Evan Tarracciano | Fri, May 22nd 2026, 7:00am EDT

5 Fantasy Football Busts to Avoid: Tight Ends (2026)

It feels like, nearly every fantasy football season for the last six or seven years, I was tasked with writing an article centered on the topic, “the tight end position is deeper than you think, and here is why.” In most cases? That was true.

Fantasy Football Tight Ends to Avoid

Tight end has long been a top-heavy position with an elite core of three or four players, followed by serviceable mid-tier starters for those willing to wait in drafts, rounded off by upside dart throws.

The number of mid-tier options has swelled of late (in 2026, we have seven players listed in our “Tier 3” fantasy football rankings), and all merit enough upside to be locked in weekly for standard-size leagues.

Having either Trey McBride or Brock Bowers on your team will offer managers peace of mind as they lie in bed at night. Each week, those two will see double-digit targets, ballooning their floor and providing a safety net to work with.

Rather than investing a high second-round selection at the position, tier two options like Tyler Warren and Sam LaPorta can be acquired later — in the fourth or fifth round, per average draft position (ADP) — and should still make managers feel comfortable.

After that, things get a little dicey. More teams than ever are beginning to revert back to 2-TE sets, and the amount of talent being brought in at the position is higher than ever.

As a quick reminder, during this year’s NFL Draft, nine tight ends were selected within the first three rounds, and I’d expect several of those to be involved early and often in their rookie season. Their presence will siphon away snaps and targets from the incumbent options ahead of them, muddying the waters even further.

With that said, let’s try to avoid some landmines this season, shall we? Here are five top-20 tight ends I’m willing to hit the “pass” button on in drafts.

Harold Fannin Jr. (TE – CLE)

Harold Fannin Jr. is currently going off the board as the TE5 in early offseason drafts, and for good reason. During his rookie season, he was one of the lone bright spots for Cleveland, catching 72 passes on 107 targets for 731 yards and six touchdowns, finishing as the overall TE6. Still just 21 years old and possessing a dominant athletic profile, what is not to like?

I’m telling folks to pump the brakes, here. Yes, Fannin was fantastic last year, but several variables have me cautious to draft him anywhere near his ADP. First and foremost, the Browns will have Deshaun Watson back under center to start Week 1, and Fannin has yet to establish a rapport with the veteran option.

Watson has been dreadful in each of the last two years he’s played, and will need to adjust to an entirely new offensive line himself. Second, Cleveland made a point of spending heavily in the draft to add receiving threats, namely wideouts KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.

Their presence on the field is sure to eat away at Fannin’s target share. Then you need to remember that Cleveland hired Todd Monken as their new head coach in the offseason, and he is known for being a run-heavy signal-caller.

The Browns will have a dynamic (and now healthy) duo of Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson to move the ball. I’d anticipate Fannin being on the receiving end of the occasional play-action pass, rather than featured as prominently as he was in 2025.

Mark Andrews (TE – BAL)

Wait a minute, Evan, shouldn’t Mark Andrews be viewed as a sleeper instead, now that Isaiah Likely is gone? Call me skeptical. After a strong TE5 finish in 2024, which was artificially inflated due to 11 touchdown receptions, Andrews came crashing back to Earth last year and wound up the TE16, on the heels of a 48/422/5 receiving line.

Now 30 years old, Andrews is several steps slower than he was in the past and has become overly reliant on red-zone production to carry his fantasy numbers each week.

Even after the departures of John Harbaugh and Todd Monken, it is difficult to envision a scenario in which the Ravens suddenly have a high-octane, pass-heavy offense under Jesse Minter, who was known as a defensive specialist during his time with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Even if Baltimore chose to lessen the workload for Derrick Henry and began passing more, I’d imagine that they would lean on Zay Flowers to pick up the slack, along with USC rookie Ja’Kobi Lane.

Lane offers quarterback Lamar Jackson a big-bodied target they have been missing in past seasons, and I think his presence will further erode any upside Andrews once had. I’m just unwilling to select a tight end who is so feast-or-famine, dependent on end-zone targets.

Oronde Gadsden II (TE – LAC)

Similar to Harold Fannin Jr. above, Oronde Gadsden II’s inclusion here isn’t an indictment due to a lack of talent – he is a player on an offense that brought in more mouths to feed during the offseason, and one in which he won’t be featured as prominently as his rookie season.

After a quiet start to his 2025 year, Gadsden really came into his own from Weeks 6-9, and caught the attention of managers who were sick of streaming the position and looking for upside. Injuries at the tackle positions forced the Chargers to become a quick-pass offense with Justin Herbert, a transition that benefited Gadsden.

Now, both Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are set to make their returns, and the Chargers brought in veterans Charlie Kolar (inked to a three-year, $24.3 million contract) and David Njoku to bolster the position. How much will Gadsden even see the field?

I’ve long been a proponent of “following the money” when it comes to how teams will operate. Los Angeles clearly has faith that Kolar has untapped potential worth exploring, and wasn’t satisfied with the status quo in the tight end room.

Gadsden has top-10 talent for sure, but I can’t envision a scenario (barring injuries) in which he will see enough targets to justify his current draft price. To quote Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, “for that reason, I’m out.”

Jake Ferguson (TE – DAL)

Jake Ferguson is currently being selected as a low-end starting option in most standard-size formats, but I’m more comfortable having him as a backup anchor TE2, as he simply doesn’t have enough upside to warrant that price in drafts.

Managers would be wise to remember Ferguson’s 2025 splits, both before and after the addition of wideout George Pickens. Early in the year, when he was the second read in this offense for Dallas, Ferguson had five top-five finishes in the first seven weeks of the season and was on pace to provide a strong return on investment for his managers.

Sadly, that all changed with the arrival of Pickens. During the 11 games when CeeDee Lamb and Pickens were on the field together, Ferguson averaged a bare-bones 7.3 fantasy points per game (PPG) and drifted into the “touchdown or bust” territory.

Dallas made it a point to address their defensive issues during the offseason, so one would assume the Cowboys wouldn’t be as reliant on the pass in 2026, which would further cap their upside.

Ferguson is simply a younger version of Mark Andrews from a fantasy perspective. Limited targets means that he will need to maximize his value on each touch, and if they aren’t coming in the red zone, what is he left with? Sure, an untimely injury to either alpha wideout could propel him back into TE1 discussion, but I’d rather not hang my hat on that happening.

George Kittle (TE – SF)

I want to be wrong about George Kittle, since he is such a fun player to root for, who has been a staple at the position since 2017. Kittle has been as solid as they come at tight end, finishing as a top-five option in six of the last eight seasons. The only times that he didn’t were due to injuries.

Entering his age-32 season, Kittle is still recovering from a torn Achilles, and the latest updates from head coach Kyle Shanahan in April indicated that the team thinks “he has a chance” to return for Week 1. Considering what he means to the team, I’d expect Kittle to begin the year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and slowly ease back into action as the season progresses.

If he isn’t his usual self for a full month (or more) of the season, it is difficult to pay full price for Kittle’s services during drafts. Backup options Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell have performed well in spot duties, so San Francisco really shouldn’t feel pressured to get Kittle out on the field before he is fully ready to go.

Managers are currently being rather dismissive of how large a torn Achilles heel is, taking Kittle within the top 100 picks as the TE9. I hate to say it, but Kittle’s best days are behind him, and I can’t endorse him as a top-10 pick at the position.

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