Trey McBride Leads Early 2026 Tight End Fantasy Football Rankings
From elite options to potential value picks, see which TEs should be on your early 2026 fantasy radar.
It's time to wrap up my early 2026 fantasy football ranking series. We have the tight end position to cover here.
We have already gone over quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. Like we did for RBs and WRs, these rankings will have PPR leagues in mind.
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1. Trey McBride
McBride is the easy choice for the No. 1 tight end spot for 2026.
He was easily the No. 1 fantasy TE in 2025, and even with a murky quarterback situation in Arizona, McBride is clearly the best fantasy TE.
Across 17 games this season, he had 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with 126 receptions. Enough said.
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2. Brock Bowers
Bowers' 2025 season was derailed by injuries and poor quarterback play, but he's still my No. 2 fantasy TE, at least for now.
He tied for the second-most fantasy points among tight ends per game this season. Bowers produced 682 yards and seven touchdowns across 12 games.
Bowers will hopefully turn in a healthier 2026 season, and get better quarterback play (probably from Fernando Mendoza). Bowers could be right back atop the position if everything comes together and he stays healthy.
Loveland caught fire down the stretch for the Bears, and it sets him up really well for the 2026 season.
He totaled 711 yards and six touchdowns over 16 games this season. Loveland could be in store for a lot more in his sophomore season.
Loveland is probably going to go a lot earlier in fantasy drafts after his big finish to the 2025 season, so hopefully he doesn't go too early and lose some draft value in the process.
4. Tyler Warren
Warren was enjoying a pretty good rookie season until Daniel Jones was injured. Now with the Colts' quarterback situation up in the air, it hurts Warren's fantasy outlook for 2026.
He had 825 yards and five scores over 17 games as a rookie. I could see him doing more in 2026, especially if Indy gets a good quarterback locked in.
Warren could contend for the top fantasy TE spot, but is a safer pick to be in the top five, or close to it.
5. Tucker Kraft
Kraft was putting together a huge fantasy season when he suffered an ACL tear.
He hopefully won't miss too much of the 2026 season, and if he's cleared for week 1, Kraft would rank even higher for me than I have him listed now.
Kraft could be a sneaky-good draft value if his injury scares fantasy owners off of him a bit. I'll be really intrigued to see his average draft position for 2026.
Fannin had a good finish to his rookie season, and it sets him up pretty well for 2026.
He had 744 yards and seven scores over 16 games played. I think Fannin could end up being the Browns' top pass catcher, depending on who else is brought in this offseason.
The thing that holds him back a bit is his team's quarterback situation, and the team he's on in general.
7. Sam LaPorta
LaPorta was another tight end who had his 2025 cut short by an injury.
He only played in nine games, and produced 489 yards and three scores. LaPorta has struggled a bit since his big rookie season in 2023.
He will have another chance to bounce back in 2026, but his outlook could be improved or worsened by who the offense adds over the offseason. LaPorta could be a great value pick in the middle-to-later rounds.
Pitts pretty quietly delivered a top-five fantasy TE showing in 2025.
He accumulated 928 yards and five scores over 17 games, which was arguably his best season in his five-year career.
Pitts is a free agent, so depending on where he lands, his fantasy stock could rise or fall. I'd guess that it goes up from where I have him ranked today.
Ferguson had top-end fantasy stretches for parts of the 2025 season, but he ended up being inconsistent when you looked at the season as a whole.
Over 17 games, Ferguson had 601 yards and eight touchdowns. Even if his touchdowns decrease in the coming seasons, more yardage seems doable, and would help offset less scores.
A lot of his fantasy outlook will depend on how the Dallas offense looks as a whole, so it will be a waiting game to see how Ferguson is lined up for 2026.
10. Dallas Goedert
Goedert gets my final spot in my 2026 tight end rankings.
In 15 games, Goedert posted 591 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was a pretty good fantasy asset with that touchdown upside.
Goedert could change teams this offseason, but I can't imagine him climbing more than a spot or two depending on where he lands. I'd actually say he has a better chance to fall out of my top-10 rankings.
