Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings 2026 — PPR

Trey McBride stands alone at TE1 with a +45.1 draft value and a projected 194.0 points — the tightest spread on this page, because there is only one player here. The gap down to Tier 2 is just 1.0 draft value points, meaning the two players directly below him are nearly his equals in projected worth. There is no strategic penalty for missing McBride if you land Tier 2 instead.

Brock Bowers (+44.1) and Harold Fannin (+41.8) project within 2.3 draft value points of each other, making either a near-equivalent outcome at the position. The cliff below this tier is the largest on this page — a 29.8-point drop in draft value to Tier 3 — so leaving both of these players to opponents means accepting a significant and measurable production deficit at tight end for the season. Prioritize securing one of these two before that cliff arrives.

Tyler Warren (TE4, +12.0) and Colston Loveland (TE5, +9.0) are the last tight ends projecting meaningfully above replacement level, separated by just 3.0 draft value points internally. A 9.0-point gap separates this tier from Tier 4, where draft value turns flat or negative — drafting here still yields a surplus starter, but the margin for error shrinks considerably compared to Tier 2.

Thirty-one tight ends occupy this tier, spanning an 88.2-point internal spread from George Kittle at replacement level (+0.0) all the way down to Colby Parkinson at -88.2. The top of this group — Kittle, Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts, and Travis Kelce — projects within a few points of replacement, meaning late-round tight end streaming is a viable strategy if the top three tiers are gone. Beyond TE12 or so, the negative draft values compound quickly, and the difference between the TE20s and TE30s is substantial even if the names are familiar.