorado State product finished as the TE2 in PPR formats and averaged 15.6 PPR fantasy points, which was 0.1 PPR fantasy points per game more than Bowers.
Therefore, McBride will likely be the second tight end selected in 2025 fantasy football drafts. He saw 147 targets last year and scored above 17 PPR fantasy points in eight of 16 games. Given that this Cardinals offense will not look much different next season, the 25-year-old will be a strong fantasy option once again.
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
No tight end has been more consistent in fantasy than George Kittle in recent years. Kittle has finished as a top-5 fantasy tight end in four straight seasons, and the veteran just had one of his better fantasy campaigns in 2024. His 15.8 PPR fantasy points per game ranked first among all tight ends. Although he missed two games due to injury, he still finished as the TE3 in PPR formats.
So, it shouldn't be shocking that Kittle will be drafted early in 2025. With Samuel now with the Commanders, the eight-year veteran could see even more opportunities in the passing game. Both Bowers and McBride will likely have a higher ADP than the 49ers tight end in drafts next season, but the six-time Pro Bowler will continue to be a strong TE1 option.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
It was a tale of two seasons for Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta in 2024. In his first 10 games, LaPorta averaged just 8.5 PPR fantasy points and 39 receiving yards per game. At this point, the second-year tight end was almost a drop in fantasy.
However, things turned around for him in the second half of the year after he averaged 15 PPR fantasy points and 57 receiving yards per game over his last six contests.
That strong stretch to end the season should make LaPorta a top tight end pick in 2025. He definitely won't go high as he did last summer, but he could possibly go somewhere between the fifth and sixth rounds of drafts. Although offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left this offseason, the young tight end should still be a solid fantasy option in this Detroit offense.
Potential Value Picks
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith will likely not be one of the first six tight ends off the board. As a result, he could wind up being a sneaky value pick in the middle round of drafts. Smith finished as the TE4 in PPR formats last year and averaged 13.1 PPR fantasy points per game. He was also the best tight end option over the final two months of the season.
The Jonnu Smith signing was quietly one of the best of 2024.
Not only did he ball out but he was technically released by ATL so he didn't count against comp picks. Signing a different TE could have wiped out a comp pick from Robert Hunt, Christian Wilkins, or DeShon Elliott. pic.twitter.com/Phfnurs0ax
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) February 16, 2025
Smith averaged 18.6 PPR fantasy points across the final eight weeks and scored above 18 fantasy points in five of those eight games. Given that Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are still with the team, the 29-year-old playmaker will probably be undervalued in drafts next season. That makes him a potential value pick at the position.
Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
Tight end Evan Engram was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason and quickly signed with the Denver Broncos in free agency. The move to Denver could affect Engram's ADP heading into the 2025 fantasy football draft, especially coming off a subpar year. The veteran caught just 47 passes for 365 yards and one touchdown in nine games last season.
However, this landing spot with the Broncos is actually a solid one for him. Bo Nix averaged 6.7 yards per pass attempt in his rookie season, which ranked 30th among all quarterbacks, and the tight end's target depth (ADOT) was just 5.6 yards in 2024. That could make Engram a PPR monster in fantasy next year.
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson entered the 2024 season as a low-end TE1 option. He just finished as the TE9 in PPR formats in 2023, and many expected the young playmaker to break out even further in his third NFL season. Ferguson, though, was almost a non-factor in the passing game last year. He finished as the TE25 in PPR formats behind a 59-catch, 494-yard campaign.
As a result, Ferguson will likely be going later in fantasy drafts next season. However, he could be a value pick at the tight end position in 2025. He has a solid quarterback in Dak Prescott throwing to him and should remain a focal point in this Dallas offense. Given how much Prescott likes to check it down, a top-10 tight end finish is certainly not out of the cards for the 26-year-old.
Busts
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Even though Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was a solid fantasy option in 2024, he will fool some fantasy managers next season. His TE6 fantasy finish and 11.1 PPR fantasy point average both look extremely good on paper. Therefore, he will probably be selected as a top-6 fantasy tight end in 2025.
However, Andrews could be one of the bigger busts at the position next year. He caught a career-high 11 touchdown passes last season and couldn't even top 700 receiving yards in 17 games. That makes him a prime touchdown regression candidate in 2025. With Isaiah Likely also still in the picture, the seven-year veteran won't be worth a top-100 pick in drafts.
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
Most fantasy managers will be in on Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft next season. He just finished as the TE10 in PPR formats and totaled career-highs in catches (50), receiving yards (707), and touchdowns (seven).
So, we could see the former South Dakota State product get drafted as a low-end TE1 option in 2025. Nevertheless, Kraft's low fantasy ceiling could make him a bust at the position next year.
YESSIRRRRRRR!
Pro Bowl vote 🗳️: https://t.co/JsfUV5geTn pic.twitter.com/f5cheCBiLk
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 6, 2024
He only scored above 14 PPR fantasy points in three games last season and averaged just three catches for 41 yards across his last eight games in 2024. Now, the Packers tight end could prove me wrong and become a fantasy star in this offense. But given how much Jordan Love spreads the ball around, it might be tough to rely on Kraft in fantasy throughout the year.
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts deserves to be on this list because some fantasy managers out there will buy back into him this offseason. However, Pitts should be avoided at all costs in 2025. He only finished as the TE15 in PPR formats last season and scored under 10 PPR fantasy points in eight of the final nine weeks.
At this point, the Pitts experience is over. There's no reason fantasy managers should even be drafting as a backup tight end in 2025. He will likely find himself going somewhere between the TE16 and TE20 in drafts next year, but there will be better options to target at this point. The Falcons tight end has finished outside the top-12 at the position in three straight seasons.
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