As always seems to be the case, the tight end position is in flux for fantasy football heading into 2026. Aside from Trey McBride‘s 252.9, no TE scored reached even 170 half-PPR points in 2025. Other theoretically elite fantasy tight ends either underperformed, missed time, or both. The fantasy tight end wasteland was as barren as ever. On the bright side, this lack of consistent top-tier options (McBride notwithstanding) opens up room for savvy drafters to find value.
Last season, Kyle Pitts (TE2) and Dallas Goedert (TE4) finished as top-five options at the tight end position despite both having ADPs outside the top-12 TEs and first 10 rounds of fantasy drafts. Today, our goal is to identify players who have a chance to follow in their footsteps. Without further ado, here are five TE2s with top-5 upside heading into the 2026 fantasy football season.
TE2s With Top-5 Potential (2026 Fantasy Football)
Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI) | ADP: TE13
In case you skipped the intro, Goedert pulled off this feat in 2025, finishing as the TE4 in half-PPR points from an ADP of TE13. Despite this impressive season, the veteran’s ADP hasn’t moved. Just like last year, Goedert is the TE13 in early Underdog Best Ball drafts (which I will be using for ADP data throughout the rest of this article). However, he has a chance to once again easily outperform that ranking.
There is one obvious reason to be skeptical of Goedert’s ability to go back-to-back as a top-five TE: A full 43% of his 2025 fantasy production came from his 11 receiving touchdowns, by far the highest share of any TE1. We know that TDs are usually high-variance from year to year, and Goedert may be especially likely to regress on that front with the Eagles having changed OCs — perhaps the only thing Kevin Patullo was good at was scheming up red zone TDs for his tight end. If Sean Mannion scales back that section of Philly’s playbook, a massive part of Goedert’s fantasy value will go up in smoke.
On the other hand, Patullo’s departure should lead to an increase in efficiency for the Eagles’ offense overall. Goedert could also see an uptick in target share if A.J. Brown is traded this offseason (although that possibility may be slightly overblown). Either of these changes could help offset a decrease in TDs for Goedert…or he might just stay hot and rack up TDs again. I wouldn’t bet on a repeat top-five finish for the 31-year-old, but it’s certainly within his range of outcomes. He’s once again a solid value TE just outside the top-12 options.
Kenyon Sadiq (TE – Rookie) | ADP: TE15
Since we’re looking for late-round upside, it just makes sense that this list includes at least one rookie. No one offers more variance — both good and bad — than first-year players. And this year, the top tight end prospect is Sadiq, coming off a productive season for the Oregon Ducks.
There are obvious green flags in Sadiq’s profile, most notably his all-but-guaranteed first-round draft capital and a speed/size combination that screams “matchup nightmare.” Tight end is traditionally thought of as a position where players take a while to make a fantasy impact, but that has changed in recent years. Harold Fannin Jr. and Tyler Warren both finished as fantasy TE1s last season, with Colston Loveland just missing out. Sam LaPorta was the TE1 overall in his debut 2023 season.
With that said, there’s a reason Sadiq’s ADP is this low even among the notoriously rookie-happy drafters on Underdog. He is not a Brock Bowers-level prospect, or even as highly thought of as Warren was last season. His top-five upside is offset by the downside of an unusable fantasy season if he lands in a crowded offense and/or isn’t able to earn a full-time role right away. Still, while we’re looking for upside, we can’t look past an athletic freak who won’t even be able to legally drink until two weeks from now.
Travis Kelce (TE – KC) | ADP: TE19
How about the fourth-most productive fantasy tight end of all time as a potential upside pick? Kelce’s ADP is currently depressed by the real risk that the 36-year-old will simply retire, but right now, he seems more likely to suit up than not. Additionally, despite clearly having lost a step or 20 since his prime, Kelce finished last season as the TE3 overall. Even without the rest of his Hall of Fame career, that merits him a spot on this list.
Volume is king in fantasy football, especially at a position where so few players command it. So, while he may not be explosive after the catch anymore, Taylor Swift’s fiance still racks up targets with the best of them. On a pass-heavy Kansas City offense, he ranked fourth among tight ends in total targets in 2025, as well as fifth in air yards.
Kelce’s outlook is clouded by the fact that Patrick Mahomes may miss the start of the 2026 season after tearing his ACL in December. However, I’m not betting against the two-time MVP, even in the rehab room. The return of OC Eric Bieniemy could also help restore some of the shine to a Chiefs offense that has seen better days.
Don’t get me wrong, Kelce is more likely to never play in the NFL again than he is to return to All-Pro form. Still, we don’t have to pay All-Pro prices to draft him, especially right now while his future is uncertain. One last vintage season at this ADP would easily make Kelce a league-winner.
AJ Barner (TE – SEA) | ADP: TE20
Did you know that AJ Barner received an All-Pro vote in 2025? That’s an overstatement of the second-year tight end’s impact, but he did have an impressive season. Barner ranked 12th among qualified tight ends in PFF Receiving Grade, finishing with six TDs and 519 yards on 52 receptions. He was also the Seahawks’ designated tush pusher (technically tush pushee, I guess), recording 14 yards and a TD on his 10 carries.
Barner does have competition as he isn’t even the highest-pedigree young TE on Seattle’s roster, with 2025 second-rounder Elijah Arroyo looming. However, if he can hold off Arroyo to be the Seahawks’ top tight end, his upside is sneaky high. The reigning Super Bowl champions are lacking a number-two option behind reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who served as essentially their entire passing offense in 2025. Perhaps their new OC, former 49ers tight end coach Brian Fleury, will turn to Barner, who is also a solid blocker in the run game a la George Kittle (okay, this one is a bit of a stretch).
At the end of the day, Barner is young, coming off a solid season, and on an excellent offense without a clear second target. We may have to squint a bit to get the rest of his profile to say “top-five tight end,” but those factors can go a long way. Especially if he maintains his short-yardage rushing role and happens to score a few extra TDs, Barner has a shot to be this year’s breakout fantasy TE.
Terrance Ferguson (TE – LAR) | ADP: TE26
The upside case for Ferguson is incredibly exciting. In 2025, Rams tight ends combined to score 264.3 half-PPR points. That was more than any individual TE, Trey McBride included, and second to only McBride’s Cardinals in total team points. Obviously, Ferguson won’t consolidate all of those points, but it won’t be too shocking if the Rams choose to lean more heavily on the young second-round pick with elite athleticism (94th percentile burst and a 4.63 40-yard dash at 6’5″) instead of a rotating cast of journeymen.
On the other hand, Ferguson is currently a long way from being a top target in Sean McVay’s offense. Tyler Higbee is a free agent, but that still leaves Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen on LA’s roster, both of whom outproduced Ferguson in his rookie year. Even with the Rams leading the league in three-TE sets by a massive margin, Ferguson’s 34% route participation rate ranked 44th at the position in 2025 (min. 10 games).
None of that is promising, and I haven’t even mentioned the Rams’ duo of elite receivers in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. The path to top-tier TE production normally relies on being one of your team’s top two targets in the passing game, and Ferguson’s chances of checking that box without help from an injury are essentially nil. Still, with an ADP outside the top 24 options, Ferguson is technically too cheap to even fit the parameters of this article (he’s a TE3 by ADP, not a TE2). The sophomore’s upside is massive compared to the options around him, even if the likelihood he hits his ceiling is very slim.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.