3 Tight Ends to Avoid (2025 Fantasy Football)

Drafting tight ends in fantasy football redraft leagues often feels like chasing ghosts. Outside the elite tier, managers are left sifting through volatile options with inconsistent usage and touchdown-dependent scoring.

While some mid-round targets offer upside, others are being drafted on name recognition or outdated roles. Here are three tight ends to avoid based on current FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR), projected usage, and redraft viability.

Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Tight Ends to Avoid

Travis Kelce (TE – KC): TE6 | 71st Overall

Travis Kelce remains one of the most recognizable names in fantasy football, but his draft cost in 2025 redraft leagues no longer reflects his on-field production. Despite a legacy of dominance, Kelce enters his age-35 season coming off the worst statistical campaign of his career.

Kelce posted just 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 2024, both career lows since becoming a full-time starter in 2014. His yards per catch dropped to 8.5, and his yards after the catch per reception ranked 40th among qualifying tight ends.

According to FantasyPros ECR, Kelce is currently being ranked as the TE6 in PPR formats, a spot that assumes elite weekly output. However, with Kansas City’s receiving corps now featuring Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Marquise Brown, Kelce’s production is likely to shrink.

Rice’s impending suspension will help Kelce’s target share at some point this season. Still, it may not be enough to offset concerns about age-related decline, defensive attention, and the Chiefs’ evolving offensive identity. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has increasingly spread the ball around, making Kelce’s weekly ceiling more volatile than in years past.

David Njoku (TE – CLE): TE8 | 82nd Overall

David Njoku enters the 2025 fantasy season ranked as TE8 in PPR formats, but his draft cost may be inflated by selective memory. While the Browns tight end flashed elite upside in stretches last season, his weekly reliability and surrounding circumstances suggest caution for redraft managers.

Njoku finished 2024 with 505 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 11 games, missing six contests due to knee and personal issues. He posted four games with double-digit targets, but was held to under 35 receiving yards in five other contests. His per-route efficiency lagged behind his volume, ranking 32nd among tight ends in first downs per route and yards per route run.

Njoku’s current ECR implies weekly TE1 confidence, but his production has been streaky and matchup-dependent. With veteran Joe Flacco, career-journeyman Kenny Pickett, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders competing for the starting quarterback position, Njoku’s path to consistent top-10 output is narrow.

While game script could tilt in Njoku’s favor, especially if the Browns trail early and often, he’s still a volatile fantasy play compared to the proven ceiling of Mark Andrews (TE9) and the breakout potential of rookies like Tyler Warren (TE12) and Colston Loveland (TE15).

Jake Ferguson (TE – DAL): ECR TE11 | 107th Overall

Jake Ferguson finished 2024 with 494 receiving yards and no touchdowns across 14 games, ranking 23rd in fantasy points per game among tight ends. Despite a substantial target share, second on the Cowboys behind CeeDee Lamb, Ferguson failed to reach 50 receiving yards in nine of his final 10 games. After Week 8, Ferguson didn’t see a red-zone target until Week 18.

Ferguson could see a rebound in fantasy relevance with Dak Prescott returning under center, especially after showing early-season chemistry with QB1. Prescott’s presence stabilizes the Cowboys’ passing game, and Ferguson’s role as a short-to-intermediate option could regain traction in Brian Schottenheimer’s scheme.

However, the arrival of George Pickens adds a vertical threat and a contested-catch specialist who may siphon targets in key situations. If Pickens commands a significant share of first-read looks, Ferguson’s path to consistent volume becomes murkier, making him more of a volatile TE2 with matchup-dependent upside than the TE1 he’s being drafted as.