Fantasy Football Tight Ends: Stats, Sleepers, and Surprises You Need to Know (Week 7)

October 22, 2026

Rob breaks down the fantasy football tight end landscape in 2026 by looking at snaps played, routes run, and targets earned to provide you with in-depth information about who to trust in Week 7.

We are quickly approaching the halfway mark of the fantasy football regular season, a good time to review key statistics to predict future tight end success. In this week's article, we'll look at several statistics from two angles: raw and per-snap.

Ultimately, the raw numbers matter most. If your favorite tight end averages the most fantasy points per route but runs a route on only 30% of the team's dropbacks, he shouldn't be any more likely to start, but that kind of elite efficiency offers upside and potential, which is intriguing and worth stashing.

This article will help us identify the best candidates to finish top-five this year, those who are overperforming, and the best tight ends to stash. For all players, we'll start at the beginning. Fantasy points come from catches. Catches come from targets. Targets come from routes.

Routes Run Per Game

1. Brock Bowers - 36.5
2. Trey McBride - 36.0
3. Sam LaPorta - 33.6
4. Isaiah Likely - 32.7
5. Cade Otton - 31.7
6. Tyler Warren - 31.0
7. Juwan Johnson - 28.8
8. Harold Fannin Jr. - 28.7
9. Colston Loveland - 28.0
10. Jake Ferguson - 27.8
11. Pat Freiermuth - 26.8
12. Michael Mayer - 26.5
13. Chig Okonkwo - 26.5
14. Tucker Kraft - 26.3
15. A.J. Barner - 26.3

This list includes many of fantasy's top tight ends this season. Bowers, McBride, LaPorta, Likely, and Warren are among the best fantasy football tight ends this year, and all five are in the top six. Loveland has recently come on strong with Caleb Williams' return, but Otton and Barner are also pretenders on this list.

Colston Loveland Gaining Momentum After Big Performance https://t.co/RqBS0lSGCp

— RotoBaller (@RotoBaller) October 22, 2026

As we go through more stats, you'll want to see which tight ends keep showing up on most of them. Those are the ones we want to target. I can tell you right now, get used to seeing Mayer on a number of these lists. He's being written off as the Raiders' No. 2 tight end, but Bowers is ultimately their slot receiver, and Bowers is their traditional in-line tight end.

If you're looking for two potential buy-low options, Kraft and Okonkwo will be excellent for fantasy managers trying to solve their tight end woes as we continue through these stats.

Targets Per Game

1. Trey McBride - 10.3
2. Brock Bowers - 10.0
3. Isaiah Likely - 9.5
4. Tyler Warren - 7.2
5. Sam LaPorta - 6.6
6. Dalton Schultz - 6.3
7. Tucker Kraft - 6.2
8. George Kittle - 6.0
9. Dallas Goedert - 6.0
10. Brenton Strange - 5.5
11. Michael Mayer - 5.5
12. Mark Andrews - 5.5
13. Juwan Johnson - 5.3
14. Travis Kelce - 5.2
15. T.J. Hockenson - 5.2

Kittle shows up here with 6.0 targets per game. As has been throughout his career, he's insanely efficient with his opportunities. One could reasonably assume that at 32 and returning from a torn Achilles, he might've lost some of that efficiency, but you'd be wrong. The dude hasn't lost a step.

Kraft, once again, shows up in the top-15, this time cracking the top-10. Production hasn't quite caught up with utilization, but that's what makes him such a good buy-low. Okonkwo doesn't make the cut here; however, context is key. He was injured in Week 1 and on a snap count in his Week 4 return. In the last two weeks, however, he's had 13 targets, averaging 6.5 per game, which would rank sixth. Now, Terry McLaurin is out for the year.

There's Mayer again too! He's good, ladies and gentlemen, and he's not getting his flowers because he plays behind Bowers, but take notice: he deserves it. As you can see, some guys from the previous list fell off, including Otton, Barner, Fannin, and Ferguson. Loveland didn't make this cut, but you need to consider context with him, too.

In Week 2, the Bears played in heavy rain and wind, which hurt their passing game. Then Case Keenum started one game, and Tyson Bagent started a pair. In the first game of the season, Chicago rushed for an absolutely ridiculous 291 yards. No need to pass then! We have (mostly) the same five on top: Bowers, McBride, Likely, Warren, and LaPorta. These are the studs.

Yards Per Game

1. Brock Bowers - 95.5
2. Isaiah Likely - 63.8
3. Sam LaPorta - 63.2
4. Trey McBride - 60.2
5. Travis Kelce - 59.8
6. George Kittle - 56.2
7. Dalton Kincaid - 52.5
8. Brenton Strange - 46.5
9. Dalton Schultz - 46.2
10. Dallas Goedert -45.0
11. Michael Mayer - 44.3
12. Tyler Warren - 42.6
13. Tucker Kraft - 41.5
14. Juwan Johnson - 41.3
15. Tyler Higbee - 41.0

Kincaid makes his first appearance! He's showing up here, seventh in yards per game despite not being in the top-15 in routes and targets per game, which makes anyone wonder... why isn't he running more routes? Why isn't he getting more targets? Those would all be great questions. This isn't new for Kincaid, however.

In 2025, he was one of the most efficient tight ends; he just didn't play enough. Unfortunately, we're seeing similar concerns this season, which will keep him a boom-or-bust option.

The effort by Michael Mayer to stay in bounds 👏

BUFvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/SNB1LXE7Yp

— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026

Hey, look! Mayer's back in the top-15. I can assure you, you're not high enough on him. Once again, Bowers, Likely, McBride, and LaPorta lead the way here. Warren is much lower here, likely because his quarterback, Daniel Jones, is playing terribly. Don't expect that to improve.

#Lions TE Sam LaPorta on not getting a contract extension:

“It’s disappointing that you go out there every week and bear the risk of getting hurt. Like last year, I broke my f—ing back for the team. And then I’m going out there this year and I’m balling, and maybe they’re just not showing the love.

“I’m going to continue to do my thing and ball out, and in three months, if I don’t get to wear the Honolulu blue and play for the Lions anymore, it’s going to be all good. I’ll go get paid somewhere else. So whatever.”

(via @PardonMyTake)

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 21, 2026

As far as LaPorta goes, we're getting such a perfect storm here. The Detroit defense is awful. The offensive target tree is very consolidated. LaPorta is also playing with a chip on his shoulder, trying to earn a big contract. Don't expect LaPorta to slow down anytime soon. Based on that recent interview, this dude seems determined to make Detroit regret not giving him the contract he wants.

Half-PPR PPG Average

1. Brock Bowers - 17.3
2. Isaiah Likely - 15.0
3. Trey McBride - 13.1
4. George Kittle - 12.8
5. Sam LaPorta - 12.6
6. Tyler Warren - 11.0
7. Travis Kelce - 10.4
8. Dallas Goedert - 9.6
9. Mike Gesicki - 9.2
10. Juwan Johnson - 9.1
11. Pat Freiermuth - 8.8
12. Dalton Kincaid - 8.3
13. Michael Mayer - 7.8
14. Brenton Strange - 7.8
15. T.J. Hockenson - 7.5

Based on utilization, it's no surprise that Bowers, Likely, McBride, LaPorta, and Warren are in the top six. Kittle cracks the top five despite limited routes and targets. However, averaging 0.83 touchdowns per game can offset much of that. If this were any other player, he'd be a sell-high candidate. The utilization doesn't match the production, but this has been the story throughout Kittle's career.

Kraft is averaging 7.3 half-PPR PPG, making this the first time he hasn't made one of these lists. His expected half-PPR PPG is 9.53, a negative difference of 2.21, the worst among 56 tight ends with at least 50 routes run.

Kraft tore his ACL last season and may still be shaking off some rust and finding his footing. The more games he gets under his belt, the better he should get. That, along with Jordan Love playing like an MVP and the Packers being unable to run the football, makes him a fantastic buy-low candidate.

If you have to sell two players here, it's Gesicki and Hockenson. Their usage doesn't match their production. Hockenson had a monster game in Justin Jefferson's absence, and Gesicki has been on a touchdown hot streak despite limited usage.

Target Rate

1. Isaiah Likely - 29%
2. Trey McBride - 29%
3. T.J. Hockenson - 28%
4. Brock Bowers - 27%
5. George Kittle - 26%
6. Kenyon Sadiq - 26%
7. Dalton Schultz - 25%
8. Mark Andrews - 25%
9. Dallas Goedert - 25%
10. Foster Moreau - 25%
11. Dalton Kincaid - 24%
12. Brenton Strange - 24%
13. Tucker Kraft - 23%
14. Tyler Warren - 23%
15. Travis Kelce - 21%
16. Michael Mayer - 21%

This is based on 56 tight ends with at least 50 routes. Again, at the top, we see a lot of repeat elites: likely McBride, Bowers, and Kittle. Kincaid, Kraft, Warren, Kelce, and yes, Michael Mayer also sneak into the top-15. When we look at these efficiency stats, we're looking beyond the raw numbers for young players whose roles could expand, creating a breakout scenario.

On this list, there are really only two potential candidates. The first, Kenyon Sadiq. While he's earning a target at a high rate, he's only running 14.7 routes per game and has a route share of 42.9%. He would need to add 10 more routes per game for fantasy managers to take him seriously as a potential asset. The potential is there, but with the Jets' pass-catchers getting healthier, the true breakout is probably unlikely.

That's because Omar Cooper Jr. just had a big performance in his first game back. Mason Taylor is solid, and Adonai Mitchell is working his way back into the lineup. With alpha Garrett Wilson, the Jets suddenly have a lot of options in the passing game. Don't be surprised if Sadiq splashes every now and then, but his usage isn't consistent.

The second, Mayer. While Mayer is actually more half-PPR PPG with Bowers than he was in the first two games without Bowers, Mayer could become a league-winner if Bowers misses any more time. He would likely become the Raiders' No. 1 target earner. He's already pacing for 94 targets, 80 receptions, and 753 yards, so one could argue, on some level, the breakout is already underway.

Yards Per Route Run

1. Brock Bowers - 2.62
2. Dalton Kincaid - 2.56
3. George Kittle - 2.44
4. Travis Kelce - 2.43
5. Elijah Higgins - 2.25
6. T.J. Hockenson  - 2.20
7. Brenton Strange - 2.02
8. Eli Raridon - 2.00
9. Isaiah Likely - 1.95
10. Sam LaPorta - 1.88
11. Dallas Goedert - 1.88
12. Noah Gray - 1.84
13. Dalton Schultz - 1.83
14. Kenyon Sadiq - 1.80
15. Trey McBride - 1.67
16. Michael Mayer - 1.67

There's Kincaid again! All this dude does is produce when given targets and volume, which begs the question: doesn't it happen more often and more consistently? Last year, you could argue injuries were the issue, but this year, Kincaid has been healthy all year. Buffalo has a lot of "nice" players, but no real difference-makers, at least not in the passing game.

Maybe D.J. Moore could be one, but he's been hurt. Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer... yeah, they're all fine, but none of them should keep Kincaid from getting his piece of the pie. Kincaid is sixth in first-read target share at 21.2%, so it looks like they're trying to do that.

Part of the problem might be Josh Allen's tendency to extend plays and play off-script. When that happens, first- and second-read reads go out the window, and it becomes a scramble drill: who can get open fastest. This play style creates more volatility, and we see it in Kincaid's targets per game.

However, despite the boom-or-bust nature of Kincaid's game, it's hard to ignore a player tied to arguably the league's best quarterback, the No. 1 scoring offense, and one of the most efficient and effective players at each position. Sure, we'd love it if he got more routes and more targets on a consistent basis, but Kincaid is a threat to finish top-five every week, which is something that can't be said about a lot of players.

Bonus - Is Kyle Pitts Back?!

From Weeks 1-3, Pitts scored 3.0 half-PPR points total. It's hard to imagine a worse runout for him. Tua Tagovailoa got the start with Michael Penix Jr. still not healthy enough to start. Tagovailoa struggled immensely, but that wasn't the only reason Pitts didn't produce. His playing time and route share were way down compared to last year.

However, in the last three weeks, Pitts has begun to show some life. In fact, since Week 4, Pitts is the TE4 averaging 13.1 half-PPR PPG. He's overperformed based on his utilization; however, it's still great to see him get involved and be productive with his opportunities. His expected half-PPR PPG over the last three weeks is 8.4, ranking 16th.

Pitts has scored three touchdowns in the last three weeks, which is a big reason his PPG has jumped. During this time, he's averaging 1.67 red zone targets, which is the fifth-most among tight ends. However, he's averaging just 0.33 end zone targets per game during his hot streak, tying him for 24th.

Looking at the splits from Weeks 1-3 and Weeks 4-6, you can see Pitts is being targeted more, but his opportunities haven't changed much. Even during this hot streak, Pitts is just 25th in route share and 27th in routes per game. While the production is great to see, it's concerning that it isn't correlated with more routes. That begs the question of whether this is really sustainable.

Prior to 2026, Pitts has registered a 21% target rate across 78 career games. Over the last three games, that number currently sits at 26%. Based on the 20.3 routes he's run over the past three weeks, if he had earned a target at his career average rate, instead of averaging 5.3 targets per game, he would've averaged 4.2.

That doesn't sound like much, but given that he was already overperforming on his expected half-PPR PPG of 8.4 and his actual half-PPR PPG of 13.1, Pitts looks like a sell-high. No tight end has a bigger difference between their actual PPG and their expected PPG than Pitts, who is at +4.68.

The last three weeks have given Pitts life and returned much of the value he had going into this season. I would recommend using this window to sell high on him. His snap share, routes per game, and route share are all much lower than they were last year. His target rate suggests regression relative on his career average. He won't keep scoring a touchdown per game. Use this hot streak to get off this train if you can.

Week 7 Rankings

1. Brock Bowers
2. George Kittle
3. Trey McBride
4. Sam LaPorta
5. Isaiah Likely
6. Tucker Kraft
7. Colston Loveland
8. Dallas Goedert
9. Travis Kelce
10. Tyler Higbee
11. Juwan Johnson
12. Hunter Henry
13. Kyle Pitts
14. Michael Mayer
15. Pat Freiermuth
16. Mark Andrews
17. Harold Fannin
18. T.J. Hockenson
19. Colby Parkinson
20. Jake Ferguson
21. A.J. Barner
22. Darren Waller
23. Cade Otton
24. Mike Gesicki
25. Darnell Washington

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