Fantasy Football League Winners: Tight Ends (2026)

What one tight end do you believe will be this year’s league winner?

Greg Dulcich (TE – MIA)

“Greg Dulcich is my favorite late-round league-winning tight end because his price doesn’t come close to reflecting his upside. Despite playing only 10 games last season, Dulcich ranked fifth among tight ends in targets per route run, second in yards per route run and yards after the catch per reception, and sixth in fantasy points per route. He now enters 2026 with a massive opportunity in Miami after the departures of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and he finished last season with 16 catches for 222 yards over his final five games. At a TE26 price, Dulcich costs essentially nothing, but if he stays healthy and maintains that efficiency, he has legitimate top-12 upside.”
– Ryan Linkletter (Blitz Sports Media)

Colston Loveland (TE – CHI)

“Colston Loveland. I’m going with Loveland because I think he has a real chance to make that Year 2 jump. We saw flashes of what he can be as a rookie, and now I’m betting on a much bigger role in this Bears offense. He has the athleticism and receiving ability to become one of Caleb Williams‘ favorite targets, especially in the red zone.”
– Judy Adabie (Fan Girl Football)

“It took him a bit to get going, but Colston Loveland started coming on as 2025 wound down. Last year Loveland was rehabbing his shoulder from surgery. So the Bears eased him in. That won’t happen this year. He’ll be a focal point of the offense. This is the second year for the Bears in Ben Johnson’s offense. They should be familiar with the playbook and not be thinking as much. I expect the entire offense to make a leap forward, including Loveland. And while Loveland isn’t a sleeper, if he takes a step forward, he could establish himself as one of the best young TEs in the game.”
– Mark Ringo (Sleepers and Busts)

“Sure, Colston Loveland disappointed last season if you only look at his overall stats as the TE15 in fantasy points per game, but that was because he was languishing in a part-time role for most of the season. It wasn’t until after Week 15 that Loveland was consistently featured as a full-time member of the offense. In Weeks 16-20, he exploded as the Bears’ WR1 with a 25.6% target share, 81.6 receiving yards per game, 2.49 yards per route run, a 34% first-read share, 0.116 first downs per route run, and 17.2 PPR points per game (per Fantasy Points Data). If Loveland had produced like that over the course of the entire season, he would have given Trey McBride a run for his money as the TE1 in fantasy. Last year, those numbers, among all tight ends with at least 20 targets, would have ranked first, first, fourth, first, fourth, and second. If you compare those numbers against McBride’s 2025 season and Bowers’ 2024 campaign, Loveland would have beaten both players in every single category except for fantasy points per game with McBride’s 2025 season. Loveland could easily pick up right where he left off this season and compete with Brock Bowers and Trey McBride for the TE1 crown. With D.J. Moore gone, Loveland has only Rome Odunze and Luther Burden to compete with for the top spot in the target pecking order in Chicago.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)

“Colston Loveland is my tight end pick, and I’m not sure we need to overthink this one. Chicago finally let him go late last season and he started producing more like a high-end receiver than a tight end. DJ Moore is gone, Loveland already has the connection with Caleb Williams and I think he can lead this team in targets. I have him TE3 already, and I’m drafting him like TE1 overall is very much in play. I could see Loveland leading the team in receptions when it’s all said and done.”
– Justin Fuhr (Pro Football Mania)

George Kittle (TE – SF)

“In George Kittle, you’re getting a proven elite tight end at roughly an eighth-round price because of the Achilles injury. If he’s healthy, the ceiling is still top-three at the position, and we’ve already seen him produce at that level repeatedly. I’m betting the injury discount ends up being much larger than the actual drop in production.”
– Doug Burrell (Draft With Doug)

“Since 2017, George Kittle has had only 3 seasons where he ended the season lower than TE5! When he is on the field, he is the go-to pass catcher for the 49ers! This year, he is coming at a discount due to his Achilles injury that he suffered in the playoffs, but all signs are pointing to him being ready for the regular season. If this is the case, owners will be getting a top-5 tight end at a TE10 cost! That value alone can help a team’s championship ambitions, but adding in that Kittle will be highly targeted by Brock Purdy for huge chunks of yardage makes him a prime candidate to be on many league-winning teams in 2026!!”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)

Harold Fannin (TE – CLE)

“The mid-range tight ends (TE3-TE7) are really the values in this year’s draft and should be targeted accordingly, as their production won’t be too much lower than the top-2. Harold Fannin is one in this range, which should be the top target option on his team, and he doesn’t have to compete with Njoku this year. Although he does have some more overall competition for targets, it shouldn’t be enough to put a dent in his massive 21.6 percent target share last year. New HC Todd Monken has found a way to force fantasy production to his top targets no matter the situation. Mike Evans, Jarvis Landry, post-Giants Odell Beckham, and Zay Flowers all had their best production years under Monken, and Fannin shouldn’t be any different. He was averaging 8.4 targets, 55 yards, and a full touchdown his last 5 healthy games and should take another step forward this year.”
– Justin Weigal (FantasySharks)

Tucker Kraft (TE – GB)

“Among the tight ends worth considering this year, Tucker Kraft carries the strongest case for delivering true league-winning production. His after-the-catch ability remains elite, and an expanded role in Green Bay’s offense could finally unlock the volume that was missing in prior seasons. Health permitting, that combination projects him toward a top-three finish at the position rather than mere TE1 consistency. Securing him later than the absolute elites still leaves managers with a difference-maker who can swing weekly matchups and championships alike.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Sports Advice Network)

Isaiah Likely (TE – NYG)

“Isaiah Likely is one of my favorite late-round bets to emerge as a true difference-maker at tight end. After spending four years sharing the field with Mark Andrews, he finally gets a chance to step into a much larger role with the Giants, where there is very little established target competition behind Malik Nabers. New York also invested heavily in him with a three-year, $40 million deal, and his reunion with John Harbaugh should keep him heavily involved, particularly near the goal line. At a price around TE11 to TE13, Likely does not need to become an elite real-life tight end to smash his ADP. If the volume finally catches up to the talent, he has the upside to become a weekly top-five option without costing anything close to that on draft day.”
– Tal Malachovsky (The Fantasy Scout)

“Isaiah Likely is exactly the type of tight end I want when searching for a league winner: talent finally meeting opportunity. After spending four seasons sharing the field with Mark Andrews, Likely signed a three-year deal with New York and enters the season as the Giants’ starting tight end, while training camp provided repeated indications that this offense intends to feature the position. Jaxson Dart already showed a willingness to target tight ends as a rookie, and Likely has demonstrated high-end efficiency when given meaningful volume. At roughly TE13 cost, I’d rather chase his path to becoming one of Dart’s primary targets than pay a premium for the established names.”
– Stephen Floyd (Draft With Doug)

Hunter Henry (TE – NE)

“Hunter Henry is one of those solid depth TEs you can get very late. Hunter is not a Top 10 TE in Fantasy Football, but he can play like one, and his draft price is so late that you do not have to worry about the TE position. Henry should have more opportunities as he has become a safety option for Maye, and Austin Hooper left town. At his extremely late draft cost, Henry has the opportunity and red-zone upside to dramatically outperform ADP and become a weekly starting option.”
– Muntradamus (Beast Dome)

Juwan Johnson (TE – NO)

“I’m not sure what else Juwan Johnson was supposed to do last season to get people to notice, but apparently 77 catches for 889 yards wasn’t enough. Johnson earned a career-high 102 targets, saw his target share jump from 12.8% to 18.1%, and his WOPR climb from 0.28 to 0.38, yet he’s still essentially going undrafted. He was even better once rookie Tyler Shough took over, finishing as the TE3 in their games together, giving us proof that the connection we’re betting on in 2026 already worked at a high level. Johnson also averaged 8.72 yards per target and posted +0.345 EPA per target, 10th among TEs with 60+ targets, so there was plenty underneath the raw volume to support the breakout. We’re talking about a tight end who just flirted with 900 yards, already showed top-three upside with his current quarterback, and costs virtually nothing; that’s exactly where I want to take my shot at finding a league winner.”
– James Emrick-Wilson (The Armchair Sports Corner)

Brock Bowers (TE – LV)

“It has to be Brock Bowers. If he stays healthy, he’s going to produce high-end WR1 numbers. Enough said.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

“Brock Bowers is my tight end league winner because he is the rare player at the position capable of functioning as his team’s primary receiver. He is healthy again, was consistently the main target throughout Raiders camp, and is still available around pick 22 despite the weekly advantage he can create over almost every opposing tight end. This is not merely a bet on finishing TE1; it is a bet that receiver-level volume at tight end changes the construction of an entire fantasy roster. My bold prediction is that Bowers will be a top-five pick in every format next season.”
– Jay Henry Ocho (Jay Henry Ocho)

Dalton Kincaid (TE – BUF)

“Based on last year’s efficiency, Dalton Kincaid is a guy who could break fantasy this year. He just has to get on the field more. In 2025, Kincaid only played 38.3% of the snaps and ran just 189 routes. For comparison, Trey McBride ran 683 routes last year. Kincaid was 13th in fantasy points per game (10.5), but ranked first in basically every efficiency metric known to man. Reports this offseason suggest the PCL injury that has plagued Kincaid for a few years is finally behind him. If he can just get on the field for roughly 60-70% of the plays, Kincaid could easily have a career year and finish as one of the best fantasy tight ends in the game.”
– Wolf Trelles-Heard (FantasyPros)

Pat Freiermuth (TE – PIT)

“Pat Freiermuth is the kind of late tight end who can become an advantage because the market is pricing in last year’s usage instead of this year’s offensive reset. Pittsburgh’s 2025 offense ran only 58.1 plays per game, while McCarthy’s career offenses have averaged 64.8 and 26.2 points per game across his career (12 top-10 scoring offenses), which creates meaningful hidden volume if the Steelers normalize. Freiermuth’s 2025 disappointment came from a 51% snap-share rotation, rather than a full-time role (which correlated to a stark drop in targets), but that should normalize for the 2026 season. He’s not a sexy pick, but at a TE31 cost with a path to 60-80 receptions and usable touchdown variance, he could turn into a weekly starter acquired in the final rounds or off waivers, allowing rosters to be constructed around the studs at RB and WR while maintaining a safe floor with occasional spikes in TE.”
– Avery Thrasher (The Branded Sports)

Travis Kelce (TE – KC)

“Travis Kelce is positioned for a major rebound and is poised to deliver league‑winning upside this season. As Patrick Mahomes’ primary target and the unquestioned focal point of the offense, he remains a high‑volume PPR asset who consistently dominates target share. His durability and availability keep him locked into every critical game script, preserving his elite weekly floor. Because he operates as Mahomes’ first read in high‑leverage situations, his ceiling at the tight end position creates an unmatched positional advantage.”
– Lawrence Iacona (FantasyPros)

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