When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and which to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable late-round tight ends fantasy football experts love to target.
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2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Late-Round Tight Ends Experts Love
Derek Brown and Pat Fitzmaurice share a few of their favorite late-round tight ends to target in 2026 fantasy football drafts.
Dallas Goedert (PHI)
Last year was the second time in Dallas Goedert‘s career that he’s finished as a top-six fantasy tight end (TE6 in fantasy points per game). Goedert accomplished this by spiking a career-high a career high 11 receiving touchdowns. Last year, among 59 qualifying tight ends, Goedert ranked eighth in target share (18.4%), 33rd in yards per route run (1.43), 17th in receiving yards per game (39.4), eighth in first-read share (21%), seventh in red zone targets (15), and 21st in first downs per route run (0.083, per Fantasy Points Data). With A.J. Brown out of town, Goedert could easily be the clear second option in the Eagles’ passing attack this season. I wouldn’t rule out Goedert finishing as a top six fantasy tight end again in 2026. At his floor, he’s a strong TE1 even with the additions of Hollywood Brown, Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, and Eli Stowers this offseason.
– Derek Brown
Dalton Schultz (HOU)
Dalton Schultz had 82 catches for 777 yards and three touchdowns in 2025 to finish TE11 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring. The modest TD total limited his fantasy impact, but Schultz finished tied with Jake Ferguson for third among tight ends in receptions behind only Trey McBride and Kyle Pitts. Schultz finished sixth among TEs in receiving yards. With the Texans’ good young corps, it initially seemed as if Schultz might be hard-pressed to match the career-high 106 targets he saw last season. But with Jayden Higgins, Houston’s No. 2 receiver, tearing his ACL in mid-August, Schultz figures to once again be an important cog in the Texans’ passing game. Consider Schultz a midrange TE2 for fantasy.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Greg Dulcich (MIA)
Greg Dulcich could be THE late-round tight end to draft in 2026. Last year, he was absolutely awesome when on the field. Among 59 qualifying tight ends, he was fifth in target-per-route-run rate (24%), second in yards per route run (2.64) and yards after the catch per reception (7.69), fifth in first downs per route run (0.110), and sixth in fantasy points per route run (0.50, per Fantasy Points Data). Miami is starved for capable pass catchers for Malik Willis, and with only Will Kacmarek, Seydou Traore, and Ben Sims behind him on the tight end depth chart, Dulcich should be the Dolphins’ every-down tight end. I won’t be surprised if he finishes the season as a TE1.
– Derek Brown
AJ Barner (SEA)
A.J. Barner got significantly more involved in the Seattle offense in his second NFL season after a quiet rookie year. Barner’s snap share increased from 45% in 2024 to 72% in 2025. He had 52 catches for 519 yards and six touchdowns last season after putting up 30-245-4 as a rookie. Barner also had 10 rushing attempts for 14 yards and a touchdown last year, and he had four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Barner had a 14.9% target share last season for a Seattle offense that had the fourth-fewest pass attempts in the league. The Seahawks didn’t add any pass catchers of note in the offseason, so if they either throw more frequently in 2026 or Barner carves out a bigger target share, Barner could take another step forward. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had an absurd 35.8% target share for the Seahawks last year, so it’s entirely possible that Barner’s target share could rise while JSN’s comes down. Consider Barner a midrange to low-end TE2 for 2026 fantasy drafts.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Isaiah Likely (NYG)
Isaiah Likely‘s 2025 season was crushed by a foot injury that he sustained in the preseason. I can’t honestly tell you that he was fully healthy last season, or when that occurred, if so. I’m tossing his 2025 campaign in the trash. So, let’s be kind and rewind to 2024. During that season, among 57 qualifying tight ends, Likely ranked 17th in target per route run rate, tenth in yards per route run, and eighth in first downs per route run and fantasy points per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). After signing a lucrative deal with the Giants this offseason, Likely should be their clear starting tight end and a strong part of their passing game, with only Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin, and Malachi Fields to contend with for targets behind Malik Nabers. Likely could easily be a solid TE1 this season and is worth a late-round dart in a ton of drafts in 2026.
– Derek Brown
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