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Who will finish as the #1 overall fantasy football tight end in 2026? Andy discusses six sneaky breakout tight end candidates to finish as TE1 in 2026.
The tight end position is often the most divisive among the fantasy football community. Some believe in the "early-round tight end" and have selected Travis Kelce near the 1-2 turn for the better part of the past half-decade. Others wait until the double-digit rounds and hope to strike gold with a high-floor veteran, or to play a game of musical chairs at the position on the waiver wire.
In 2025, managers saw the early-round believers take a victory lap as Trey McBride had one of the most dominant seasons by a tight end in league history and was the definition of a league winner. With the 2025 season behind us, it's time to look into our crystal ball and project next season's TE1.
However, a small disclaimer: we will not view McBride, the No. 2 and No. 3 options (per PPR points per game), Brock Bowers, or George Kittle as candidates. Instead, let's dig deeper and find the 2026 TE1. Be sure to also check out our top-six candidates for the RB1 and candidates for WR1 in 2026!
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Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
Despite sharing the No. 1 TE role with David Njoku for most of his debut season, Fannin turned in an impressive rookie season that saw him finish as the overall TE6 in PPR scoring. Going undrafted in most leagues, Fannin was the top "waiver-wire hero" at the position. Even with subpar QB play under center, Fannin was still making an impact.
In his NFL debut, Fannin caught seven of his nine targets for 64 yards. While he averaged 9.4 PPR points from Weeks 2 through 12, the Bowling Green product quickly found his footing down the stretch.
From Weeks 13 through 17, Fannin averaged a stellar 16.2 PPR points per game, which placed him third at the position, trailing only McBride's 20.1 PPR points per game and Kyle Pitts Sr.'s 19.1 PPR points per game. In this five-game stretch, Fannin began to form a connection with Shedeur Sanders as he drew 7.6 targets per game (third-most at the position) while punching in four touchdowns.
Njoku also missed three of these games, which helped raise Fannin's target share.
However, Fannin's outlook is much brighter heading into 2026. Earlier in the offseason, Njoku announced on his social media that he would not be returning to Cleveland and would instead test free agency. This leaves the third round selection as the team's clear TE1 and, more likely, the team's overall "WR1."
After a dominant 2024 season, Jerry Jeudy regressed heavily in 2025, catching only 50 passes for 602 yards and two scores. During this same five-game stretch, Jeudy saw only 4.8 targets per game and totaled a mere 38.0 yards per game.
Fannin has TE1 in his outcome as he nearly matched McBride over most of the second half. If the Browns opt not to bolster their WR room, it's wheels up for the second-year pass catcher.
Shedeur Sanders throws a 34-yard touchdown to Harold Fannin Jr.!
SFvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/V1WTdsoLm2
— NFL (@NFL) November 30, 2025
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
Kraft was a popular mid-round pick in 2025 drafts as he flashed enough upside in 2024 and was slated to operate as the team's clear TE1. Despite sharing time with Luke Musgrave in 2024, Kraft totaled 707 yards and seven touchdowns on just 50 receptions.
The 25-year-old lived up to breakout tag as he was producing as the overall TE1 for most of the first half. From Weeks 1 through 8, Kraft averaged an elite 16.2 PPR points per game. He tallied 67.0 yards per game while scoring six touchdowns.
His 16.2 PPR points per game placed him tied alongside McBride for the best at the position, and he did so on only 30 receptions, compared to McBride's 51. Kraft flashed elite YAC ability, catching six passes for greater than 20 yards and two for greater than 40. Most tight ends do not have that raw athletic profile, which makes Kraft a rare commodity at the position.
Tucker Kraft hauls in the Jordan Love heave for 59 yards!
GBvsPIT on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/r4k3jKtsRf— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2025
Unfortunately, the 25-year-old's breakout season was cut short in Week 9 when he suffered a torn ACL. Fortunately, the young tight end remains on track to not miss any time in 2026, and the team has already begun to explore extension talks with him, suggesting that they view him as a key piece of the offense for years to come.
With Romeo Doubs expected to test free agency, Kraft should once again slide in as the team's "1A/1B" WR1 alongside Christian Watson. If he looks like himself in training camp, a TE1 season is in play.
Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Like Kraft, Warren was also one of the popular mid-to-late-round TEs in 2025 drafts. The former Penn State standout looked like a draft-day bargain during the first half of the season, when he was operating as Daniel Jones' go-to target for the Colts, who appeared to be early-season Super Bowl contenders.
Over his first seven games in the pros, Warren averaged 14.5 PPR points per game and 6.4 targets per game. Throughout these seven games, Warren scored four touchdowns (three receiving) and saw nine targets from the 20-yard line. Among TEs, Warren was the TE3 during this stretch.
However, from Weeks 8 through 17, Warren would average just 8.8 PPR points per game and score only one total touchdown. Once Jones went down with a torn Achilles, his production plummeted even further and was borderline unstartable, as he totaled a mere 6.0 PPR points per game over his last four contests.
Despite this, with the Colts likely to re-sign Jones (a pending free agent), Warren should be in a great spot to return to his early-season level of production. Additionally, top wideout Alec Pierce could walk in free agency, opening up even more targets for the young tight end.
The former 14th overall pick was playing at an elite level in the first half and is well-positioned to take a step forward in Year 2. Warren posted an elite 2.26 Y/RR over his first seven games, which was right in line with Kraft's stellar 2.52 Y/RR.
Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons
When Kyle Pitts totaled over 1,000 yards in his rookie season, it appeared the sky was the limit for the budding star out of Florida. However, from 2022 through 2024, Pitts would frustrate fantasy managers on a weekly basis, averaging just 541.7 yards per season and scoring only nine total touchdowns.
Those who believed in the Year 5 resurgent season secured a high-end TE in the final rounds of your 2025 drafts. This past season, the former fourth-overall pick was the TE2 in PPR points and was one of just two players at the position to eclipse 200.0 PPR points. Pitts brought in a career-best 88 receptions for 928 yards (second-most in a single season) and punched in five scores, which was also a single-season high.
Similar to his rookie season, Pitts showed high upside as a downfield threat. He brought in 12 passes for greater than 20 yards and posted a 7.2 aDOT. Additionally, Pitts drew 49.8 air yards per game and drew 118 targets (targeted on 22.7% of his routes), the most of his career.
From Weeks 13 through 18, Pitts was nearly as dominant as McBride, as his 18.3 PPR points per game were just 0.7 behind McBride's total.
The only concern about Pitt's outlook is that he will likely test free agency this offseason. While a return to Atlanta would keep a TE1 finish in his range of outcomes, he could reach an entirely new level with improved QB play. Several teams with high projected cap space could use an impact player at tight end, like Washington, Seattle, and Denver.
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Another emerging tight end primed to compete for the TE1 crown in 2026 is Colston Loveland. Among the 2025 rookie class, there may not have been a player who improved his fantasy stock over the back half of the season more than Loveland.
The former 10th overall pick would average 14.3 PPR points over his last 10 games compared to the much lower 3.8 PPR points he would total over his first six games. During this stellar 10-game stretch, Loveland would emerge in a crowded pass-catching room, drawing 6.4 targets per game and tallying 59.7 yards per game with six total touchdowns.
Another look at the Caleb Williams to Colston Loveland go-ahead touchdown in the final minute. Incredible.
CHIvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/SSTJOWfdOr
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025
He would eclipse the 20.0 PPR point mark in three of these games and would only fall short of the double-digit mark in five of them. He would tally the fifth-most points at the position during this stretch and would show elite efficiency, totaling 13.7 YPR, the most among the top-12 scoring TEs.
In the postseason, Loveland continued to emerge as Caleb Williams's No. 1 option as he posted another 20.0+ PPR point effort in their Wild Card victory over the Packers. In this game, Loveland caught eight of his 15 targets for 137 yards. In the Divisional Round, Loveland would see double-digit targets once again (and for the fourth straight game), but would only bring in four of them for 56 yards.
The only "knock" on the Michigan standout's profile is his crowded wide receiver room. However, he was able to draw double-digit targets in each of his last four games and only improved as the season went on, which makes him a top candidate to finish as the TE1.
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
Rounding out our list will be a veteran option who will likely have the lowest ADP among this group in 2026 drafts.
It was a tale of two seasons for Ferguson: he looked like a league winner in the first half and was a lineup landmine down the stretch. From Weeks 1 through 9, Ferguson totaled 128.4 PPR points, which trailed McBride by only 1.2 total PPR points. Additionally, this stretch consisted of a 0.0 PPR point effort in Week 8. If Ferguson caught only one pass in that game, he would have been ahead of McBride heading into the final stretch.
Unfortunately, Ferguson took the backseat in the second half, averaging only 8.3 PPR points per game from Weeks 11 through 17, which pushed him down to the overall TE4 over the 17-week season.
Despite the underwhelming conclusion, there is reason to believe in Ferguson in 2026. The primary reason would be George Pickens' future with the Cowboys. Reports suggest that the Cowboys could entertain a "sign-and-trade with the young wideout, which would push Ferguson back into the No. 2 role in the offense, behind CeeDee Lamb.
The other reason why Ferguson is a sleeper pick is due to his usage in the red zone. Ferguson finished second in the position in red zone targets (23), trailing only McBride, which provides him with elite TD upside playing in a potent Dallas offense.
If Ferguson is sitting around the "low-end" TE1 range in 2026 drafts, select him with confidence as he should be in a great position to produce McBride-level numbers once again.
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