TE Targets
Tight end is a mess of name value, injury recoveries, and landing-spot lottery tickets this summer. Here are five guys the market is pricing wrong, and why each one clears his number.
George Kittle (SF)
Kittle is coming off an Achilles tear, and that alone has pushed his price down to a range where the risk/reward tilts heavily in your favor.
The tear was a "high" location tear that allowed a clean repair, with a Week 1 return targeted; but a PUP stint would mean a mandatory 4-game absence to start the year.
Even in a shortened 2025 season (11 games, missing time to hamstring and ankle injuries), Kittle was the fantasy TE3 in points per game at 14.7, with a top-3 target share (22.8%) and top-3 yards per route run (2.24).
His role in Kyle Shanahan's offense is irreplaceable: no other tight end on the roster replicates his play-action and red zone usage, and the 49ers ran a top-6 offense in total and passing yards last season.
Training camp reports are the single most important data point here. If Kittle is practicing fully in August, his current price looks like a steal for a player who's been a top-6 TE in seven straight healthy seasons.
Tucker Kraft (GB)
Kraft tore his ACL in Week 9 last year while in the middle of a true breakout, and he's on track to lose none of that momentum in 2026.
Prior to the injury, he was on a 17-game pace for over 1,000 receiving yards and was the fantasy TE4 on a points-per-game basis.
He led all qualified tight ends in yards after catch per reception (9.1) and ranked 2nd in yards per route run (2.56) and 8th in target rate (23%) during his 2025 campaign.
He was a red zone fixture too: 3rd among TEs in red zone target share (33.3%) with 6 touchdowns in just 8 games, and he opened last season with a 92% snap share as Jordan Love's clear top target.
He's publicly stated he expects to be a full go for Week 1 with no snap restrictions, and a contract year gives him extra incentive to pick up right where he left off.
Travis Kelce (KC)
Kelce just signed a record extension, and while the counting stats slipped in 2025, the underlying role never left him.
His tight end schedule flips from the 2nd-hardest in the league in 2025 to the 8th-easiest in 2026, and the Chiefs bring back OC Eric Bieniemy to help jumpstart an offense that ranked just 21st in points last season.
He still ranked 4th among TEs in targets (108) and 6th in receptions (76), finishing as the overall TE8 in PPG (11.4) despite what was widely called a down year.
His target rate jumps to 24.4% of routes whenever Rashee Rice is off the field, and he still ranked 2nd among TEs in deep targets (10) even at age 36… this is still the offense's primary engine.
With only 5 touchdowns last season, real regression to the mean is on the table in what's being framed as his "swansong" campaign.
Hunter Henry (NE)
Henry keeps getting overlooked, and even with a new target-hog in town, his role is more secure than people think.
He was the overall fantasy TE9 in 2025 (TE12 in PPG) with career highs of 768 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns, and he's been fully durable… all 17 regular season games plus 4 playoff games at age 31.
His red zone usage is elite and largely independent of the receiver room: 22 red zone targets (3rd among TEs), 87 total targets (9th), and a target share of 18.1% (14th).
A.J. Brown's arrival will pull looks from the WR room, but Henry's underneath, intermediate role is complementary to Brown's deep work rather than competing with it, and his chemistry with Drake Maye remains one of the best QB-TE connections in football.
Entering a contract year with real motivation to earn a new deal, Henry's low-end TE1 floor is being priced far later.
Isaiah Likely (NYG)
Likely landed in maybe the best possible spot for a schedule and opportunity swing at the position.
His tight end strength of schedule projects to be the 2nd-easiest projected in 2026: one of the largest schedule jumps at any position.
The path to targets is wide open: former starter Daniel Bellinger left for Tennessee, and Likely ranked 6th in target separation (2.27 yards) last season despite being buried behind Mark Andrews in Baltimore.
He's already flashed the ceiling: 5 catches for 95 yards in Week 13 and 4 catches for 25 yards and a touchdown in Week 14. AND reuniting with John Harbaugh puts him in a scheme built to feature him.
His 2025 numbers (27 catches, 307 yards) were suppressed by a crowded room and QB instability in Baltimore… with a clear path to 50%+ snaps and a much friendlier schedule, this is a full change of circumstances, not just a name to know.
So that’s the list. Target these TEs and you’ll absolutely see a return on the investment.
-Joe