Tight end has been one of the tougher positions to parse in fantasy football drafts in recent years. There are stars at the top but a drop off following the first handful of players.
That top tier is changing in 2025. Brock Bowers’ record-breaking rookie season has him in the driver’s seat as the top tight end in fantasy football. Trey McBride’s contract extension shows how much faith the Arizona Cardinals have in the 25-year-old. After a disappointing second season, Sam LaPorta could be in for a bounce-back year.
While those younger players are rising up to be the face of the position, the usual mainstays have some concerns entering 2025. Travis Kelce’s production dropped off during the regular season. Mark Andrews relied on a career high in touchdowns to balance out a career low in yards per game as a starter to keep pace among the position’s best.
It’s late in draft season and there’s a lot to keep track of at one of the tougher positions to evaluate. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s everything you need to know at the tight end position for 2025.
Fantasy football TE rankings 2025
Here’s how the top 10 tight ends panned out in USA TODAY Sports’ rankings:
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Fantasy football TE sleepers 2025
These four tight ends look to be top sleeper options at the position in 2025.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
Analysis: ‘Kincaid missed four games and time in others due to injuries, but was on pace to exceed 100 targets. Only Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Travis Kelce and Jonnu Smith reached that mark. While many fantasy managers may feel burned by Kincaid, he’s the type of post-hype sleeper you’ll want on your roster in 2025.’
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Analysis: ‘Okonkwo has been a victim of subpar quarterback play throughout his first three NFL seasons, and reports from training camp suggest he’s building chemistry with [rookie QB Cam] Ward. Okonkwo had an impressive 27% target share down the stretch last season when he was given a full-time role.’
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Analysis: ‘[In 2021] under [Josh] McDaniels, Henry posted career highs in red-zone targets (17) and touchdowns (9). His 12 end-zone targets that season ranked sixth-highest in the NFL. There’s little target competition outside of 31-year-old Stefon Diggs, who is coming off an ACL tear. Henry is currently being drafted as TE20 and he can easily finish inside the top 10 at the position if [QB Drake] Maye leans on him.’
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
Analysis: ‘Kraft led all TEs in yards after the catch (YAC) at 9.6, ahead of George Kittle. He has carved out a reliable role in one of the better offenses in the NFL and is currently being drafted as TE12. At the end of last season, head coach Matt LaFleur expressed his desire to feature Kraft more in the offense.’
Fantasy football TE busts 2025
Managers may consider avoiding these three tight ends in fantasy football drafts.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Analysis: ‘With Rashee Rice healthy, Kelce averaged just four targets per game. However, following Rice’s season-ending knee injury, Kelce averaged over nine targets per game … Kelce’s usage hinges largely on Rice’s presence and the risk at taking him as the TE5 outweighs the production at this stage.’
Evan Engram, Denver Broncos
Analysis: ‘The soon-to-be 31-year-old has relied heavily on volume more than explosiveness and touchdowns. He has failed to find the end zone more than four times in a season since 2017. He’ll play second fiddle to Courtland Sutton. Engram could even potentially finish third on the team in targets behind third-year breakout candidate Marvin Mims Jr. Expectations should be tempered for Engram at his current TE8 ADP.’
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Analysis: ‘The presence of wide receivers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden, along with veteran tight end Cole Kmet will likely keep the rookie from Michigan in deep TE2 range all season… It’s unlikely Loveland can make a significant mark in such a crowded room but he’s still a worthwhile pick in dynasty leagues. He has top-10 draft capital and will likely grow in the Bears offense in the coming years, but don’t expect him to be elite in 2025.’