Underdog best ball drafts for the 2026 fantasy football season opened earlier this month, and I already have 24 drafts under my belt. I’ve maxed The Little Board, a 20-max contest with a $3 entry. I’ve also picked four teams in The Big Board, a $10 contest with a max of 150 entries. The following players are on 17% or more of my rosters.
- Fantasy Football Research & Advice
- Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- 2026 NFL Mock Drafts
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Most-Rostered Best Ball Players: Feb 2026 (Fantasy Football)
Tight Ends
Among 53 tight ends with at least 150 routes in the regular season and playoffs last year, Dalton Kincaid ranked:
- 8th in air yards share (18.2%)
- 1st in targets per route run (0.27)
- 1st in yards per route run (3.04)
- 1st in first downs per route run (0.147)
- Tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (seven)
- 1st in half-PPR points per route run (0.60)
- 1st in expected half-PPR points per route run (0.46)
Kincaid had a third-year breakout, and his efficiency was off the charts. Unfortunately, he was only the TE8 in half-PPR points per game (9.6) because he was 35th in route participation rate (45.7%).
Did Joe Brady limit Kincaid’s route participation rate because of his shortcomings as a blocker, his preference to mix in Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes or because Kincaid was managing a PCL injury in his knee most of the season? It’s probably some mix of all of those factors.
Kincaid opted for rest and rehab instead of surgery for his knee issue after the 2024 season, and he’s taking the same route this offseason, which is somewhat scary. At the same time, I’m not a doctor.
If Kincaid was advised to rest and rehab it again, he could see a natural surge in route participation by staying healthier this year. Either way, he’s an affordable stacking option with Josh Allen and an enticing upside swing at tight end after the 100th pick in Underdog drafts.
Travis Kelce was buried in the Underdog rankings when the contests first opened for 2026. Gamers were concerned about him retiring. I wasn’t as concerned as my competition, and Kelce’s ADP has significantly climbed as drafters feel more comfortable with him returning in 2026.
Kelce expressed excitement about the Chiefs bringing back Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator. Andy Reid said he’s communicated with Kelce. The veteran tight end could still hang up his cleats, but reading the tea leaves suggests he’ll be back in 2026.
Kelce isn’t the stud he once was, but he was still useful in fantasy football. In Patrick Mahomes‘ 15 starts last year, Kelce was the TE6 in half-PPR points per game (10.4). Rashee Rice is once again in the news for disgusting reasons. His ex-girlfriend filed a lawsuit in Texas alleging Rice repeatedly assaulted her from 2023 to 2025.
Kansas City already needs more talent at wide receiver, and a suspension for Rice could open up more opportunities for Kelce if the veteran tight end keeps playing.
Trey McBride and Brock Bowers are studs. They both have second-round ADPs. I love grabbing one of McBride, Bowers or Allen at quarterback, and I have paired Bowers with Allen twice. Getting at least one stud at one of the onesie positions creates flexibility for roster structure later in drafts.
Terrance Ferguson has some Kincaid to his game. He had only a 35.1% route participation rate as a rookie because he was in a crowded tight end room with Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen. Higbee is a free agent, and Parkinson is a candidate for a cut or restructuring.
Still, Sean McVay regularly used multiple tight ends, and removing Higbee from the mix could be massively beneficial for Ferguson’s route participation rate in his sophomore campaign. Ferguson’s 17.9-yard aDOT was 8.1 yards deeper than the second-highest mark among 53 tight ends with at least 150 routes in the regular season and playoffs last year.
Ferguson is a field-stretcher but also has red-zone prowess. Ferguson had only 31 targets in 15 games, and eight (25.8%) were in the end zone. Ferguson scored three touchdowns. He was tied for 18th among 53 tight ends with at least 150 routes in expected half-PPR points per route run (0.37). Ferguson is a breakout candidate in 2026.
The Ravens extended Mark Andrews during the 2025 season, and Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar are both set to hit free agency. No one will confuse Andrews for an asset as a blocker.
However, Andrews can benefit from running more routes if another organization prys Likely away from the Ravens in free agency. Andrews had a 62.9% route participation rate in 2025, and ticking that up into the 75% range could make him more than a touchdown-or-bust option. Additionally, Andrews has sneaky value as Baltimore’s tush-push player.
Eli Stowers might be a climber after the NFL Scouting Combine. He was 15th on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List this year. Feldman pointed out that Stowers tallied an 11’3″ broad jump, a 39-inch vertical and he reached a top speed of 21.43 miles per hour (mph).
Stowers could generate a massive relative athletic score (RAS). Moreover, among 34 FBS tight ends in this year’s draft class with at least 40 targets in 2025, Stowers was third in PFF’s receiving grade (85.3), tied for second in targets (85), second in receptions (62), first in receiving yards (769), first in yards per route run (2.55) and tied for ninth in receiving touchdowns (four).
Jonnu Smith is a cut candidate. According to Over the Cap, the Steelers can save $7 million with a $3.9 million dead cap hit if they cut him before June 1st. Smith was Pittsburgh’s least productive tight end after Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.
Freiermuth paced Steelers tight ends in route participation rate (51.1%), air yards share (11.6%), target share (9.6%), receptions (42; 2.3 per game), receiving yards (504; 28 per game), receiving touchdowns (four) and end-zone targets (four).
Smith had a 44.6% route participation rate, and Washington had a 33.5% route participation rate. Freiermuth and Washington will likely both move up in Underdog ADP if Smith is cut. Unless the Steelers want Smith to stick around and he agrees to take a pay cut, it would be shocking if they didn’t take advantage of the cap savings by dumping him.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
