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Top 30 PPR TE Rankings & Tiers - 2026 Fantasy Football — Transcript

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0:06Greetings and salutations everyone. My
0:08name is James Kurokoff and welcome to my
0:09YouTube channel. Today we're talking
0:10about my top 30 tight end rankings for a
0:12full PPR scoring format as we approach
0:14our upcoming 2026 fantasy football
0:16draft. It had been about 3 weeks since
0:18we have talked about the tight end
0:19position in regards to rankings. So with
0:21all of the preseason, training camp,
0:23injuries, trades, etc. that have taken
0:25place over the course of these weeks, I
0:27wanted to go ahead and provide my
0:28updated rankings at the position so that
0:30when you are drafting up ahead, you are
0:31navigating the position correctly. Now
0:33many of us are targeting the top four
0:34tight ends at the beginning of our
0:35drafts. Guys like McBride, Bowers,
0:37Loveland, and Warren. While the rest of
0:39us are potentially kicking the can down
0:40the road looking for eighth to 10th
0:42round tight ends to go ahead and acquire
0:44and potentially not only play matchups
0:46on a given weekly basis, but also chase
0:48touchdowns. Over the course of the 2025
0:50season, from weeks 1 through 18, when we
0:52talk about the top 12 tight ends every
0:54single week, about 71% of the top 12
0:57tight ends had at least one touchdown
0:59attributed to their score line. The
1:01value of a touchdown is incredibly
1:02important and we'll go ahead and
1:04identify which players have the higher
1:05upside of that over the course of
1:06today's episode. Before we get into
1:08talking about these players on an
1:09individual basis, if you're looking for
1:11my thoughts on a specific player, travel
1:12down below to the description. We have
1:14timestamps available there. While you're
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1:23daily fantasy football content in order
1:25to help you capture a fantasy football
1:26championship this season. Now speaking
1:28of capturing a championship, it begins
1:29with the draft. For those of you guys
1:31who want my updated draft rankings, be
1:32sure to travel down to the description
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2:00closer to capturing a 2026 fantasy
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2:08the support and using code Andrew. Okay,
2:10let's get into talking about my top 30
2:12tight end rankings beginning with the
2:13number one Trey McBride. Look, I have
2:14continued to be on the Trey McBride side
2:16of this overall conversation between him
2:18and Bowers. Again, when we look back at
2:19last season with Jacoby Brissett
2:21averaging 21.12 fantasy points per game
2:24in the 12 games they played together.
2:25The only only fantasy prospects over the
2:27course of that span of time last season
2:29that were better than him on a per game
2:31basis in a full PPR were Christian
2:33McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson,
2:34Puka Nacua, and JSN. He was the sixth
2:36best player in fantasy football from
2:38weeks six through 18 and won many of us
2:40championships. So, when we look towards
2:422026 with Jacoby Brissett still the
2:44starting quarterback, of course we may
2:46look towards this offense regressing in
2:48terms of their overall passing attempts
2:50as they were averaging 40.33 passing
2:52attempts per game. But, when you look at
2:53the new head coach and play caller Mike
2:55LaFleur, he was the former offensive
2:57coordinator of the Rams the last three
2:58seasons, but additionally an offensive
3:00coordinator for the Jets in 2021 and
3:012022. In those two seasons, they threw
3:03the ball 35.4 and 36.6 times per game
3:07from their quarterbacks. So, if McBride
3:09can still maintain his 26% target share
3:12within this offense, we're looking at
3:139.44 targets per game, 160 targets which
3:17yes is technically a downgrade in
3:18comparison to what he was able to do
3:20with Brissett last season, but it would
3:22still make him one of the most valuable
3:23tight ends in fantasy football and
3:25someone who I truly do believe, despite
3:27the higher target competition than
3:29Bowers, is going to be in a far more
3:30significant position to succeed. Now, I
3:32will say there are some negatives in
3:34regards to McBride and I'm not going to
3:35ignore them and I'm not going to omit
3:36them from this conversation. Last season
3:38amongst all players, he had the sixth
3:40highest screen receptions. He had 24
3:42total for 182 receiving yards. If those
3:45were to greatly diminish because of the
3:46overall offensive approach and utilizing
3:49other receivers within that role, then
3:50of course Trey McBride's overall
3:52potential upside could decrease and may
3:54make Brock Bowers that number one
3:56option.
3:57Now, speaking of Brock Bowers, when you
3:59look at his 2025 season from weeks 9
4:01through 16 in his post IR stint, he was
4:03averaging 16.6 fantasy points per game
4:06on only 7.4 targets per game. And in the
4:08final four games of his season, took on
4:10the Chargers, Broncos, Eagles, and
4:12Houston Texans defenses with Geno Smith
4:15and still was averaging over 15 fantasy
4:17points per game on just five and a half
4:18targets per game. But now that you have
4:20Clint Kubiak, the new play caller and
4:22head coach of this offense, you're going
4:23to potentially see JSN level of target
4:25opportunity considering Clint Kubiak was
4:27the OC of the Seahawks last season and
4:29his number one receiving option saw 160
4:31plus targets. So, if we're going to be
4:33in a situation in which Brock Bowers has
4:34a very similar target opportunity share
4:36that he did in 2024 when he was the
4:38number one overall tight end, again, is
4:39very much so capable of 16 plus fantasy
4:42points and if those touchdowns flow in,
4:44that's going to be even more upside. And
4:46let's not forget he was able to
4:47accomplish all of that in his rookie
4:48year, 153 targets, 112 receptions with
4:51Minshew, Desmond Ridder, and Aidan
4:53O'Connell as his quarterbacks.
4:54Obviously, Kirk Cousins and Fernando
4:56Mendoza are huge upgrades. Kirk Cousins
4:58last season in the absence of Drake
5:00London, Kyle Pitts was averaging 8.8
5:02targets per game. So, of course, we
5:03should see Brock Bowers anywhere between
5:049 to 10 targets per game this season.
5:06To close out the S here, we have Colson
5:08Loveland. I feel confident enough moving
5:09him into this conversation because what
5:11he was able to accomplish late last
5:13season and where this offense is
5:14trending now that of course we are post
5:16that Luther Burden injury that we're
5:17still very much so uncertain about. Now,
5:19last season from weeks 9 through the
5:21playoffs, was averaging 14.65 fantasy
5:23points per game on 7.4 targets per game.
5:26Amongst all tight ends throughout that
5:28span of time, he was top seven in yards
5:30per reception, A dot yards per route
5:32run, but especially at the back end of
5:34the year, the final four games of the
5:35season, he saw 10 targets per game
5:37minimum in all four of those games, was
5:39averaging 12 targets per game, a 29%
5:41target share, and 19.95 fantasy points
5:44in a full PPR. So, if in fact he's able
5:46to still maintain, for example, 24 to
5:4825% of the target share, we're talking
5:50about 8.7 plus targets per game. If we
5:53just take the sample size of weeks 9
5:55through the playoffs of last year, he
5:56was averaging 1.97 fantasy points per
5:59target. We multiply that by 8.7 targets
6:01per game, we're talking about 17 plus
6:03fantasy points per game, and within the
6:05range of outcomes could very easily
6:07finish as the number one overall tight
6:08end in 2026. Now, let's move on to the A
6:11tier, we have Tyler Boyd. Look, with
6:12Daniel Jones last season, was averaging
6:1413.08
6:15fantasy points per game on just six and
6:16a half targets per game, a 20 and a half
6:18percent target share, but did in fact
6:20see 81st read targets, number two
6:22amongst all tight ends last year. If
6:23he's going to be the number one target
6:25of this offense, which we are
6:26anticipating now that we have the
6:28absence of Michael Pittman Jr. and the
6:29injury of Alec Pierce, we have a
6:31potential 25% target share on the table,
6:34which would lead to about 7.85 targets
6:36per game based on where this offense was
6:38from weeks 1 through 13 with Daniel
6:40Jones last season. So, when we take into
6:41account the games in which Tyler Boyd
6:43had six to 10 targets last year, which
6:45ended up being about 7.86 targets per
6:48game, which is identical to a 25% target
6:50share within this offense, he was
6:51averaging 14.06 fantasy points per game.
6:54In that event, a 17-game season looks
6:56like 240 fantasy points and a potential
6:58top-three tight end finish. I think
7:00these four tight ends have to be
7:01respected and selected within your first
7:03five rounds without a doubt in my mind.
7:04Actually, when you take into account
7:06last season, a lot of the touchdowns
7:08were being donated to Jonathan Taylor on
7:09the goal line, scoring three plus
7:10touchdowns in five different games. So,
7:12imagine if some of those go in the
7:14direction of Tyler Boyd, the number one
7:15receiving option.
7:17Then we move on to Tucker Kraft, today's
7:18thumbnail. Look, I've thought about it
7:19for quite a while, and I've kind of gone
7:21back and forth on his potential, and
7:23I've landed in the direction in which I
7:24really do believe that Tucker Kraft
7:26could be a guy that yes, we're drafting
7:28a little bit later, potentially going in
7:29the seventh, eighth, ninth round,
7:31depending on your league and your
7:32scoring format, but ultimately, what he
7:34was able to accomplish last year and
7:35what he'll be exposed to this year is
7:37undeniable. Last season, prior to the
7:39injury weeks one through eight, 16.17
7:42fantasy points per game on just 5.86
7:44targets per game. Now, yes, he scored
7:46six touchdowns in seven games, but take
7:48into account that he had a 35.3% red
7:50zone target share, which he had 11 red
7:53zone targets in just the first seven
7:55games of the season, which led to five
7:56touchdowns. And then we realized when
7:58the season ended for the Packers in
7:592025, he finished with the second most
8:01red zone targets amongst all Packers,
8:03and he only played seven games. And the
8:05only other, you know, receiving option
8:07that was number one in terms of red zone
8:08targets last season was Romeo Doubs, and
8:10he's no longer on the team. So, we have
8:12an opportunity here for Tucker Kraft,
8:14who has been back-to-back seasons the
8:16number two overall tight end in terms of
8:18yards per reception, and back-to-back
8:19seasons of being the number one tight
8:20end in YAC per reception, yards after
8:22the catch. Now, yes, coming off of the
8:24ACL should lead to a potential
8:25regression, but beginning week one, that
8:28will be 10 months since the date of his
8:30surgery. So, if we're going to be
8:31looking in the direction of him seeing
8:33less overall snaps, like he specifically
8:35said, "Going into this upcoming season,
8:37they're going to take into account my
8:38rep range in the first half of the
8:40year." If in fact we are looking at his
8:42overall rep range, he played about 88 to
8:4595% of the overall snaps last season
8:48prior to injury. When we look at how
8:49many of those overall snaps were routes
8:51ran, that was about 47% of his snaps
8:53leading to a route that was being run.
8:55If you just remove some of the overall
8:56blocking reps, then yes, we're going to
8:58be in a situation in which he could have
9:00a lesser snap share, but technically
9:02just as much receiving upside. And when
9:04we see that Luke Musgrave is out with a
9:06neck injury, and really the tight end
9:08depth in this offense is absolutely
9:10decimated, and this is a team that ran
9:12the fifth most 12 personnel rate amongst
9:15all teams last season, they don't have
9:17the luxury to keep Tucker Kraft off the
9:19field. And when he's on the field, my
9:21goodness, he's going to score some
9:22fantasy points in this offense.
9:24Number six, we have Pitts. With the new
9:26coaching staff, I really do believe that
9:28Kyle Pitts is going to be unlocked this
9:29season. Kevin Stefanski is the new head
9:31coach, and based on what we saw from him
9:34with the Cleveland Browns over the
9:35course of the last six seasons, the
9:37Cleveland Browns tight ends ranked top
9:39six every single season in tight end
9:41targets. Over the course of the last
9:43three years, their tight ends have seen
9:45166, 166, and 169 targets from 2023 to
9:492025. And when you take into account
9:52what Harrison Bryant and David Njoku
9:53have been able to do, both of them when
9:55being the starter of the team were top
9:5610 in fantasy point per game averages.
9:58So, if in fact we are potentially
9:59looking in the direction of Kyle Pitts
10:01being exposed to this level of
10:02opportunity, I mean, just the last three
10:05years the Cleveland Browns tight ends
10:06have seen about 9.77 to 9.94 targets per
10:08game. About a 25 to 30% target share on
10:12a given yearly basis. So, let's say for
10:13example there's a reality in which Kyle
10:15Pitts could be able to see 23 to 25,
10:17maybe 26% of the target share. It's
10:19certainly on the table, especially when
10:21you take into account Tua Tagovailoa
10:23loves to utilize the tight end position,
10:25loves to get the ball out of his hands
10:26quickly. Over the course of the last 24
10:28starts of his career, 7.13 targets per
10:31game to his tight ends. And in the first
10:32two drives of the first preseason game
10:34of the season, he targeted Kyle Pitts
10:37four times on five routes ran. If we're
10:39going to be in a situation which Kyle
10:40Pitts sees anywhere between seven to
10:42nine targets over the course of the last
10:44two years averaging 13.83 fantasy points
10:46per game. In those instances.
10:49Number seven, Harrison Bryant. Look,
10:50with the new coaching staff and Todd
10:52Monken, he was the former offensive
10:53coordinator of the Ravens from 2023 to
10:542025. Over the course of those three
10:57seasons, the Baltimore Ravens were
10:58number two in tight end fantasy points
11:00and number 12 in tight end targets.
11:01About 26.65%
11:03of the target share going towards the
11:05tight end position, which is incredibly
11:06valuable, especially considering
11:08Harrison Bryant is going to potentially
11:09be the number one receiving option of
11:11this offense. And when we look back to
11:12last season when he was the number one
11:14option of this offense in the absence of
11:16David Njoku in the four games he played
11:18without him, nine targets per game, 16
11:20fantasy points per game. Yes, this
11:22offense has increased the target
11:23competition with high draft capital
11:25usage during the NFL draft with Casey
11:27Conception, Denzel Mims, you still have
11:29Jerry Jeudy out there. With all of that
11:31taken into account and the flux within
11:33the quarterback conversation, Deshaun
11:35Watson being named the starter as of
11:36this morning, and of course Cedrick
11:37Sanders in the wings later on in the
11:39back half of the season, I think Harold
11:41Landry at the number seven overall
11:42position is very fair
11:43for our upcoming drafts. Then we have
11:45Sam LaPorta to close out this year.
11:46Look, prior to his injury last year,
11:4811.88 fantasy points per game, 5.44
11:50targets per game. That is the number one
11:52issue. His volume of target opportunity
11:54has diminished, and that's primarily
11:56because Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson
11:57Williams, and Jahmyr Gibbs are in this
12:00offense. Yes, we're still chasing the
12:01high water mark of his rookie season in
12:03which he was averaging 14.2 fantasy
12:04points per game on 7.4 targets per game.
12:07But in order for him to get two more
12:09targets per game on average this
12:10upcoming season, it's going to be a
12:12difficult ask, especially considering
12:14all the target competition. But luckily
12:16for him, he has a head coach who's a
12:17former tight end in the National
12:19Football League. His new offensive
12:20coordinator is a former tight ends coach
12:22for the Browns in 2020 and 2021. We just
12:25talked about moments ago with Kyle
12:26Pitts, those offenses were targeting
12:28their tight ends top six each of those
12:29two seasons. Additionally, beyond that,
12:32Drew Petzing, the new OC of this
12:33offense, was the offensive coordinator
12:35of the Cardinals the last three years.
12:37Throughout those three seasons, they've
12:38been number one in tight end targets and
12:39number one in tight end fantasy points
12:41with McBride's ascension. So, the
12:43assumption is there's a possibility in
12:45which those two targets per game could
12:46go in the direction of Sam LaPorta on an
12:48additional basis and get him to being
12:51that 13-14 point tight end, which we're
12:53hoping is going to be the case here in
12:552026.
12:56Number nine, Travis Kelce. Look, with
12:59Mahomes last season weeks 1-15, was
13:01averaging 12.77 fantasy points per game.
13:03But once Rashee Rice joined this lineup
13:05and was able to pose as a huge threat,
13:08and there was somebody other than Kelce
13:09the defenses had to prepare for, Kelce
13:11increased his overall production, not
13:13only via targets, but also averaging
13:14about 13.34 fantasy points per game. So,
13:17if we're going to be in a situation in
13:18which he was producing at a top five
13:19tight end level in terms of a fantasy
13:21point per game average, yes, he may be
13:22going into a, you know, age 37 season,
13:25but with no increased target
13:26competition, his highest yards per
13:28reception since 2021, his highest yards
13:30per route run since 2023, continuing to
13:32progress in an offense that again is
13:34going to prioritize him as either the
13:35number one or number two target getter,
13:37again, his fantasy value is still up
13:39there. It remains, and he still has a
13:42lot left in the tank to provide for
13:43fantasy purposes in a potential 10-11th
13:46round selection this season.
13:49Number 10, George Kittle. Look, 9 months
13:52from surgery would lead us to October
13:5314th. And now we potentially are on pace
13:56for him playing in week one. He is an
13:58absolute anomaly of a human. When we're
14:00talking about his production on the
14:01field, he is already an alien, but being
14:03able to recover from an Achilles injury
14:06like this in such a quick manner, and
14:08from what we've seen from training camp,
14:09he looks good. So, when we talk about
14:12what he was able to accomplish last year
14:13from weeks 11 through 18 with Purdy,
14:15averaging 17.4 fantasy points per game
14:17on 7 and 1/2 targets per game. Even if
14:19we see a 30% decline in his production,
14:22he would still average over 12 fantasy
14:24points per game. And that's a 30%
14:27decline. Imagine later on in the year in
14:29which he has no decline and he gets back
14:31to being the George Kittle that we know
14:32and love. We're talking about potential
14:34top-seven production just off of his 30%
14:36decline, much less what he could
14:37theoretically provide later on in the
14:40year once he's at a full healthy rate.
14:41And of course, there may be
14:42opportunities for him to continue to
14:44score a high volume of touchdowns
14:46considering the improvements this
14:47offense has made in terms of their
14:48personnel getting down to the red zone.
14:51Ultimately, George Kittle, an automatic
14:52top 10.
14:54Number 11, Dallas Goedert. Another one
14:55of these veteran tight ends that has to
14:57be respected, especially considering
14:59he's coming off of a year in which he
15:00had a career high of receptions and
15:01receiving touchdowns. He had himself in
15:032025 more red zone touchdowns
15:06in that one singular year than the four
15:08years prior combined. So, just taking
15:10into account, yes, there's going to be
15:12some regression for Dallas Goedert, but
15:14he's been a top-12 ranked fantasy tight
15:16end for seven consecutive seasons in a
15:17full PPR. And when he's played games
15:19without A.J. Brown, averaging 15.93
15:22fantasy points per game. So, when we
15:23talk about 2026, obviously this Eagles
15:25offense did bring in some cart target
15:27competition in the form of Eli Stowers
15:30and Makai Lemon. Eli Stowers, who was
15:32supposed to be the apparent heir of this
15:33offense, has struggled mightily. And
15:35it's going to take another year for him
15:37to potentially be integrated within this
15:38offense. And until then, Dallas Goedert
15:40is still going to continue to maintain
15:41as a huge threat within the Eagles
15:43attack. Then we move on to our number
15:4512, Isaiah Likely. Look, he earned a
15:463-year $40 million contract after being
15:48a number two tight end his entire career
15:50for the Baltimore Ravens. But when he
15:52has been given opportunity in the
15:53National Football League, over the
15:54course of his career he has had 15 games
15:56of five-plus targets. In those games,
15:58averaging 11.71 fantasy points per game.
16:01In the six games he has played without
16:02Mark Andrews and attained five-plus
16:04targets, 13 fantasy points per game. All
16:06we've heard this offseason during
16:08training camp is that he is the number
16:10one target of Jackson Dart. Not a
16:11surprise. Primarily because he's going
16:13to be functioning as one of their
16:14primary slot receiving options. And how
16:16I've come to that conclusion is because
16:18of the new offensive coordinator, Matt
16:19Nagy, who is the former OC of the Kansas
16:21City Chiefs over the course of the last
16:223 years. Travis Kelce in those 3 years
16:24has ran his routes 60% of the time from
16:27the slot position or route wide. We're
16:29going to utilize Isaiah Likely in a very
16:30similar fashion. He is not an inline
16:32blocker. He is not someone that is going
16:34to be putting his hand in the dirt. He's
16:36going to line up in the slot position
16:38and take advantage of the fact that of
16:39course defenses will be preparing for
16:41the run game,
16:42Malik Nabers, and then after they forget
16:44about Isaiah Likely, he'll be able to
16:46dice them up from the slot receiving
16:47role. We know just how valuable Wan'Dale
16:49Robinson was for this offense last
16:51season. And let's not forget the Kansas
16:53City Chiefs and Matt Nagy. I mean, they
16:54targeted their tight ends 170 times per
16:57season over the course of the last 3
16:58years. There's always a possibility of a
16:59high increased volume opportunity for
17:02Isaiah Likely.
17:04Number 13, Dalton Kincaid. Look, the
17:06last two seasons we have seen injuries
17:08absolutely ruin the year for Dalton
17:09Kincaid. PCL in 2024, abdomen and
17:12hamstring strains in 2025. Prior to the
17:14injury last year, 13 and a half fantasy
17:16points per game. And anytime last year
17:18he had seen four to six targets was
17:19averaging 14.62 fantasy points per game.
17:22If we can get a healthy year out of
17:23Dalton Kincaid, he's an automatic top
17:2512. We've talked about that for two off
17:27seasons in a row. I mean, amongst all
17:29tight ends last season with 25 targets
17:30minimum, he was number one in yards per
17:32route one, number four in yards per
17:33reception, number seven in YAC per
17:35reception, and number four in A dot. If
17:38we can get him healthy, I mean, by all
17:40means, he's easily a top 10 potential
17:42option. And especially from what we saw
17:44from week one of the preseason with the
17:45starting offense, he played all five
17:48snaps of 12 personnel with Dawson Knox.
17:51Usually last season, he was never in
17:53those conversations with Jackson Hayes
17:55getting those reps. So, with more snaps,
17:57that means more routes, more targets,
17:58and more fantasy points for Dalton
18:00Kincaid this season.
18:01Number 14 to close out this tier is Mark
18:03Andrews. Yes, you have a new offensive
18:04coordinator in Decklin Doyle. The Bears
18:06last season, who of course he was the OC
18:08of, had 136 targets to their tight ends,
18:11about a 24% target share. So, if in fact
18:14we take Lamar's potential 450 passing
18:16attempts we're projecting and see maybe
18:1820% of the target share go in the
18:19direction of Mark Andrews, it's about 90
18:21targets, 5.29 per game. Over the course
18:24of the last two seasons, when he has had
18:25anywhere between five to six targets,
18:2712.09 fantasy points per game. With less
18:30target competition with Isaiah Likely
18:32and Charlie Kolar gone, Rashod Bateman
18:34obviously in a little bit of a limbo
18:35situation, if Lamar Jackson can look in
18:37his direction and get him 20% of the
18:39target share, yes, we may need a little
18:41bit of touchdown upside considering
18:43after the catch he hasn't been really
18:44much a difference maker in the last
18:46couple years, but ultimately Mark
18:47Andrews still has value and could very
18:49easily finish in the top 12 if those
18:51touchdowns flow in for this offense.
18:53Number 15 is Juwan Johnson. Look, with
18:55the recent injury to Jordan Tyson, we're
18:57talking about a player that is going to
18:59see a lot more target opportunity, very
19:00similar to last year. From weeks 9
19:02through 18 with Tyler Shuck, 11.46
19:05fantasy points per game. And the reason
19:06why of course he found immediate rapport
19:08with Tyler Shuck is because they're
19:09former college teammates. So,
19:11effectively, with Juwan Johnson being
19:13utilized as a big slot receiving option
19:15in this offense, in the absence of
19:16Jordan Tyson at the beginning of the
19:18year, it will build momentum for him.
19:20Beyond that, when we're talking about
19:21coming off of the 2025 campaign where he
19:23hit a career high of targets,
19:24receptions, receiving yards, and fantasy
19:26points, it's primarily because of Kellen
19:28Moore's offense. Kellen Moore has
19:30supported tight ends in four of the last
19:32five seasons as an offensive play caller
19:34in the National Football League to
19:35having top 10 tight end targets. So, I
19:38expect Juwan Johnson to continue that
19:40and very sneakily be a potential top 12
19:42option that if you are in fact looking
19:43to draft George Kittle, pair him up with
19:45Juwan Johnson and play him in the early
19:47weeks if in fact he is not available for
19:49week one.
19:50Then we have Jake Ferguson, who last
19:51season from weeks 7 through 16, when
19:53Lamb returned, only was averaging about
19:555.22 targets per game and 8.94 fantasy
19:58points per game. On a 17-game pace,
20:00that's about tight end 13-14. So, again,
20:03number 16 is a little bit of a
20:04downgrade, but that's primarily because
20:06the rest of the tight end field is going
20:07to see more target opportunity and
20:09effectively more fantasy point per game
20:10contributions. But, when you're
20:12associated with an offense with Brian
20:13Schottenheimer, the head coach and
20:15primary play caller, you know, dialing
20:17up plays for you. Over the course of the
20:18last 3 years while Schottenheimer has
20:20been a part of this offense, this team
20:21is ranked 10, 10, and 11 in terms of
20:23tight end targets, averaging about 126
20:25to 138 per season. So, if we're going to
20:27be in a situation in which, again, the
20:29target opportunity's going to be there,
20:30yes, competing with Lamb and Picketts is
20:32difficult, but when you're a top five
20:33offense and touchdown upside is
20:35certainly on the board, Ferguson's still
20:37a top 16 option. Brevin Strange to begin
20:39the F tier. Look, in the 11 healthy
20:41games he played last year, 10.44 fantasy
20:43points per game. On a 17-game pace,
20:45we're talking about 177 plus fantasy
20:47points and finishing as tight end 11 or
20:4912.
20:50Really, it's just a matter of who's
20:51going to stay healthy at the tight end
20:52position. Guys are going to miss time,
20:54and if Brevin Strange isn't, he's
20:55certainly in an offense that has a, you
20:57know, all-time high of target
20:58competition, especially considering they
21:00drafted two tight ends in the NFL draft,
21:02but that means a lot of potential 12 and
21:0413 personnel sets where he's not only
21:06going to be playing Z, but he also play
21:07X, F, and Y, where he's going to be
21:09utilized as a primary receiving threat
21:11in this offense, especially down in the
21:13red zone, like he was able to
21:14demonstrate late last season.
21:1718 is T.J. Hockenson. You know, I
21:19thought about it for a while. I was
21:20giving Justin Jefferson and Jordan
21:22Addison a benefit of the doubt with
21:24Kyler Murray that I wasn't respecting
21:26T.J. Hockenson with. Even though the
21:27last two seasons have been brutal, and
21:29he has not looked like his normal self.
21:31From what T.J. Hockenson was able to
21:33accomplish in '23 and '22, again, that's
21:35a different tight end than what we have
21:36seen in the last two years. I mean, the
21:38Vikings offense in 2022 and 2023 ranked
21:41first and third in tight end targets.
21:42The last two years ranked 15th and 30th.
21:44So, obviously, going into this upcoming
21:46season, there was an initial hesitation
21:48from me. But, when we look at weeks 3
21:50through 7 of last year with Carson
21:51Wentz, 6 and 1/2 targets per game, 11
21:53fantasy points per game. With competent
21:55quarterback play, just with Addison and
21:57Jefferson, I've given them the benefit
21:58of the doubt. T.J. Hockenson is
21:59relevant. And now that we have Kyler
22:01Murray named the starter, I've moved him
22:02up into this overall top-tier
22:04conversation, because Kyler Murray has
22:06utilized guys like Trey McBride and Zach
22:08Ertz over the course of his career as
22:10security blankets. And of course,
22:11hopefully, Hockenson will be that for
22:12him this season.
22:1419 is Hunter Henry. There's a lot of
22:16increased target competition with A.J.
22:17Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Eli Ragor in
22:19this offense. Beyond that, Hunter Henry
22:21has always been someone that is chasing
22:23touchdowns. Now, of course, he has
22:24scored many of them over the course of
22:26the last two seasons with a Josh
22:27McDaniels offensive coordinator
22:29play-calling. He's, in fact, scored 16
22:31touchdowns in those 33 regular season
22:33games, coming off of a season of
22:35averaging 10.52 fantasy points per game.
22:38But, I really do think it's difficult to
22:39trust him in those games where he's not
22:41coming down with the touchdown,
22:42especially in a full PPR scoring format
22:44on only 5.12 targets per game last year.
22:47Terrance Ferguson closes out this tier.
22:49The Rams have demonstrated year over
22:50year that their second-year pros
22:52typically see a huge opportunity share
22:54jump. We've seen that from Kyren, Korem.
22:57And I really do think that Terrance
22:58Ferguson is next. Even though last year
23:00Colby Parkinson was their primary tight
23:02end from weeks 10 through the playoffs,
23:03averaging five targets per game and 12
23:05fantasy points per game, scoring nine
23:07touchdowns in 11 games. Again, I think
23:09that the fact that this Rams offense
23:11wants to utilize their tight end
23:12position as much as they do, running the
23:14most 13th personnel amongst all teams
23:16last season, additionally utilizing
23:17their tight end position at a high clip
23:19in the red zone, a 36% red zone target
23:21share for their tight ends, and 36% of
23:23the overall passing touchdowns going to
23:25their tight ends. Yes, with a, you know,
23:27potential regression in the touchdown
23:28category, Terrance Ferguson may not be
23:30as valuable as someone like, you know,
23:32potentially Parkinson was last year, but
23:34there's still a possibility that in this
23:36offense, a young receiver could be the
23:38number three option, a potential
23:40touchdown getter, and with the new route
23:42tree being implemented besides the fact
23:44that he was number one amongst all tight
23:45ends last season in yards per reception,
23:4621.0, there's a real conversation for
23:49Terrance Ferguson to excel in year two.
23:52Number 21 is Dalton Schultz. Prior to
23:54the recording of this video, I just got
23:55the news that Kayshon Boutte was in fact
23:57traded to the Texans. With Higgins
23:59obviously season ender, Dell still not
24:02working in with the first team, and
24:03Jalen Noel injured, Kayshon Boutte is
24:05certainly going to be a value to begin,
24:07and I think that is going to diminish
24:08Dalton Schultz's overall role. I was
24:10about to talk about him being a top 16
24:13tight end. I had him ahead of Ferguson
24:14prior to the recent news. And that's
24:16primarily because he has been a top 12
24:18ranked tight end in fantasy football
24:20full PPR in five of the last six
24:22seasons. And yes, he's going into the
24:23age 30 year, but this most recent season
24:26we saw Kelce, Gottert, and Henry, all
24:2830-plus years old, achieve top 12
24:30standing the year prior. Kittle, Kelce,
24:31and Ertz did the same thing. So, it's
24:33not impossible, and this is the tight
24:34end that last year was ranked sixth
24:36amongst all tight ends in terms of total
24:38targets. If that once again rings true
24:39this year, easily going to be a top 12
24:41option.
24:43Number 22 is Chigoziem Okonkwo. Look,
24:44the reality is the new offensive
24:46coordinator, David Blough, is a former
24:48quarterbacks coach of this offense the
24:49last two years. And besides being in the
24:51coaching tree of Kliff Kingsbury, he
24:52also played for Kliff Kingsbury back in
24:54Arizona. So, there's There's to be a lot
24:55of that overall offensive usage once
24:57again, this year in terms of getting
24:59their tight end the ball. And Zach Ertz,
25:01over the course of the last two seasons,
25:02in the 15 healthy games he played with
25:03Jayden Daniels, 12 fantasy points per
25:05game on six targets per game. So, yes,
25:07filling into the shoes of a Hall of
25:08Famer is difficult, and over the course
25:10of his career, when Chigo Okonkwo has
25:11seen six to seven targets per game, he's
25:13averaging about 9.7 fantasy points per
25:15game. But, I think his overall potential
25:17for success has diminished considering
25:19the addition of Stefon Diggs into this
25:21offense. Number 23 is Greg Dulcich.
25:23Look, last season they finished the year
25:25from weeks 14 through 18, was averaging
25:278.3 fantasy points per game. The new
25:28offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, is
25:30the former OC of the Texans from 2023 to
25:322024. They ranked 19th over the course
25:34of those two seasons in tight end
25:35targets. There is a conversation as to
25:37whether or not Greg Dulcich could be the
25:38number one overall receiving target of
25:40this offense. But, with Washington,
25:42Douglas, and Bell potentially contending
25:44for that, I think this could be a
25:45situation where touchdowns are going to
25:47be vital besides the reception counts.
25:49We don't know who's going to be the
25:50number one, but there is a contention
25:52for that with Greg Dulcich, which could
25:54very easily make him a top 17 option by
25:57the end of the year.
25:58Number 24 is A.J. Barner. Look, you get
26:00a new offensive coordinator, the former
26:01tight ends coach of the 49ers from '22
26:03to '24. So, if this Kyle Shanahan
26:06rushing scheme is going to be
26:07implemented on top of the fact that we
26:09could see Barner be the new George
26:10Kittle of this offense, there is a
26:12conversation to be had in which he
26:13should be higher ranked. But, I think
26:15Elijah Arroyo and Rashid Shaheed's
26:17overall expansion of usage is going to
26:19be enough to inhibit A.J. Barner from
26:22taking steps forward in these potential
26:24reception categories. If the touchdowns
26:26are at a high clip this year like they
26:27were last year, which 32% of the red
26:29zone target share went towards tight
26:31ends and 33% of the touchdowns went
26:32towards tight ends, if A.J. Barner can
26:34dominate down in the red zone, then
26:36sure, he's going to be in a great
26:37position. Otherwise, Arroyo could be
26:38vulture a lot of value.
26:40Number 25 is Kylen Granson. I've moved
26:42him down considerably because he is
26:43still injured. He's still dealing with
26:45the setback from his sports hernia
26:46surgery, and until he is healthy, we
26:49can't really utilize high draft capital
26:51on him. He is going to be a potential
26:52waiver wire option in many of our
26:53leagues. If you want to stash him in a
26:55deeper league, again, there is a
26:56potential in which he could be an
26:57immediate value play considering over
26:59the course of the last five seasons, we
27:01have seen seven different rookie tight
27:03ends ranked in the top 12 in their
27:04rookie season. Five of those seven tight
27:06ends, first-round picks in the NFL
27:07draft, similar to Cade Otton. And yes,
27:10the new offensive coordinator, Frank
27:11Reich, brings in a new scheme, but it's
27:13a scheme that he has proven over the
27:14course of his entire career as a
27:16play-caller to support a top 12 fantasy
27:18tight end. And when we're talking about
27:19a tight end who is one of the most
27:20athletic to ever come out of the NFL
27:21draft, a 4.39 40-yard dash speed,
27:25I mean, again, there is a possibility in
27:26which Cade Otton could be in the upper
27:28range of these potential fantasy point
27:30contributors. It just requires that he
27:32is healthy to start the year. Otherwise,
27:34again, someone that we are holding for
27:36later on in the season. Speaking of
27:37tight end injuries, we have Cade Otton.
27:38The last couple days he has missed
27:39practice. I think if in fact we can get
27:41him at a full healthy standing, there's
27:43a conversation to be had in terms of his
27:45overall integration within this offense.
27:47In the last three years, this offense
27:49has had three different offensive
27:50coordinators. And now they have a fourth
27:51different offensive coordinator with
27:52Zack Robinson. In the last two years as
27:54the OC of the Atlanta Falcons, they ran
27:56a lot of the 12 personnel, about 38%.
27:59And when you look at the overall tight
28:00end target share, especially when London
28:02was active, it wasn't great for Kyle
28:04Pitts. So, looking at the most recent
28:07seasons of production from Cade Otton,
28:08ranking as tight end 22, 14, and 19, I
28:11think that's a relatively safe range
28:12assuming he can stay healthy. But what
28:14makes him an incredibly intriguing
28:15option is that when he has played
28:16without Mike Evans over the course of
28:18the last two years, averaging about 11
28:19and a half fantasy points per game on
28:21seven targets per game in a full PPR.
28:23Could end up seeing that version of him
28:25this upcoming season if everything
28:27breaks in the right direction.
28:28Number 27 is Charlie Kolar. I've
28:30completely removed DeRonde Gatson from
28:32this conversation because this offense
28:34has already demonstrated from their
28:35preseason that if you cannot block,
28:37you're not going to get the rock. And
28:39Gatson cannot block. He is a liability
28:40in that category. Therefore, we're going
28:42to have a committee situation. And
28:44specifically, I I Charlie Kolar is going
28:45to be the number one as he secured a
28:473-year $24 million contract this
28:49off-season as one of the best
28:50run-blocking tight ends in the league on
28:52top of the fact that he can certainly
28:53contribute within the receiving
28:54category. Mike McDaniel's offenses in
28:56the last two years for the Dolphins have
28:58ranked 12th in terms of total tight end
29:00targets, 12th in fantasy points with
29:02Jonnu Smith and Waller being the primary
29:03contributors. Touchdowns could be on the
29:05board and certainly could be a lot more
29:07valuable if the target share is
29:08consistently there for Charlie Kolar in
29:102026. 28 is Pat Freiermuth. Even with
29:14the new coaching staff with Mike
29:15McCarthy, who has utilized the tight end
29:17position at a high clip with the Dallas
29:18Cowboys over the course of 2020 to 2024,
29:21the Dallas Cowboys ranked 10th in tight
29:23end targets, fourth in quarterback
29:24passing attempts, and 12th in tight end
29:26fantasy points. I think all those
29:28numbers are going to decrease. I think
29:30beyond that, I think there's going to be
29:31a conversation in which Darnell
29:32Washington is going to be contributing a
29:35lot within this offense not only as a
29:36blocker, but certainly someone that is
29:37going to steal routes from Pat
29:38Freiermuth, which leads me to believe
29:41he's not going to be able to follow the
29:42footsteps of those Dallas Cowboys
29:44receiving options at the tight end
29:45position, which ranked top 14 for four
29:47consecutive years.
29:49Number 29, Colby Parkinson. In the event
29:51in which we're totally wrong on Terrance
29:53Ferguson and his year two breakout is
29:54not there, Colby Parkinson proved to be
29:56incredibly valuable option, but
29:58considering how much overall opportunity
30:01the Rams tight ends see, Colby
30:02Parkinson, Tyler Higbee on a given
30:05weekly basis could be stealing
30:06touchdowns and quite frankly being a top
30:0830 option this season. The final player
30:10I wanted to mention is Gunner Helm on
30:11number 30. With the new coaching staff
30:13of Brian Daboll, I do think that this
30:15only hurts
30:16Gunner Helm's overall opportunity share,
30:18even though many of us look towards the
30:192025 season for the Giants, who of
30:21course Brian Daboll was the offensive
30:23play caller of. From weeks 1 through 10
30:25prior to Brian Daboll being fired, their
30:26tight ends were seeing 6.7 targets per
30:28game, but prior to the Neighbors injury,
30:30only 4.67 targets per game. You go back
30:32to the 2024 Giants, they ranked 32nd
30:35amongst all teams in targets per game to
30:37the tight end position. So, with more
30:38target competition in the form of
30:39Carnell Tate, Wan'Dale Robinson, and a
30:41healthy Calvin Ridley, Gunner Hoak is my
30:43number 30. That's going to cover for me
30:45today. Thank you everybody for watching.
30:46I appreciate y'all supporting the
30:47channel with your continued viewership.
30:49Again, appreciate you guys subscribing
30:50to the channel, getting us one step
30:51closer to 100,000 subscribers. Like I
30:54mentioned earlier, if you guys want my
30:55all-encompassing rankings at all
30:56positions, be sure to go ahead, check
30:58out the Patreon, link down in the
30:59description, and additionally, check out
31:00Parlay Play using code Andrew. Making
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31:06right, guys. Thank you everybody for
31:07watching, and until next time, I'll see
31:08you guys. Peace.
31:10>> [music]

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