It’s the offseason, which means it’s time for dynasty teams to re-tool before next season. There’s no better time than before the NFL Draft when value is still in flux. Below are a few tight ends that you should target in dynasty fantasy football leagues, whether it’s before or after the draft.
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Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: Tight Ends
Isaiah Likely (TE – NYG) | FantasyPros Dynasty Rank: TE12
If you need proof that Isaiah Likely is going to see a lot of targets in New York this season, just pull up the Over the Cap website. After signing with the New York Giants in free agency, Likely’s contract ranks fourth among tight ends in total value and sixth among tight ends in total guaranteed money. New Giants head coach John Harbaugh made it a point to sign Likely away from his previous employer to be part of a revamped Giants offense built around second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Which makes Likely’s current dynasty ranking of TE12 a bargain. He’s entering his age-26 season — the prime of his career —and is in line to be the second weapon in the New York passing game. For context, Theo Johnson finished the season with 45 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns to finish as a top-20 fantasy tight end. And that was with missing two games and a combination of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston starting a third of the season.
Likely will also have the benefit of Matt Nagy as his offensive coordinator. Nagy is most famously remembered for coordinating several years of the Chiefs’ offense, which centered around future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, with several TE1 fantasy seasons under his belt. That, plus the targets up for grabs this season after the departure of receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (140) and the 100 targets that Johnson and Daniel Bellinger split last year, makes Likely a hot commodity in dynasty leagues.
Even if you have to overpay a little to get him, having Likely as the TE1 on your dynasty team for the foreseeable future would be worth it, especially considering the veteran tight ends about to retire and leave a void at the top of dynasty fantasy football rankings.
Travis Kelce (TE – KC) | FantasyPros Dynasty Rank: TE24
At this stage of Travis Kelce’s career, you may wonder why he’s a trade target. The 36-year-old could retire at any point, which means his dynasty managers have to manage his roster spot on a year-to-year basis. However, Kelce’s production is still excellent (for a tight end) even if it represents a decline from his peak seasons. He probably won’t see 1,400 yards as he did in 2020, or even total another 1,000-yard season, but his stat line last season of 76/851/5 was still good for a top-five fantasy finish.
That’s why Kelce’s low ranking when it comes to dynasty tight ends is so confusing. Sure, he might only play one more season, and the risk of a decline increases exponentially every year he stays in the league. Yet, the relative cost to acquire a top-five or even top-10 tight would make it worth it. Consider why Kelce’s production ranks so high — there just isn’t a lot of viable options. There are several players ranked ahead of Kelce who have never had a season as impressive as Kelce’s last year, yet they are allegedly the better options in dynasty leagues.
And while there are a handful of rookie tight ends that will immediately jump Kelce when it comes to dynasty rankings, there are several veterans who have had time to match or exceed the production Kelce has had in any of his last 10+ seasons, but haven’t. Young players like Terrance Ferguson, Brenton Strange and AJ Barner, who have all failed to top even 600 yards in a season, are being asked to produce more in the short-term than Kelce and cost more doing it.
If your dynasty team has a hole at tight and is in win-now mode, there isn’t a better option than Kelce.
Gunnar Helm (TE – TEN) | FantasyPros Dynasty Rank: TE31
If you’re looking for value on the dynasty trade market, look no further than Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm. The 2025 fourth-round pick from Texas was one of the better late-round finds in the 2025 NFL Draft, starting 10 games and catching 44 balls for 357 yards and two touchdowns in the process. Even as a starter in just two-thirds of games, Helm turned in a TE3 fantasy season.
Helm has managed to parlay that impressive rookie season into an opportunity to really break out in his sophomore season. He’s the incumbent at tight end while the offense is welcoming a new coaching regime led by Robert Saleh. Even though Saleh had George Kittle as an offensive weapon, just look at what his tight ends did when he was head coach of the Jets. Tight end Tyler Conklin had the best seasons of his career during his tenure with the Jets. Over his last four seasons in New York, from 2022-2024, Conklin averaged 60 receptions for 588 yards and two touchdowns and was a low-end TE2.
Helm also has the benefit of having Brian Daboll, who was considered one of the best offensive play-callers on the market, as his offensive coordinator, which will only add to the signs that point to a solid fantasy season if Daboll can get the offense going.
Helm may not be an elite option, but he’s a good target if your roster is lacking a solid tight end option.