- Colston Loveland closed his rookie year like a top-five tight end: He drew at least nine targets in each of his final four games, including the playoffs, averaging 94 yards.
- Dalton Kincaid‘s problem has never been production: His 2.12 yards per route run over the past two seasons trails only George Kittle among tight ends.
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Several players have teased fantasy managers with breakout potential but haven't yet put everything together. That could change in 2026. These three tight ends are well-positioned for career-best seasons, making them excellent values at their current ADP.
The average draft position listed is a consensus from ESPN, Sleeper and Yahoo! for where the player is picked on average in a 12-team, redraft league.
Last updated: Wednesday, August 5
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears (ADP: 4.02)
Loveland was a rare tight end selected among the first 10 picks of the NFL Draft. He had a slow start to his career, recording 40 receiving yards or fewer in each of his first six games before breaking out for 118 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions against the Cincinnati Bengals.
He particularly excelled over the final four weeks, including the playoffs, drawing at least nine targets in each of those games while averaging 94 yards and scoring twice. He was also the only tight end with four 90-yard games on the year, postseason included, while Trey McBride had three and several others had two.
His strong playoff performance helped him to an 86.2 receiving grade, the best mark among tight ends with at least 75 targets. Loveland should be able to build off that 2025 momentum. Chicago moved on from two of its top four players in targets, DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus, and replaced them with Kalif Raymond, who will be 32 before the season, and third-round rookie Zavion Thomas. That should open the door for Loveland to see more consistent targets going forward.
Loveland has the upside to be the top overall tight end, given his talent, health and Ben Johnson‘s offense. But that production was largely concentrated over a two-month stretch, making him more likely to regress than Brock Bowers and McBride, who have shown more sustained success. That is the main reason he is not in the top tier of tight ends.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills (ADP: 9.07)
When healthy, Kincaid has performed like one of the NFL’s best receiving tight ends. Among tight ends with at least 400 routes run over the past two seasons, his 82.0 PFF receiving grade ranks sixth. His 2.12 yards per route run trails only George Kittle and sits ahead of Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. Kincaid also leads all qualifying tight ends in target rate (24.9%) while ranking second in yards after the catch per reception (6.6).
The issue has been availability. Kincaid suffered a collarbone injury in 2024 before tearing his PCL, an injury that continued to flare up throughout the 2025 season. He missed five games and played just 37.6% of offensive snaps on average across his 12 appearances. Notably, he eclipsed 14.0 PPR points in all three games in which he played more than 50% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps.
The Bills’ offense should remain largely intact entering 2026, outside the addition of DJ Moore. Moore is expected to become Buffalo’s primary outside receiver, though his presence should not prevent Kincaid from remaining Josh Allen’s preferred option over the middle of the field.
The injury history is concerning, but Kincaid arguably has the strongest quarterback situation among fantasy tight ends outside the elite tier. Alongside George Kittle and Mark Andrews, he is one of the few top-12 fantasy tight ends attached to a top-12 quarterback entering the season.
Ultimately, Kincaid’s fantasy outlook depends on whether he can finally manage the lingering effects of his PCL injury. If healthy, he has the talent and role to finish among the league’s top fantasy tight ends. Still, fantasy managers drafting him would be wise to pair him with a safer secondary option, given the durability concerns.
Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders (ADP: 13.12)
Okonkwo spent the last four seasons as the Tennessee Titans‘ lead receiving tight end. He posted a ridiculous 2.62 yards per route run as a rookie, the second-best mark for any tight end with at least 150 routes in the last four seasons. He's also been a top-20 tight end in PFF grade.
Okonkwo has averaged 1.46 yards per route run over the last four years, which is tied for 10th-best among tight ends with at least 1,000 routes. Where he's really stood out is his play after the catch. His 5.8 yards after the catch per catch are tied for third-best among tight ends, behind George Kittle and Jonnu Smith.
While he's been good enough on a per-route basis to be a high-end TE2, Okonkwo hasn't run enough routes, and he hasn't scored enough touchdowns. He's finished at TE21 each of the last three seasons. Okonkwo has scored only eight touchdowns in four seasons, in part because the Titans' offense hasn't reached the end zone as much as other teams. While Okonkwo sports the 19th-most routes for a tight end over the last four years, he’s run the 40th-most routes within the 5-yard line, and he’s garnered only two targets in those situations.
The Washington Commanders signed Okonkwo to a three-year, $27 million contract in free agency, investing more in him than any skill player outside of Terry McLaurin. He replaces Zach Ertz, who ended last season on injured reserve, while John Bates will be the primary blocking tight end, and Ben Sinnott is expected to take more of an H-back role. Ertz was TE7 as recently as 2024 in Washington's offense.
Expectations for Okonkwo will be higher than they were for Ertz at ages 34 and 35. Given the uncertainty at wide receiver outside of McLaurin, Okonkwo is the favorite to finish second on the team in targets. This gives him a solid floor, making him a low-end TE2.
His ability to turn into a TE1 will largely depend on the quality of the Commanders' offense in general. It's unlikely Okonkwo becomes a frequent target near the goal line, given his lighter size for a tight end, but a few more touchdowns than usual are a possibility.
Okonkwo is one of the ideal targets at tight end for someone who wants to focus entirely on running backs and wide receivers earlier in the draft and punt on the position.
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