When an NFL team has a superstar tight end like Brock Bowers or Trey McBride, they build their offense around that player. Unfortunately, not every team has a superstar tight end or even an above-average one. So, which offenses favor the tight end position and which don’t? Let’s look at how two teams that favor the tight end position and two that don’t, and the fantasy football impact of those offenses.
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Fantasy Football Tight End Outlook: Offenses That Favor or Hurt the Position
Let’s explore offenses that either benefit tight ends or those that tend to suppress tight end production.
Offenses That Favor Tight Ends
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach this offseason after spending the past six years in that role for the Cleveland Browns. Stefanski’s offense has always favored the tight end position, leading to multiple significant fantasy seasons for David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr. Cleveland consistently funneled targets to the tight end position with Stefanski on the sidelines. Last year, the Browns had the second-most tight end targets in the NFL (169), with Fannin totaling 107 and Njoku 48.
Not only does the No. 1 tight end see a high target volume in Stefanski’s offense, but the second tight end on the depth chart also sees meaningful work. Last year, Fannin’s 107 targets were the fifth-most among starting tight ends. Meanwhile, Njoku finished second among No. 2 tight ends with 48 targets. Cleveland ranked top six in total tight end targets every year with Stefanski coaching. Furthermore, their No. 1 tight end has finished top five in targets at the position for three consecutive seasons.
Meanwhile, Kyle Pitts finished last year as the TE2, averaging 12.4 PPR fantasy points per game. He also ranked second among tight ends in targets with 118. Pitts did see an uptick in targets per game with Drake London out of the lineup last season (8.8 vs. 6.2). However, his 6.2 targets per game average over a 17-game pace would have made him the seventh-highest targeted tight end (105) in 2025. Expect Stefanski to get Pitts closer to that 8.8 average this year.
Detroit Lions
You have to be living under a rock to not have heard by now that the Lions hired Drew Petzing as their new offensive coordinator this offseason. Petzing has spent the past three years with the Arizona Cardinals as their offensive coordinator, building an offense around Trey McBride. The superstar broke out in Petzing’s offense, finishing as the TE7 in 2023, TE2 in 2024, and TE1 last season in PPR scoring. Furthermore, Petzing made McBride the most targeted tight end in the NFL.
The former Colorado State star has 422 targets over the past three years, the most among tight ends, totaling 60 more than the next closest player. McBride’s 422 is third in the NFL over the past three seasons, ranking only behind Ja’Marr Chase (488) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (439). Furthermore, the superstar ranks second only to Chase (316) in targets over the past two years, totaling 316 since the start of the 2024 season.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that the Cardinals ranked in the top three in tight end targets all three years Petzing was the team’s offensive coordinator, which is excellent news for Sam LaPorta. After ranking fifth among tight ends with 120 targets as a rookie, LaPorta has only 132 targets over the past two seasons. While injuries played a role in his regression, the emergence of Jameson Williams limited his target upside. However, that will likely change in 2026 with Petzing’s coaching tendencies.
Offenses That Don’t Favor Tight Ends
Denver Broncos
Some might think Sean Payton loves to feature the tight end position after spending five years with Jimmy Graham in New Orleans. However, that hasn’t been the case since becoming the Broncos’ head coach. Payton took over as the head coach in 2023. During his three seasons in Denver, Payton hasn’t had a superstar tight end like Graham. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the Broncos are one of the lowest teams at targeting the tight end position.
Denver had only 62 tight end targets in 2023, with Adam Trautman totaling 35. The result was similar in 2024, as the Broncos had the third-fewest tight end targets with 72. Lucas Krull (23) and Trautman (22) barely made any impact in the team’s passing attack. Yet, many thought that would change after Denver signed Evan Engram in free agency last offseason. The Broncos finished last year with 114 tight end targets, ranking 19th in the NFL, as Engram had 76.
Unfortunately, that didn’t lead to fantasy success, as the veteran finished as the TE29, averaging 6.4 PPR fantasy points per game. Fantasy players should anticipate similar results in 2026, especially after Denver traded multiple draft picks to acquire Jaylen Waddle this offseason. Furthermore, Troy Franklin is coming off a career year, and the team added Jonah Coleman during the NFL Draft, further bolstering an already deep backfield. Expect little fantasy production out of the Broncos’ tight end unit for the foreseeable future.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans’ offense should take a step forward after struggling last season with Brian Daboll taking over as the offensive coordinator. Unfortunately, that’s not good news for the tight end position. Last year, Tennessee had 140 tight end targets, the eighth-most in the NFL. Chig Okonkwo led the way with 79, while Gunnar Helm wasn’t too far behind with 55. However, Okonkwo left in free agency, and Daboll brought blocking tight end Daniel Bellinger with him from New York.
More importantly, Daboll has never made the tight end position a critical part of his passing attack during his 3.5 years as the New York Giants’ head coach. The Giants had the seventh-fewest tight end targets last season (102) despite losing Malik Nabers to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. They had the fewest tight end targets in 2024 (64) and in 2022 (65). Furthermore, 19 tight ends had 65 or more targets in 2022, including Robert Tonyan (67).
New York traded for Darren Waller ahead of the 2023 season. While Waller’s inability to stay healthy played a role, the Giants still only ranked 19th in tight end targets that year because of Daboll’s offense. Unfortunately, that’s bad news for anyone betting on a second-year breakout for Helm. More importantly, the Titans signed Wan’Dale Robinson to a significant contract in free agency and drafted Carnell Tate with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
