We still have the 2026 NFL Draft to look forward to, but a lot can change between now and the start of the fantasy football season. There’s never a bad time to look ahead for redraft leagues to start getting an idea of players to target and players to stay away from.
Below are three tight ends I’m passing on at their current average draft position (ADP).
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Fantasy Football Tight End Busts
Tyler Warren (TE – IND)
As much as this pains me to say, without knowing a full timeline for Daniel Jones, I worry about Tyler Warren’s production.
Jones was dealing with a fibula fracture, managed to play, but then tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14. It wouldn’t be surprising if Jones misses almost all of the season. The Colts did sign him to a two-year, $88 million deal, but most of the money is moved to 2027, with his cap hit under $20 million this upcoming season.
That suggests the Colts might view this upcoming season as something of a mulligan. In his place, the Colts will likely start Riley Leonard. While he performed well against the Houston Texans at the end of last season, I’m just not sure this will translate to production for Warren.
Without Jones on the field last season, Warren did lead the team in target share at 21.6%, but he caught just 17 of 33 targets for 120 yards and zero touchdowns. From Weeks 15 to 17, which were the fantasy playoffs, Warren was the TE25 in PPR leagues.
Yes, Michael Pittman Jr. is gone, and Leonard will have another full offseason, but at his current TE5 ADP, I’m passing on Warren.
Sam LaPorta (TE – DET)
With a current ADP of TE7, there are far too many questions surrounding Sam LaPorta. He’s coming off major back surgery, and those can get dicey real quick for a player who’s asked to run routes, catch, get tackled and block. From Week 1 to 10 before his injury, he was the TE8, though that data set does include a bye week. His average points per week were 11.9, which was good enough for TE9.
This is unfortunate because LaPorta will be entering into an offense under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals, who turned Trey McBride into one of the best tight ends in the sport.
The Lions have made some moves in the event LaPorta isn’t ready to go, such as signing Tyler Conklin, but they could also look for a tight end in the draft. Arye Pulli of New Orleans Saints on SI reported the team has shown interest in Utah tight end Dallen Bentley.
If we get news that LaPorta is ready to go, I’m open to changing my mind. However, as of now, we have more questions than answers regarding LaPorta.
Dalton Kincaid (TE – BUF)
Dalton Kincaid had some splash performances and averaged 10.8 points per game, which ranked 13th among all tight ends in PPR leagues. And, yes, he also did get injured.
Across the 10 games in which he recorded points (Weeks 1 to 5, Weeks 8 to 10, Weeks 14 and 15), he had a 15.6% target share and caught 36 passes for 523 yards and five touchdowns. He led the team in yards and touchdowns across those games.
The Bills also just traded a second-round pick for wide receiver DJ Moore, who will play quite a substantial role in their passing game. I’m also not sure I’d rule out the idea of them drafting more receiver help, depending on how the board falls.
Kincaid has dealt with numerous injuries over the years, including to his collarbone, PCL, oblique and hamstring. Kincad has too many red flags. I’d pass unless the value is better than TE9.
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