Value TEs
You don't need to reach for a tight end early this year. Here are five that'll still be sitting there well past round 5, and the profiles that make each one worth the wait.
#5: Hunter Henry (NE)
Henry quietly finished as the overall TE9 in 2025 (TE12 in points per game), and his price hasn't caught up to how steady he's been.
Elite red zone role: 22 red zone targets (3rd among TEs) on an 18.1% target share (14th), which is the foundation of a real TD floor
Produced 60 catches, 768 yards, and 7 TDs for 10.5 fantasy PPG (12th), one of the league's most consistent TE1 floors over the last three seasons
Enters a contract year at 32, with A.J. Brown's arrival the only real negative, Henry's intermediate/red-zone role doesn't compete directly with Brown's deep work, and his chemistry with Drake Maye is already established
At his current price, Henry offers low-end TE1 production with red-zone TD upside at a TE2 cost.
#4: Dalton Kincaid (BUF)
Kincaid played all of 2025 on a torn PCL, and he was still the most efficient tight end in football.
Ranked 1st among all NFL tight ends in yards per route run (3.02) and yards per target (11.7), despite the injury limiting his snaps
Also ranked 1st in target rate per route run (25.9%) and often operated as Buffalo's de facto WR2 behind only Khalil Shakir
New OC Joe Brady was promoted to head coach, and his system favors an aggressive, higher-flying passing attack… Kincaid's role already trended vertical, ranking 2nd among TEs in average depth of target (9.5)
Buffalo is calling this a "pivotal year" for Kincaid, and if the knee cooperates, the per-play numbers already point to top-5 upside.
#3: Isaiah Likely (NYG)
New team, new contract, and a wide-open path to targets… Likely's landing spot might be the best of any tight end in football.
Signed a 3-year, $40M deal to reunite with John Harbaugh, and projects as the slot replacement for Wan'Dale Robinson. It’s a scheme fit described as ideal for scramble-drill quarterback Jaxson Dart
Flashed real efficiency behind Mark Andrews in Baltimore: 6th among TEs in target separation (2.27 yards) and 13th in yards per target (8.3), including a 5-catch, 95-yard week and a touchdown game in back-to-back weeks
Likely steps in as the Giants' clear primary receiving tight end over Theo Johnson and is expected to see a significant jump in snaps
Add a projected 2nd-easiest strength of schedule for tight ends in 2026, and this is a breakout profile with real weekly TE1 equity.
#2: Travis Kelce (KC)
The Swan Song is on. A much friendlier schedule sets up a bounce-back season for the future Hall of Famer.
Still Mahomes' most trusted target: ranked 4th among all tight ends in targets (108) and 6th in receptions (76) in 2025
Faces the 8th-easiest schedule for tight ends in 2026 after facing the 2nd-hardest in 2025, and gets a coaching boost with OC Eric Bieniemy back to help revive an offense that ranked just 21st in points
Touchdown regression looks likely in his favor. He managed only 5 scores despite ranking 15th in red zone targets, and his target rate jumps to 24.4% of routes whenever Rashee Rice is off the field
His late-season fade tracked directly with Mahomes' ACL injury, not a real decline… that makes this a buy-low on a player who's still the offense's primary engine when healthy.
#1: Tucker Kraft (GB)
Kraft has the highest ceiling of anyone on this list — he was playing like a top-5 tight end before a Week 9 ACL tear ended his season.
Posted 14.7 fantasy points per game in 2025 (6th at the position) despite missing nine games, and was on pace for a 1,000-yard season before the injury
Led all qualified tight ends in yards after catch per reception (9.1) and ranked 2nd in yards per route run (2.56) — the league's premier YAC threat at the position
On track to be fully cleared for Week 1 with no snap restrictions expected; per Evan Silva of ETR, he was "fantasy's TE4 before tearing ACL... on track for Week 1"
A contract year, a full recovery timeline, and a proven TE4 pace when healthy make Kraft the best buy-the-dip tight end value on the board.
That's the list. Five tight ends who won't cost you an early pick but can all start for you from Week 1. Grab the profile that fits your build and go get your value elsewhere.
-Joe