July 27th, 2025
1. Trey McBride, ARI, Bye 8:McBride was the second best tight end in fantasy last year, despite scoring only three touchdowns. The amount of scores he gets will most likely go up, as it is rare for a tight end to have such a low total. In addition, he was quarterback Kyler Murray’s favorite target last year, catching the ball 111 times. If his touchdown rate goes up, he will be the best tight end in all of fantasy football.
2. Brock Bowers, LV, Bye 8:Bowers had an historic season last year, but now has to fight for targets because the Raiders drafted some players that will provide competition. However, he is one of the most talented tight ends in all of football, so he will get his fair share of targets since he is one of their best playmakers. Bowers also has a better quarterback in former Seahawk Geno Smith compared to last season, when he had a carousel of random quarterbacks throwing him the ball.
3. George Kittle, SF, Bye 14:Kittle would not be ranked as high this year compared to previous seasons. This is because the 49ers’ best players are either injured or injury-prone. They also traded wide receiver Deebo Samuel away to the Washington Commanders. All of these factors catapulted Kittle up the rankings, as he could possibly be their number one receiving option and plays in one of the most explosive offenses.
4. Sam LaPorta, DET, Bye 8:LaPorta is a top five tight end in the league, and also plays in a creative offense, which allows him and his teammates to flourish. Not only that, but he provides consistency in one of the thinnest positions in all of fantasy football.
5. T.J. Hockenson, MIN, Bye 6:It has been almost two years since Hockenson has torn his ACL. By now, he should be better and much more comfortable playing on the field. He also plays in what could be one of the most dangerous offenses in the entire league led by Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell. And even though Hockenson is playing with first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Hockenson still should be able to produce at a decent level because of how O’Connell simplifies the offense for his quarterbacks.
6. Evan Engram, DEN, Bye 12:Engram being listed as the sixth-best tight end in fantasy will be surprising to some people. However, he plays in an offense led by one of the best offensive minds in head coach Sean Payton. They will try to get him the ball, as he is the second-most proven pass catcher on the team. In addition, there are other players that are relatively inexperienced. There is one negative though, and it is that rookie running back RJ Harvey could usurp targets away from Engram, but that may take a while to happen, with this scenario occurring at earliest in the middle of the season.
7. Travis Kelce, KC, Bye 10:Kelce seemingly fell off a cliff statistically, but will still get a good amount of targets, as he is one of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ favorite receivers. This is despite Kelce being 35 years old. He may not be who he once was, but Kelce will be productive in PPR leagues at the tight end position because is a safety valve for Mahomes, resulting in a sufficient amount of catches.
8. Mark Andrews, BAL, Bye 7:Andrews was not as productive as many hoped he would be last year, and this is in part, because of the emergence of fellow Ravens’ tight end, Isaiah Likely. While Andrews will produce better stats than last year, it will not be to the level of previous seasons because of Likely stealing some targets away from Andrews this season. Still, Andrews will be a top ten tight end this season.
9. Tucker Kraft, GB, Bye 5:Kraft is a very sneaky pick this year, as he has a surprising, yet tremendous amount of potential that could help fantasy teams. The Green Bay Packers’ plan is to give the ball to him a lot. Whether this will come to fruition, no one knows, due to the fact that Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love has spread the ball out to various receivers in the past, with none of them being that “go to” guy. However, if Kraft does get the ball a lot, he could be a top three tight end in fantasy in a dynamic offense.
10. Dalton Kincaid, BUF, Bye 7:Kincaid is one of quarterback Josh Allen’s more experienced receivers, despite this only being Kincaid’s third season. This could signal an increase in production for the tight end, especially with the feared Josh Allen throwing him the ball. Year three is where players make a significant jump in their career in terms of production and that should be the case with Kincaid this year.
11. Hunter Henry, NE, Bye 14:He was one of Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye’s favorite targets last year. This should continue to be the case this year, as there are not many other top-tier receivers on the team, with the exception of wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Maye should continue to look his way due to their chemistry.
12. Dallas Goedert, PHI, Bye 9:Goedert plays in an explosive offense and he does get a good number of points for fantasy teams. However, there are many other players on the offense that are utilized much more than Goedert. This limits his upside, but if some of the aforementioned options could not play in a game for some reason, Goedert could be excellent.
13. Jake Ferguson, DAL, Bye 10:Ferguson is a consistent and stable presence for his quarterback, Dak Prescott, as he is his safety valve. This results in more catches for the tight end, therefore, helping fantasy teams. Overall, he has a very high floor but a low ceiling due to the other weapons around him.
14. Zach Ertz, WAS, Bye 9:Ertz was one of Commanders’ quarterback Jayden Daniels favorite options to go to when there was nowhere else for Daniels to throw the ball to. As Daniels’ security blanket, Ertz gets more points as expected, which is shocking due to his age (34 years-old). However, it still seems like he is holding off father time, and the fact that he is catching many passes increases his value in PPR leagues.
15. Isaiah Likely, BAL, Bye 7:Likely showed potential that many people did not expect out of him. He did great in some games, and if fellow tight end Mark Andrews was unable to play, Likely could emerge as one of the top weapons for the Ravens’ offense. He has a ridiculously high ceiling.
16. David Njoku, CLE, Bye 9:Njoku has great upside, but due to his injury history and his inconsistencies, he is a very volatile option. Also, Njoku’s production depends on who is playing quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, as he had excellent stats with some quarterbacks and did absolutely nothing with others. There are analysts that have him much higher, but he is too risky.
17. Kyle Pitts, ATL, Bye 5:Pitts has been very disappointing considering his lackluster stats for someone of his status (the Atlanta Falcons used the fourth overall pick in 2021). However, he has a new quarterback in Michael Penix Jr., who has a rocket for an arm. This could potentially make Pitts have his best year statistically due to the fact that he is playing with one of the most talented quarterbacks that he has ever played with.
18. Jonnu Smith, PIT, Bye 5:Jonnu Smith is reunited with offensive coordinator/former head coach Arthur Smith, which is good for Jonnu Smith. Arthur Smith used Jonnu Smith a lot when both of them were with the Atlanta Falcons, despite the presence of the ultra talented Kyle Pitts. It was confusing, but considering Arthur Smith seemingly drew up more plays for Jonnu Smith, this signals that he is the primary tight end, even with fellow tight end Pat Freiermuth still in the fold.
19. Elijah Arroyo, SEA, Bye 8:Arroyo is one of the top tight ends in Seattle now, as the Seahawks released tight end Noah Fant for salary cap reasons. Arroyo is worth the dart throw here, as Arroyo’s athleticism is top tier. Not only that, but maybe, he could become at most, a top three option in the offense, due to the lack of elite weapons around quarterback Sam Darnold.
20. Colston Loveland, CHI, Bye 5:Loveland is a rookie, who was selected with the Chicago Bears’ first round draft pick this year. This would signify a lot of usage, however, there are way too many weapons for the Chicago Bears to consider him a top ten tight end this year. Teammate Cole Kmet is also ahead of him on the tight end depth chart, so Loveland will not get a lot of immediate playing time. But if some of the players cannot stay on the field, he should be able to provide decent stats on a game-per-game basis.