Capitalizing on Rising Tight End Scoring in 2026

October 3, 2026

Nick Mariano explores a rising trend in tight end production in fantasy football throughout the first three weeks of the 2026 season. What this means for fantasy managers, as well as winning waiver adds and trades.

The 2026 NFL season has brought increased scoring from tight ends, which is something that many of you may not have internalized when making lineup decisions! Whether you're weighing up a buy/sell trade or waiver moves for your last flex spot, this is an important trend to understand. We all want to feel like we're reading where the ball is going and see a pattern, but it's still "just" three weeks.

Still, it would be irresponsible for us to stick our heads in the sand and not try to help you all stay abreast of the data. Perhaps some of you went robust at TE and are enjoying a "bully TE" build with some top dogs between the TE/Flex spots, but many are still underestimating the periphery. You'd look at me with crazy eyes in August if I suggested that your TE2 is outproducing your RB3, but here we are!

So, let's dig into it and pick apart what's going on across the league, and then we'll highlight some key names who deserve extra attention. And while the focus is on tight ends, there are undoubtedly ripple effects to note for running backs and wide receivers. As always, be sure to read our fantasy football articles and analysis -- our NFL team discusses lineup sleepers, busts, NFL players to start and sit, waiver-wire pickups, and so much more.

Tight End Scoring Entering Week 4

We came out of the gate hot, with three tight ends totaling 20 or more half-PPR points in Week 1, including 11 scoring in double figures and 17 scoring eight fantasy points or more. Last season brought us nearly the same rate of those last two marks, but without the top-end marks (no one topped 13 points).

In 2024, Isaiah Likely had that 21.6 fantasy point day in the opening game, but only three TEs scored more than 10.0 half-PPR points to open the week, with six eclipsing seven points in total.

And now, with three weeks of ‘26 in the books, we have 17 TEs above the nine-point-per-game mark. That group was only nine TEs at the same time last year, and comprised three TEs in ‘24.

So if the TE17 sits around that nine PPG mark, how does that compare to other positions? Kyle Monangai is currently the RB24 on a per-game basis at 9.8, and then there’s a gap to Rachaad White, Travis Etienne Jr., and TreVeyon Henderson tied at 8.5 PPG. And then there’s another full point to Tony Pollard at RB28 (7.5).

Even if you had perfect distribution of all top RBs across a 12-team league with 2 RB/1 FLEX, it would be better for many to have flexed a second TE rather than dip into the RB pool. That’s pretty wild!

Let’s go to the receivers. The nine PPG line is crossed after the WR32 Luther Burden III (9.3), with players like Emeka Egbuka (8.8), Josh Downs (8.5), and Terry McLaurin (8.4) rounding out the top 36.

Changes in NFL Tight End Usage This Season

While we’ve seen big-name TEs rise in recent years, teams have leaned more on 13 personnel (3-TE sets) this year, and there is also an uptick in teams splitting TEs out wide. But we all know that the position tends to thrive when the touchdowns are flowing in.

Per SumerSports, TEs have scored 53 TDs, compared to just 33 in ‘25. And though the 12-personnel rate has dipped from 23.8% to 21.1%, the 13-personnel rate has soared from 3.6% to 8.3% thus far. So the “multi-TE” rate has risen two percentage points, and in favor of even more TEs on the field at once. (Goodness, there were three more TE TDs on Thursday to kick off Week 4!)

Your initial question, and certainly one of mine, was whether that’s largely due to run-blocking assignments. Indeed, overall 2026 target share for TEs is down a tick, from 24% to 23.6%, but that TD stat begs the subsequent question of red-zone deployment. But the TE red-zone target share is also down (28.2% to 27.5%, catch rate nearly identical), so is it all chance?

You’re a sharp bunch, and know that there’s more to drill down on. Because the TE TD rate per reception is jumping, and surely that isn’t all coincidence! So, let’s move closer than the 20-yard line, since we know that most TEs aren’t consistently producing longer plays.

Lo and behold, if you go inside the 10, the TE target share is up to 31.7% from 25.8% in ‘24. Move inside the five, and it goes from 27% in ‘24 to 32.6% this year. Once again, we are looking at a small sample, but it helps explain how the scoring distribution may have changed.

As a separate note, teams are using more play-action out of the 12/13 personnel packages, as it’s up to 45.8% from 41.8% last year (38.7% in ‘24). And again, it’s early, but the RZ rate for play-action with 12/13 personnel sits at 20.1% from 16.6% and 17.5% in the last two respective seasons.

All of this might not make these other TEs into viable fantasy options, but they can siphon from those RB/WR and be responsible for lowering those outcomes. When you look up and see TDs to Nate Adkins, Foster Moreau, Matt Hibner, Austin Hooper, and so on, it naturally has an opportunity cost elsewhere.

And then you have teams covering losses at other positions as well. The Texans have seen a big jump in multiple-TE usage, going from 13.6% to 29.7%, which surely is tied to Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins being out.

Others have playcaller shifts, such as the Bills soaring to 52.7% from 16.1%! It’s the biggest rise by far, with the team clearly enjoying the versatility that a healthy Dalton Kincaid provides. The overarching point being that several avenues are being explored and widened across the league.

That doesn’t mean it’s a league-wide rising tide that lifts all TE ships, but the major fallers in 12/13 personnel are tethered to predictable situations. The Browns show the biggest dip, but they no longer have David Njoku alongside Harold Fannin Jr., while the Giants are No. 2 after the OC swap from Mike Kafka to Matt Nagy.

And of course, there’s no guarantee we don’t get juked hard by a regression to the mean of recent years. Within this small sample, TEs are also catching their valuable RZ targets at a much higher clip, with data through TNF of Week 4.

But three weeks is enough for us to perk up and raise some flags for you to consider the matter further. With that being said, let’s highlight a few recent TE risers to either add or trade for!

Notable Tight Ends to Add or Trade For

Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are also running a thin WR room and happy to let Waller operate out of the slot (53%) or out wide (26%). He’s converted on each of his end-zone targets thus far and could be heavily involved against Detroit’s vulnerable secondary in Week 4, especially if Jalen Coker is limited by a quad injury.

At 6-foot-6, Waller is a red-zone demon and now squares up with a Lions unit that has already allowed multiple TEs from each of their first three opponents to find paydirt. If you’re in shallower waters and are accustomed to thinking that your fringe RB is a cheap dart throw at a TD in your Flex spot, then consider Waller, eh?

Darren Waller with his SECOND TD of the game 😤

📺: FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/7l0FAG8guo

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 20, 2026

Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets

Sadiq missed the 2026 preseason after dealing with a setback tied to core/hernia surgery in May, which led us to expect a muted role at the outset of his rookie campaign. Indeed, he only logged snap rates of 42% and 36% in Weeks 1 and 2, which was behind Mason Taylor and roughly the same as Jeremy Ruckert.

But the stars aligned for Week 3’s date with Detroit’s generous defense, as Taylor (thumb) was out, as well as Adonai Mitchell (finger), and then Breece Hall (thigh) exited early. Sadiq would total 7-of-8 targets for 105 yards and a score, his first NFL receiving score following the jet sweep TD in Week 1. Alas, he did pick up a back injury, but a limited participation on Wednesday isn’t too frightful.

Even if we never see another 20-point effort in ‘26, he could take up a routinely prominent role, especially with the ground game ailing. The Oregon alum had a 51-560-8 line as a junior last year and was given a 99 Athleticism Score by the Next Gen Stats Draft Model. There are many others with higher floors, but the ceiling is tantalizing.

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams (& Terrance Ferguson if you have the IR space!)

The Rams dragged themselves through the Week 1 Australia debacle and have missed Puka Nacua (hip) in their two games since. Our preseason read that Ferguson would operate as a sort of wide receiver came to fruition with a 6-54-1 line on nine targets in Week 2, but then he hurt his ankle early in Week 3. With Colby Parkinson (shoulder) in and out, Higbee ascended into 11 targets (8-62-1).

It remains to be seen whether Higbee proving that he’s still got it winds up cannibalizing Ferguson’s role when healthy, but for now, we must speculate on the LAR TE role. Nacua is due back in Week 4 and logged a limited practice on Wednesday, but this stinks of a setback or lingering issue throughout the year. And we don’t need eight to 12 targets, as five to eight looks alongside Nacua is still valuable!

Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals

Gesicki has yet to register an inline route in 2026, registering a 14% split-wide rate and the other 86% from the slot. The only other TE with at least 20 routes run to sit with an inline route rate below 20% is Likely (5.4%). Andrei Iosivas landing on the injured reserve with a thumb ligament injury should give more fuel to the premium Gesicki usage.

Just look at how his seam from a bunch with Ja'Marr Chase leaves no one focused on him! That's four defenders eyeing Chase, leaving Gesicki to score with about five yards of separation:

Joe Burrow finds a WIDE OPEN Mike Gesicki for the TD 🏈@CINvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6uQMynVQ8n

— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

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