Tight End Rankings and Draft Strategy

We are just weeks away from Week 1 of the NFL season, and all of the fantasy goodness that comes with that! 

To help you better prepare for your coming drafts, I broke down how I will be approaching each position on draft day. This four-part series features redraft rankings, targets, fades, sleepers, and overall strategy for each of the positions:

Quarterback
Running Back
Wide Receiver

and wraps up with tight end.

The rankings assume start one tight end, PPR, no TE premium. Targets, fades, and sleepers are all based on how I see a player’s value in relation to their current ADP. 

There are very few players that I am completely out on. There is almost always a point where a player would slide far enough in a draft where I would feel comfortable selecting him. However, based on ADP, there are several players at each position that I am not likely to roster in a single league; those players make up my “fade” list. 

In the same way, my “targets” and “sleepers” are players I see as being undervalued, and as such, I am bound to be heavily invested in them this year, barring a significant change to their ADPs. 

Don’t agree with some of the rankings or advice? Let us know your thoughts on our message board, found at the end of the article. 

Rankings

Targets

Travis Kelce

Yes, I recognize that Travis Kelce will turn 37 in October and is not the dominating force that he was in years past, but the fact that he is the TE11 in DataForce ADP and is readily available in the double-digit rounds of SF leagues does not seem to accurately reflect his recent production and current role in the Kansas City offense. Kelce followed up his 2024 TE5 season by finishing as the TE3 last year. He has played in 15 or more games every year since 2014 and should remain a focal point of the Chiefs passing attack. I am more than happy to draft Kelce in the late single-digit rounds as a high-floor, set it and forget it PPR option. 

Dallas Goedert

Similar to Travis Kelce, there appears to be some ageism at play with Dallas Goedert going into his age 31 season. Goedert finished last year as the TE7 overall, averaging just under 12 PPR points per game. Despite his productive 2025, his age combined with the Eagles having selected Eli Stowers in the second round has suppressed his DataForce ADP, with the talented veteran being selected as the TE13. I understand the concern about Stowers stealing tight end targets; however, all reports out of camp have Goedert remaining firmly entrenched as the starter. Dallas Goedert is a fine target for those waiting on tight end. 

Fades

George Kittle

While Travis Kelce and Dallas Goedert’s ADPs seem to be suppressed due to age concerns, there does not seem to be similar apprehensions surrounding George Kittle, despite his turning 33 in October. While I am targeting Kelce and Goedert at ADP, the difference between those two and Kittle is that both Kelce and Goedert enter the season healthy, while Kittle is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, suffered on January 11^th. Reports are optimistic about a Week 1 return for the San Francisco tight end, but even if he were to suit up for the opening game, I have to wonder just how effective he would be coming back from such a devastating injury at his age. I would anticipate a performance dropoff and an elevated injury risk that is not factored into his TE9 ADP. 

Oronde Gadsden 

For four weeks in 2025, Oronde Gadsden was one of fantasy’s most talked about players, as he was the overall TE1 from weeks 6-9, averaging nearly 18 PPR points. Gadsden would then come back to earth, averaging 5.5 PPR points per game, as the fantasy TE33 from weeks 10-17. The Chargers then brought in David Njoku to compete with Gadsden for tight end snaps. If the first game of the preseason was any indication, it seems as though Njoku has already earned the coaching staff’s trust as he was given the “starters treatment” and rested with many of the other projected starters, while Gadsden suited up. He is a full fade in redraft and nothing more than a later-round option for 3TE builds in best ball. 

Sleepers

David Njoku 

I already made the case for Oronde Gadsden being a fade based in part from the presence of David Njoku. Njoku sat out the first preseason game with a number of other presumed starters, signed a one-year contract with incentives that could push the totals up to $8,000,000, and is a year removed from a top-ten fantasy tight end finish. I am still hesitant to rely upon Njoku as my starting tight end in traditional redraft, but he absolutely is in play as a third tight end in 3TE best ball builds. 

Jake Tonges

George Kittle missed six games in 2025. Jake Tonges reached double-digit fantasy points in four of those games, including 16- and 18-point outbursts. Tonges can be considered a “tight end handcuff” with top-ten weekly upside if Kittle were to miss time. Using a valuable roster spot on a backup tight end is not an easy thing to justify. At the same time, if you are in a deep league or have a question mark at tight end, setting aside a bench spot for Tonges could potentially pay off in a major way. 

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