- Tucker Kraft boasts historic after-the-catch efficiency: Before a knee injury ended his breakout season, Kraft averaged a phenomenal 14.7 PPR points per game while leading all qualifying tight ends with a PFF-record 10.8 yards after the catch per reception.
- Lingering injuries mask Dalton Kincaid's elite utilization: When healthy, Kincaid's underlying metrics rival the league's elite, producing a stellar 2.12 yards per route run and a premier 24.9% target rate as a favored over-the-middle weapon for Josh Allen.
- Isaiah Likely captures a high-volume opportunity in New York: Rejoining John Harbaugh via a lucrative $40 million free-agent deal, Likely steps into a target-depleted Giants offense under quarterback Jaxson Dart, who targeted tight ends on a high 23.9% of his passes last season.
Every fantasy football season features a clear group of tight ends capable of finishing as the overall TE1. Brock Bowers, George Kittle and Trey McBride have ranked among the top three in fantasy points per game in each of the past two seasons. Bowers and McBride are the favorites to do so again, while Kittle’s chances appear less certain following the Achilles injury he suffered in January.
The more intriguing question is who can join them.
The obvious candidates come from the 2025 draft class, which produced some of the best rookie tight end seasons in NFL history. Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren and Harold Fannin Jr. all sit in the second tier of fantasy tight ends, though each has a legitimate case to break into the elite tier.
This article instead focuses on tight ends being drafted outside that obvious top group — high-risk, high-reward options who could realistically finish as the overall TE1 if everything breaks right.
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
Kraft was one of the NFL’s most efficient tight ends in 2024. The problem was volume.
© 2026 PFF - all rights reserved.