Ellis Bryn Johnson | Thu, Aug 6th 2026, 7:21am EDT

5 Tight Ends to Target (2026 Fantasy Football)

Before the season, hundreds of analysts submit their positional rankings to FantasyPros, predicting where players will finish for fantasy at the end of the season. After the season (and a lot of math), they release whose rankings were the closest to what actually happened. I am incredibly grateful to say I had the second most accurate TE Draft Rankings in 2025. It’s draft season once again, so what better time to talk about positional rankings.

Last year, I made a point of trying not to over think the TE position. When only 60 points separated the TE2 and TE21, one extra touchdown or big game can drastically change where a player ends up. That said, players with consistent usage can plug their way into high finishes, even if they don’t have spike weeks. After reviewing my process from last year and analyzing my misses, here are my favourite TE picks to finish well above where they’re being drafted in 2026 (Half PPR).

Fantasy Football Tight End Targets

Below are four tight ends who could enter the top 10 at the position this season.

George Kittle (TE – SF)

There is no way around it, Achilles injuries can be a fantasy death sentence. There is also no denying that George Kittle is one of the best TEs in the league when healthy. As a result, we find ourselves in limbo with how to value Kittle heading into 2026.

Last season, Kittle was the TE3 in points per game. Unfortunately, he only played 11 games due to hamstring and ankle injuries. He then tore his Achilles in the playoff, but is reported to be on track to play in Week 1.

If Kittle does play in Week 1, that would be an incredible turn around. It’s most likely that regardless of when he starts, it will likely take him a few weeks to return to fantasy dominance. In the end, you may not be able to rely on him until Week 5 or 6.

Regardless of when he returns, the table is set for high volume. With Ricky Pearsall now missing the season with his PCL injury, it is rookie De’Zhaun Stribling and Christian Kirk behind Mike Evans. This should guarantee that Kittle will continue to see a decent target share all season. I would not draft Kittle on his own. However, I would be happy taking him at his current ADP of TE9 and pair him with a later TE like Chig Okonkwo. This would provide a decent floor option with the elite TE upside of Kittle.

Isaiah Likely (TE – NYG)

Over the years, we have started to create a Breakout TE Checklist. Shockingly, the recipe makes a lot of sense and should help us predict future breakouts. Spoiler alert: Isaiah Likely checks all the boxes.

Firstly, a breakout TE needs to be one of the top two targets on their team. For Likely, he has been praised in camp as Jaxson Dart’s go to target. This should lock him into the second option behind Malik Nabers.

Secondly, they need to be on a productive offense. As much as the Giants don’t seem like a strong offense, they are predicted to score the same amount as the Saints and Broncos in 2026. These are two teams that may not have top-five offenses, but they are two teams that fantasy managers aren’t worried about.

Thirdly, TEs need to have enough blocking ability to remain on the field for the majority of snaps. That said, they also need to have the receiving ability to be involved every week. Thankfully, Likely has both of these. Although his blocking ability lags behind his receiving ability, he is not a liability.

After 18 seasons in Baltimore, John Harbaugh made a point to bring Likely over with him. We have seen flashes of Likely on the Ravens, but now there isn’t Mark Andrews splitting the work. As a result, Likely is a great bet to finish well above his TE12 average draft position (ADP).

Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI)

Dallas Goedert was the original Isaiah Likely. Stuck behind Zach Ertz on the Eagles, fantasy managers were salivating at what the future could look like post-Ertz. Although Goedert has been solid for fantasy, his lack of production was fairly disappointing compared to expectations. That said, he has been a top 12 TE in every season since 2020, and had his highest finish (TE5) last season.

So why is last year’s TE5 being drafted as the TE15? Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. I am not saying he should be drafted as the TE5, but he has shown that anything outside of the TE12 makes him a value. Last season’s production was heavily inflated by his 11 touchdowns, tying Trey McBride for the most at the position. He is also connected to Jalen Hurts, who many doubt as a passer.

The other side of it is that the Eagles moved on from A.J. Brown this offseason. When one of Brown or DeVonta Smith has missed time in the past, Goedert has stepped up as the second option. Over 2024 and 2025, he has played five games without Brown. In those games, he has averaged 12.6 fantasy points. Last year, Tucker Kraft averaged the second most fantasy points per game at 12.7.

Even though they lost Brown, they added Makai Lemon in the first round of this year’s draft. They also brought in Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown. Neither Wicks or Hollywood are huge volume threats and Lemon is currently dealing with a hamstring issue. Lemon should be fine by the start of the season, but if he takes some time to hit the ground running, Goedert could have a surprisingly productive start to his season and perhaps longer.

Chig Okonkwo (TE – WAS)

Chig Okonkwo is the Diet Coke version of Isaiah Likely. Much like Likely, he checks a lot of the boxes for a breakout season. The only difference is that Chig has not shown as much as Likely so far in his career. He also didn’t have a heartbreaking toe out of bounds against the Chiefs in the season opener two years ago, making him less memorable.

Kind of like Gunner Helm this year, Chig was a sneaky sleeper entering his second season with the Titans. Instead, he never took a step forward and we saw more of the same. In each of his four seasons he has had between 450 and 560 yards, and one to three touchdowns. In three of his four seasons he had between 70 and 80 targets and 52 to 56 targets; that’s some incredibly consistent mediocre production.

This off season, he signed a three-year, 30 million dollar deal with Washington. The Commanders are desperate for a second pass catcher behind Terry McLaurin. They recently signed Stefon Diggs, who adds much needed depth to their WR room. This also means that the Brandon Aiyuk dream is likely over. Even with Diggs, it’s Chig and rookie slot receiver Antonio Williams rounding out this room. With Chig’s incredible athleticism and size, as well as the camp reports so far, he should carve out a decent role on this offense.

As long as Jayden Daniels can remain healthy, this should be a formidable offense. Entering his fifth season, this could be his breakout and worth his TE19 ADP.

Dalton Schultz (TE – HOU)

If you want to play a fun trivia game with your friends, ask them this question: Guess which TE had the sixth most targets, third most receptions, and sixth most yards in 2026? If they answer Dalton Schultz, you likely owe them a beer. That said, I would be surprised if many people would get that right; I know I wouldn’t have before I started researching the position.

The flip-side to those stats, is that he only managed to be the TE11 despite incredible volume. This was mainly due to the fact he only scored three times across the season. Still, Schultz proved to be CJ Stroud‘s safety blanket.

Being Stroud’s favourite blanket was especially valuable last year since they had one of the worst offensive lines in the league. This offseason, they have tried to address their line, but still project to be below league average. With a questionable O-line, we could see another high volume season for the veteran TE. It may not be the most appealing pick, but if this offense bounces back, Schultz could easily reach the endzone a couple more times. As a result, if you completely punt the position, drafting Schultz as the TE24 is not the worst option for an every week plug-and-play.

NFL

MLB

NBA

NHL