3 Fantasy Football Busts to Avoid: Tight Ends (2025)

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Fantasy Football Busts to Avoid

Fitz’s Tight End Busts

T.J. Hockenson missed seven games in 2024 while recovering from the devastating knee injury he sustained in December 2023. Upon his return, he had 41 catches for 455 yards in 10 games but didn’t score any touchdowns. Hockenson has been a trusted brand name at the TE position, but he’s entering his age-28 season and has missed 26 games over the last four seasons. Hockenson must share targets with Vikings WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and those targets will be coming from a quarterback who’s never started an NFL game, top 2023 Minnesota draft pick J.J. McCarthy. But as a proven performer playing for offensive mastermind Kevin O’Connell, Hockenson still profiles as a top-10 fantasy tight end.

His first seven NFL seasons were unremarkable, but Jonnu Smith authored a stunning fantasy breakout in Year 8, establishing career highs in targets (111), catches (88), receiving yards (884) and touchdowns (8). Smith finished TE4 in overall PPR fantasy scoring and TE5 in fantasy points per game. Smith went nuclear late in the season, averaging 6.9 catches and 67.1 yards per game from Week 11 on. He scored seven TDs in those eight games and was TE1 in PPR fantasy scoring over that stretch, averaging 18.6 points per game. But a trade in late June sent Smith to the Steelers, where he’ll share TE targets with Pat Freiermuth. That isn’t necessarily a fantasy death sentence, since Steelers OC Arthur Smith loves using his tight ends, and the Steelers don’t have much firepower. Still, it’s hard to see a path for Smith to remain a top-10 fantasy tight end.

Most people expected Penn State’s Tyler Warren to be the first tight end selected in this year’s draft, but the Bears took Colston Loveland 10th overall, while Warren went 14th to the Colts The 21-year-old Loveland is a talented young prospect who joins a Chicago offense that appears to be on the rise. Loveland will be playing for new Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who helped coax a TE1 overall finish out of rookie TE Sam LaPorta in Detroit in 2023. But Loveland faces stiff target competition in his rookie year, since the Bears have D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden at wide receiver, plus veteran TE Cole Kmet. For now, Loveland is a more appealing asset in dynasty leagues than in redraft leagues, since it seems unlikely he’ll make a major impact in his first NFL season.

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