The tight end position is often overlooked in fantasy football conversations, but it’s still vitally important to nail your tight end picks on draft day. I’ve already talked a couple of times this offseason about tight ends I’m targeting in early 2026 fantasy football drafts, but for every undervalued player, there must be an overvalued player.
This article is about tight ends being selected too high, according to early fantasy football average draft position (ADP). Let’s dive in.
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Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Avoid
Dalton Kincaid (TE – BUF)
Dalton Kincaid is being selected as the TE11 in Underdog best ball drafts, my personal preferred ADP source at this time of year. And it’s possible to make a very convincing argument for him at that price.
After all, we’re talking about a young, recent first-rounder on an elite offense. In 2025, Kincaid ranked first among eligible tight ends (minimum 100 routes) in targets per route run (27%) and yards per route run (3.19). That second number was so elite that it actually ranked third among all pass-catchers, trailing only Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Bills picked up Kincaid’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason, a good sign they plan to continue using him.
So what’s not to like here? The issue is that Kincaid simply can’t stay on the field for multiple reasons. In 2025, despite his position-leading per-route metrics, he finished as the TE18 in total half-PPR points and TE11 in points per game. He missed four games entirely with a knee injury, and never played a full-time role even in his healthy games. He peaked at just a 58% route share and a 55% snap share in his 12 outings, often hovering well below those marks.
It came out after the season that Kincaid reportedly played through a torn PCL, which almost certainly accounts for some of his limited usage. However, we shouldn’t overlook that even a 100% healthy Kincaid likely wouldn’t be a full-time tight end. His blocking is an issue, and he played just a third of his snaps in 2025 as an actual in-line tight end. Lining up out wide or in the slot is great for fantasy purposes (and it shows up in Kincaid’s per-route numbers), but it’s not great if those are the only snaps your fantasy tight end is seeing — that’s Mike Gesicki territory.
Even putting aside role questions, Kincaid is reportedly not having surgery on that torn PCL, which sounds like it isn’t going away as a problem. Both Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Joe Brady have already mentioned that Kincaid’s health may have to be managed throughout the upcoming season. Their words weren’t as pessimistic as some reports have made them sound, but undeniably a bad sign that Kincaid’s knee is already a topic of discussion in April, when every player is normally “in the best shape of his life.”
At the end of the day, my issue with Kincaid is one of upside. Could he ride his elite per-route numbers to another backend TE1 finish, if not slightly higher with more health? Sure. But between his lack of blocking chops and what seem to be chronic knee issues, I don’t see him becoming a full-time player.
It’s essentially impossible to be an elite fantasy option in a part-time role. I would rather swing for the fences with a player like rookie Kenyon Sadiq (TE14 ADP) or just take a cheaper (and safer) backend TE1 type like Jake Ferguson (TE12 ADP) or Dallas Goedert (TE15 ADP) than pay up for Kincaid, who seems to have priced-in upside that isn’t likely to materialize.
Isaiah Likely (TE – NYG)
I made the full case against Likely from a dynasty perspective just a week or so ago, so I’ll keep this one relatively short and redraft-focused. The Giants’ offense isn’t likely (no pun intended) to be particularly good in 2026. Although being signed by his former coach to a solid contract is certainly a good sign, Likely isn’t guaranteed to be New York’s No. 1 TE, nor is he guaranteed to be a full-time player even if he is. He has some of the same potential role concerns as Kincaid, with just 27% of his 2025 snaps coming as a traditional in-line tight end.
More importantly, I’m just not convinced that Likely is actually a difference-making talent. Despite playing mostly slot and out-wide snaps on a Lamar Jackson-led offense, he ranked below average among tight ends in both yards and targets per route last season. He also apparently looked even worse than his stats, as Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded him 42nd out of 47 qualified tight ends in receiving grade.
To be fair, Likely’s current ADP of TE16 on Underdog isn’t too steep. But, again, similarly to Dalton Kincaid, that ADP is inflated by the promise of upside that isn’t actually all that real. As a receiving-first No. 1 TE on a non-elite offense, Likely’s median outcome is similar to Juwan Johnson (TE19 ADP) and Dalton Schultz (TE24 ADP). And he hasn’t shown the talent to indicate that he can elevate his production beyond his situation. Let someone else chase the breakout with Likely in the middle or late rounds of your draft.
Colston Loveland (TE – CHI)
Colston Loveland’s rookie season was undeniably awesome. He started understandably slowly as a 21-year-old rookie, but eventually emerged as a real threat in the Bears’ offense down the stretch. From Week 9 onward, he was the TE2 in total half-PPR points and the TE5 in points per game. That’s not even counting his awesome performances in Chicago’s two playoff games, in which he averaged six receptions and 96.5 yards on a whopping 12.5 targets.
On the advanced stats side, Loveland ranked fourth in PFF receiving grade, fourth in targets per route and sixth in yards per route. It’s obvious that he has talent and will be a fantasy stud for years to come.
But with that said, I’m not sure I can get on board with him being the clear TE3 by ADP, over 20 spots clear of fellow sophomore Tyler Warren at TE4. To be a truly difference-making fantasy tight end, a player must be one of their team’s top two targets. And, unlike the names around him, that’s not guaranteed for Loveland.
Even with DJ Moore traded away this offseason, Loveland has to compete with two other very talented young players in Rome Odunze (the ninth overall pick in 2024, who was off to a hot start in 2025 before an injury slowed him down) and Luther Burden III (whose eye-popping advanced metrics as a rookie matched his exciting prospect profile). There’s a very real chance Ben Johnson makes these two young wideouts his top options in the passing game, leaving Loveland as the third wheel. This might not be a huge issue in best ball, but it would lead to frustrating inconsistencies for traditional redraft managers.
Could Loveland beat out one (or both) of Odunze or Burden to be a go-to target for Caleb Williams and a reliable fantasy option? Absolutely. I’m not suggesting he’s massively overpriced, or even that he should move below Warren (or anyone else) to no longer be the TE3.
But with an ADP inside the fourth round, Loveland is being selected ahead of some excellent fantasy options, from Mike Evans to Lamar Jackson. He’s in a weird no-man’s land between the truly elite options of Trey McBride and Brock Bowers and the next tier of great but not elite TE1s. And his range of outcomes is closer to the latter group than the former, so I’m out on him at this cost.
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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.
