6 Tight Ends Fantasy Football Projections Hate (2026)

We ranked every tight end by projected season-long fantasy football points to build a “projection rank,” then compared that to each back’s actual expert consensus rank (ECR). These are the tight ends where the raw, points-based projection is significantly lower on the player than our experts’ rank.

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2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Tight Ends Projections Hate

Here are tight ends fantasy football projections hate for 2026.

Eli Stowers (PHI) — ECR: TE33 | Projection Rank: TE50 | Projected FPTS: 42.5 | Diff: -17

The Eagles took Eli Stowers in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft, 54th overall. Stowers won the John Mackey Award last year as the best tight end in college football, finishing his senior year at Vanderbilt with 62 catches for 769 yards and four touchdowns. Stowers had a 27% target rate last year and averaged an impressive 2.55 yards per route run. And like fellow rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq, Stowers is an athletic marvel. Stowers ran a 4.51 at the combine, and the former Texas state high school high-jump champion had a vertical jump of 451/2 inches. The 6-4, 239-pound Stowers might not be heavy enough to play as an in-line tight end, which could potentially limit his snaps. It’s hard to project big things for Stowers in his rookie year when his usage and role are uncertain, but his athleticism and college production suggest he’s capable of big things sooner or later.

Oronde Gadsden II (LAC) — ECR: TE20 | Projection Rank: TE28 | Projected FPTS: 96.7 | Diff: -8

Oronde Gadsden had an exciting four-game run last year as a rookie with 24 catches for 377 yards and 2 TDs from Week 6 to Week 9. He was TE1 in fantasy scoring over that stretch. Despite some dazzling flashes, Gadsden’s 2026 fantasy outlook is murky. The Chargers signed blocking TE Charlie Kolar in free agency and picked up former Browns TE David Njoku in May. The Chargers have also added fullback Alec Ingold, who was with new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel in Miami. With 49 catches for 664 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games as a rookie, Gadsden offers intriguing fantasy upside. But with two other quality tight ends on the roster, Gadsden should be no more than a later-round dart throw in 2026 drafts.

Chig Okonkwo (WAS) — ECR: TE18 | Projection Rank: TE26 | Projected FPTS: 99.6 | Diff: -8

The glass-half-full take on Chig Okonkwo‘s 2026 fantasy outlook is that a move from Tennessee to Washington could lead to a career-best fantasy performance. Okonkwo has dealt with some pretty shoddy quarterbacking over his four NFL seasons, and now he’ll be playing with QB Jayden Daniels in a Commanders offense that lacks proven pass-catching talent beyond WRs Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs. The glass-half-empty take is that if Okonkwo were going to pop as a potentially impactful fantasy TE, we would have seen more signs of an impending breakout by now. Even with the Titans thin on WR talent last season, Okonkwo could muster only a 14.9% target share, and his numbers weren’t substantially better than those of fourth-round rookie TE Gunnar Helm. Okonkwo has had 54, 52 and 56 receptions over the last three years, and he had a career-high 560 receiving yards in 2025, but he’s never scored more than three TDs in a season. Okonkwo is an intriguing sleeper at tight end, but it would be reckless to count on him as a fantasy starter.

Gunnar Helm (TEN) — ECR: TE24 | Projection Rank: TE31 | Projected FPTS: 87.0 | Diff: -7

Second-year man Gunnar Helm sits atop the Titans’ depth chart at tight end now that veteran Chig Okonkwo has moved on to Washington via free agency. A fourth-round pick out of the University Of Texas, Helm turned in a solid if unspectacular rookie season, catching 44 passes for 357 yards and two touchdown in an offense that struggled for much of the season. Helm caught 80% of his targets and averaged a respectable 1.45 yards per route run. Titans QB Cam Ward had a rough rookie season overall but played much better late in the season. If Ward can continue to make strides, Helm could become a fantasy-viable TE option in 2026.

Tucker Kraft (GB) — ECR: TE5 | Projection Rank: TE9 | Projected FPTS: 145.2 | Diff: -4

Tucker Kraft is coming back from an ACL tear and small meniscus tear that ended his 2025 season after eight games and torpedoed what was shaping up to be a monster season. After a breakout 2024 season in which he had 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns, Kraft was off to a torrid start last year, with 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns before getting hurt against the Panthers in Week 9. Kraft was TE2 in fantasy scoring behind only Trey McBride when he went down. If Kraft is fully healthy, he could produce big numbers in 2026. The Packers have parted ways with WRs Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, and they didn’t add any notable pass catchers in the offseason. Kraft averaged an astounding 2.33 yards per route run last season. He’s a beast after the catch who’s averaged 8.8 yards after catch per reception over his three-year career. Monitor the news on Kraft’s recovery and be prepared to pounce if he comes with an injury discount in 2026 fantasy drafts.

Dalton Kincaid (BUF) — ECR: TE11 | Projection Rank: TE14 | Projected FPTS: 131.7 | Diff: -3

Dalton Kincaid was wildly efficient in 2025, averaging 14.6 yards per catch, 11.7 yards per target, and 2.70 yards per route run. The problem was that he played only 12 games and 302 snaps. Kincaid had 39 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns. He was third in TE snaps on his own team last season behind Dawson Knox and rookie Jackson Hawes. The 26-year-old Kincaid lost games to hamstring and abdominal injuries last year. He’s also been dealing with a partially torn PCL in his left knee since late 2024. The injury won’t require surgery, but Bills GM Brandon Beane has said that Kincaid’s 2026 workload might have to be managed. It would be hard for Kincaid to improve upon his efficiency numbers, so he would probably need bigger snap counts to have a more impactful fantasy season in 2026. The outlook for that is murky, and if he plays limited snaps again this season and his efficiency numbers regress to career norms, Kincaid could disappoint. It’s best to regard him as a high-end TE2 for fantasy drafts.

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