3 Position Battles to Watch: Tight Ends (2026 Fantasy Football)

As July winds down and training camp approaches, we’ll hope to have more answers on lingering position battles for fantasy football, including at tight end.

Below, I’ll examine three teams that, heading into training camp and the preseason, have complicated tight end rooms and attempt to sort through what you should do from a fantasy football perspective. Let’s dive in.

Fantasy Football Tight End Position Battles to Watch

New York Jets: Mason Taylor vs. Kenyon Sadiq

The Jets selected Mason Taylor, the son of Jason Taylor, in the second round (No. 42 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft. In the 2026 NFL Draft, they took another tight end in Kenyon Sadiq (No. 16 overall).

With that, fantasy owners are probably wondering which of the two is the better tight end on a team that appears to have a loaded offense, featuring Breece Hall, Omar Cooper Jr., Adonai Mitchell and Garrett Wilson. Plus, they have aging veteran Geno Smith as their quarterback, who’s coming off a miserable season.

When Taylor was on the field last season, across 13 games, he had a target share north of 21%. From Weeks 1 to 10, when he played nine games, that target share was still a respectable 18.6% and second on the team.

Here’s the thing: Taylor and Sadiq are two different types of tight ends. Taylor is more of an inline tight end, and while Sadiq did some of that at Oregon, I think he’ll be used much more as an H-back in short-yardage situations.

Sadiq caught 51 passes for 560 yards and eight touchdowns in his final season at Oregon, and before that, he was seen as an athletic specimen, but it never really amounted to much on the field until the 2025-2026 season.

The real worry is whether Smith can support multiple targets, especially at tight end. It doesn’t seem likely. Sadiq adds a nice wrinkle to the offense, but he’s more of a dynasty stash for now. For redraft leagues, take your chances on Taylor. He showed promise last season and had a sizable target share for a rookie tight end.

2026 Fantasy Football Draft Kit

Los Angeles Rams: Colby Parkinson vs. Tyler Higbee vs. Terrance Ferguson vs. Max Klare

The Rams’ tight end room is chock-full of talent. Last season, Colby Parkinson led the position in target share at 9.6%, which was third on the team. That said, when Tyler Higbee was on the field (he played in just 10 games), his target share was just under 20%.

Now, though, they have two younger players in Terrance Ferguson (23 years old; drafted in the second round in 2025) and Max Klare (22 years old; drafted in the second round in 2026).

Parkinson is probably the safest option, but the upside of any of the four is capped until one emerges from the pack. Drafting Klare one year after Ferguson is a bit peculiar unless the Rams are hoping to have a new tight end duo after this season, with Parkinson’s deal expiring.

For now, though, it’s best to pass on all of them, but if forced to choose, Parkinson feels like the safest option.

Los Angeles Chargers: Oronde Gadsden II vs. David Njoku

The Chargers are looking at a tight end battle between Oronde Gadsden II and David Njoku. The team signed the 30-year-old Njoku to a one-year, $3 million deal; not exactly “must-start” money.

Last season, Njoku played in just 12 games due to injury. He had an 11.9% target share, which was third on the Cleveland Browns in that span, well behind Harold Fannin Jr. In Gadsden’s rookie season, he played 15 games and had a 12.7% target share, which was fourth on the team.

They both have to compete with Omarion Hampton, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris for target share. With Njoku on a one-year deal, he’ll be a nice backup option to Gadsden, who is the Chargers tight end you want. However, I don’t believe he’s a fantasy TE1.