These top-20 tight end rankings capture my complete PPR board after injuries, recoveries, transactions, and an unusually revealing summer. Ten profiles examine the players behind my strongest convictions and sharpest disagreements with ADP. Route participation, target earning, YPRR, first-down creation, red-zone ownership, and alignment versatility shape every argument. The order serves PPR leagues, although the analysis carries across formats.
The NFL helped revitalize the position last season by continuing its migration toward multiple-tight-end formations. Usage of 12 and 13 personnel increased 2.4 percentage points, while offensive success from those groupings rose 1.9 points. Seven teams used 12 personnel on at least 32.5% of their snaps. The Rams eventually built nearly half their offense around 13 personnel. Thirteen tight ends cleared 600 receiving yards, and 11 caught at least 60 passes.
This movement extends beyond a nostalgic return to heavy football. Modern 12 personnel can create a six-man run surface before emptying the formation through motion. Three tight ends can summon base defenders, preserve play action, and isolate a receiving mismatch against slower coverage. Tight end has become football’s hinge position, connecting the run structure to the passing geometry.
Heavy personnel alone guarantees nothing for fantasy. Blocking snaps can inflate participation while routes remain scarce. These rankings favor tight ends who stay dangerous from the line, wing, slot, backfield, and boundary. They can reshape a formation, earn the quarterback’s attention, and remain on the field through every possible game script.
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Dan Johnson’s top 20 tight ends for 2026 fantasy football (PPR scoring)
UPDATE 8/28 10:30 PM
| TE Rank | Tier | Player | Team | Tag | Editorial Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Brock Bowers | LV | EXTREME TARGET | Bowers commanded 24% of Las Vegas targets through 12 injury-marred games. He still caught 64 of 86 targets for 680 yards and seven touchdowns. His 31.3 routes per game reached the league-winning threshold shared only by Trey McBride. Las Vegas has every reason to center the passing game around its most destructive receiver. TE1 values the weekly lineup advantage created by wide-receiver volume at fantasy’s thinnest position. |
| 2 | 1 | Trey McBride | ARI | McBride detonated for 126 catches, 1,239 yards, and 11 touchdowns on 169 targets. He led tight ends in target share (25.4%), first-read share (33.8%), red-zone targets (32), and receiving yards per game (72.9). Arizona fed him 156 more routes than any tight end. Harrison and Wilson create spacing without disturbing McBride’s dominion between the numbers. TE2 carries overall TE1 production with slightly less explosive route value than Bowers. | |
| 3 | 2 | Colston Loveland | CHI | Loveland’s rookie season produced 58 catches, 713 yards, and six touchdowns on 82 targets. His final five games, including the playoffs, erupted into a 25.6% target share, 2.49 YPRR, and 34% first-read share. He created first downs on 11.6% of routes and averaged 17.2 PPR points during that ascent. Chicago can detach him, motion him, and hunt safeties through heavy personnel. TE3 embraces a second-year star already performing like his position’s royalty. | |
| 4 | 3 | Tucker Kraft | GB | TARGET | 8/28 Update: Kraft is expected to open fully available without a repetition limit. Green Bay added Jonnu Smith after Luke Musgrave’s neck injury. Jonnu supplies experienced depth; Kraft remains the featured receiving weapon.Kraft caught 32 of 44 targets for 489 yards and six touchdowns before tearing his ACL. His 15.3 yards per reception and 11.1 yards per target were preposterous for the position. He led all NFL receivers with 10.8 YAC per catch. One broken tackle every 5.3 receptions added violence to the efficiency. TE4 trusts the per-route devastation through a measured September workload. |
| 5 | 3 | Tyler Warren | IND | EXTREME FADE | Warren’s rookie season delivered 76 catches, 817 yards, four receiving touchdowns, and another score rushing. His 21% target share revealed immediate NFL authority. His 67.6 receiving grade ranked 19th among 37 qualifying tight ends. Indianapolis still routes its highest-value touches through Jonathan Taylor, who scored 20 times. Warren’s recent groin strain adds mild September uncertainty. TE5 respects the talent while placing Kraft’s volcanic efficiency first. |
| 6 | 4 | Sam LaPorta | DET | 8/28 Update: LaPorta resumed practice and caught passes from Jared Goff during Detroit’s scrimmage. The hip issue no longer threatens his opener.LaPorta caught 40 of 49 targets for 489 yards and three touchdowns before back surgery ended his season. That 81.6% catch rate and 12.2 yards per reception preserved his efficient receiving core. His first 42 NFL games produced 186 catches, 2,104 yards, and 20 touchdowns. Detroit’s crowded offense restricts target sovereignty. TE6 still carries a proven double-digit-touchdown ceiling inside an arcade scoring environment. | |
| 7 | 4 | George Kittle | SF | TARGET | Kittle has averaged 2.41 yards per route across five seasons, 19% above the next tight end. Eleven games still produced 57 catches, 628 yards, and seven touchdowns last season. His Achilles recovery threatens early route volume, although PUP activation preserved Week 1 access. San Francisco has begun his return through individual work before full team periods. TE7 accepts the medical volatility because six Kittle targets carry extraordinary weekly force. |
| 8 | 5 | Dalton Kincaid | BUF | FADE | 8/28 Update: Kincaid has played through a broken right pinky since July without missing practice. His healthy knee and uninterrupted summer preserve the breakout trajectory.Kincaid caught 39 of 49 targets for 571 yards and five touchdowns across 12 injury-limited games. His 79.6% catch rate and 14.6 yards per reception formed a gorgeous efficiency marriage. His 81.8 receiving grade ranked third among 37 qualifying tight ends. He scored near TE5 levels whenever route participation cleared 50%. TE8 recognizes the eruption. The Fade tag reflects a price already demanding it. |
| 9 | 5 | Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE | Fannin converted 103 rookie targets into 72 catches, 731 yards, and six touchdowns. His 10.2 yards per reception made extraordinary concentration responsible for much of that finish. Cleveland answered by drafting KC Concepcion 24th and Denzel Boston 39th. Those additions attack the same middle-field and manufactured-touch ecosystem. Fannin’s 76.4 receiving grade ranked 12th among 37 qualifiers. TE9 preserves the player while trimming last season’s target monopoly. | |
| 10 | 5 | Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL | FADE | Pitts finally erupted for 88 catches, 928 yards, and five touchdowns on 118 targets. He finished second among tight ends in routes, targets, receptions, and yards. One volcanic 11-166-3 performance supplied 22% of his season’s PPR production. Without Drake London, Pitts commanded 26.7% of targets and averaged 2.81 YPRR. London’s return restores a less concentrated offense. TE10 honors the breakthrough while refusing to purchase its loudest night twice. |
| 11 | 6 | Travis Kelce | KC | EXTREME FADE | Kelce caught 76 passes for 851 yards and again led Kansas City in receiving at age 35. Five touchdowns marked his third consecutive season below six, shrinking the weekly positional advantage. Rice, Worthy, and the backs divide a broader target tree around Patrick Mahomes’ ACL recovery. Kelce’s 12 consecutive 800-yard seasons deserve reverence. TE11 prices the current distribution, declining touchdown authority, and the younger ceilings available later. |
| 12 | 6 | Juwan Johnson | NO | TARGET | 8/26 Update: Johnson drew 102 targets and finished as the TE10 last season. His rapport with Tyler Shough persisted throughout camp, including repeated red-zone connections.Johnson caught 77 passes for 889 yards and three touchdowns, finishing third among tight ends in receiving yards. Jordyn Tyson’s prolonged hamstring recovery removes an immediate target claimant. Noah Fant and Oscar Delp provide depth without dislodging Johnson from the starting role. TE12 bets on routes, established chemistry, and touchdown growth from an already excellent receiving season. |
| 13 | 6 | Mark Andrews | BAL | Andrews endured a severe receiving contraction: 48 catches, 422 yards, and five touchdowns on 70 targets. His 8.8 yards per reception sat miles below a career average previously built on seam violence. Ten carries created 48 yards and another touchdown, keeping Baltimore invested in manufactured red-zone touches. Isaiah Likely’s departure restores the cleanest tight-end route tree Andrews has seen recently. TE13 expects scoring usefulness without granting another premium for past dominion. | |
| 14 | 6 | Chig Okonkwo | WAS | TARGET | Okonkwo closed Tennessee with career highs of 56 catches and 560 yards, scoring twice. He recorded multiple receptions during 10 consecutive games to finish the season. Washington now places his 4.52 speed beside Jayden Daniels inside a far more efficient passing environment. John Bates and Ben Sinnott supply blocking depth while Okonkwo owns the premier receiving profile. TE14 chases full-time routes after four seasons of underfed athleticism. |
| 15 | 7 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | FADE | Goedert caught 60 passes for 591 yards, remaining below 40 receiving yards per game. His 11 touchdowns more than doubled his previous career high, while 9.9 yards per catch marked another low. DeVonta Smith controls Philadelphia’s hierarchy, and Makai Lemon adds another target claimant. Goedert can remain useful to the Eagles through routes and blocking. TE15 expects touchdown regression to erase much of last season’s fantasy glamour. |
| 16 | 7 | Isaiah Likely | NYG | Likely’s final Baltimore season yielded 27 catches, 307 yards, and one touchdown across 14 games. A foot injury cost three games and interrupted an already reduced route rhythm. New York paid for movement versatility and has deployed him across the formation beside Jaxson Dart. Malik Nabers commands the passing game’s gravitational center, while Theo Johnson still earns tight-end snaps. TE16 values the expanded role without projecting an uncontested target tree. | |
| 17 | 8 | Jake Ferguson | DAL | EXTREME FADE | Ferguson’s 82 receptions ranked 14th among all players, yet they generated only 600 yards. His 7.3 yards per catch accompanied eight touchdowns after a scoreless 2024 season. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens still command Dallas’ most valuable targets. Ferguson can repeat triple-digit opportunities while remaining dependent upon end-zone fortune. TE17 rejects a price built around remarkably empty yardage and unstable touchdown conversion. |
| 18 | 8 | Dalton Schultz | HOU | TARGET | 8/26 Update: Jayden Higgins’ torn ACL removes 41 receptions, 525 yards, and six touchdowns from Houston’s projected lineup. Kayshon Boutte replaces the perimeter threat; Schultz retains the middle-field role.Schultz caught 82 of 106 targets for 777 yards and three touchdowns. He ranked third among tight ends in receptions and sixth in targets and receiving yards. The 9.5 yards per catch suppresses eruption potential while strengthening his weekly PPR floor. TE18 offers established volume after the higher-variance tight ends disappear. |
| 19 | 9 | Terrance Ferguson | LAR | 8/28 Update: Ferguson remained limited to side-field work during the Rams’ final camp stretch. His explosive, lower-volume role keeps the ranking intact while September availability receives monitoring.Ferguson’s 11 rookie catches gained 231 yards and scored three touchdowns, yielding 21.0 yards per reception. He led NFL tight ends with 13 deep targets despite playing approximately 40% of offensive snaps. The Rams used three-tight-end personnel on nearly 40% of plays, sustaining routes within a crowded room. TE19 preserves one of the position’s strangest and most intoxicating downfield profiles. | |
| 20 | 9 | Brenton Strange | JAX | Strange caught 46 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns across 12 games. Twenty-eight receptions moved the chains, producing a powerful 60.9% first-down rate. Jacksonville guaranteed $25 million within a three-year, $48 million extension, confirming its commitment to his every-down role. The Jaguars also possess one of football’s deepest target trees. TE20 combines contractual security, efficient possession work, and weekly volume volatility. |
Full profiles
All stats in the subheadings are from 2025, and were provided by the glorious FantasyPoints Data Suite.
TE1. Brock Bowers
Receptions: 64 | Targets: 86 | Receiving yards: 680 | Touchdowns: 7 | Route participation: 92.0% | Target share: 23.4% | TPRR: 21.0% | YPRR: 1.65 | First downs per route: 9.6% | Red-zone target share: 42.5% | PPR points per game: 14.5
Bowers played 12 games through a damaged PCL and still commanded the position’s most valuable workload. He caught 64 passes for 680 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 targets. Las Vegas directed 23.4% of its attempts toward him, including 42.5% inside the red zone. Those are sovereign usage rates for any receiver, especially a tight end working through a compromised knee.
Bowers ran 31.3 routes per game, one of two tight ends reaching the recent league-winning threshold. His 92% route participation supplied receiver volume from a position usually crowded with blockers, decoys, and conditional route runners. Even diminished, he created first downs on 9.6% of routes and averaged 1.65 YPRR. During brace-free games, those marks climbed to 10.3% and 62 receiving yards per game. He averaged 16.4 PPR points in that healthier split.
His first two seasons have now produced 176 catches, 1,874 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Bowers also owns 22.9% of Las Vegas targets and 24.4% of its air yards across that span. His 32.4% share of team receiving touchdowns reveals scoring authority extending well beyond last year’s seven-game surge.
Klint Kubiak inherits a receiving room whose wideouts are Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker, and Jack Bech. Michael Mayer can expand heavy personnel without trespassing upon Bowers’ detached alignments. Kirk Cousins offers immediate timing-game competence while Fernando Mendoza develops.
I rank Bowers TE1 and 13th overall because his position cannot contain his receiving identity. His 22.2 ADP prices him alongside strong players. His workload can create a weekly scoring chasm unavailable elsewhere. Health supplies the failure condition after last year’s PCL ordeal. Healthy Bowers carries 150-target force, red-zone primacy, and the route volume required to lead every tight end category.
TE3. Colston Loveland
Receptions: 58 | Targets: 82 | Receiving yards: 713 | Touchdowns: 6 | Route participation: 67.4% | Target share: 15.3% | TPRR: 22.7% | YPRR: 1.98 | First downs per route: 10.0% | Red-zone target share: 35.2% | PPR points per game: 10.3
Loveland spent autumn learning Chicago’s offense, then commandeered it when the schedule became cruelest. His rookie regular season finished at 58 catches, 713 yards, and six touchdowns on 82 targets. That respectable line conceals the receiver metamorphosis that erupted once his routes reached adult proportions.
Across the final five games, including two playoff contests, Loveland commanded 25.6% of targets and 34% of first reads. He averaged 81.6 receiving yards, 2.49 YPRR, 11.6% first downs per route, and 17.2 PPR points. During six games with at least 25 routes, he drew 9.5 targets and scored 19.3 points per game. Four of his six games above 75% snaps produced at least 21 fantasy points.
The full-season 67.4% route participation explains the modest 10.3-point average. Loveland reached 80% during the closing eruption, transforming latent efficiency into weekly domination. He also drew 13 red-zone targets, led Chicago, and carried a 9.5-yard average target depth. Tight ends rarely combine vertical deployment, first-read command, and red-zone sovereignty this early.
Chicago traded D.J. Moore and leaned into multiple-tight-end personnel as Loveland ascended. Cole Kmet remains useful, although December established the receiving hierarchy. Ben Johnson can isolate Loveland outside, hide his releases through motion, and punish linebackers from condensed formations.
I rank Loveland TE3, exactly where positional ADP places him. The overall cost around pick 41 demands immediate continuation, which introduces target competition and sophomore volatility. His late-season route growth already supplied the evidence that projection usually lacks. Loveland enters Year 2 with a wide receiver’s target appetite inside a 6-foot-6 frame. That architecture can challenge Bowers and McBride immediately.
TE4. Tucker Kraft
Receptions: 32 | Targets: 44 | Receiving yards: 489 | Touchdowns: 6 | Route participation: 82.4% | Target share: 18.3% | TPRR: 21.0% | YPRR: 2.33 | First downs per route: 10.5% | Red-zone target share: 31.6% | PPR points per game: 14.7
Kraft turns short throws into civic emergencies. Green Bay targeted him 44 times before the ACL tear, producing 32 catches, 489 yards, and six touchdowns. His 14.7 PPR points per game ranked fourth among tight ends. The route-level violence made that scoring feel repeatable rather than touchdown perfume.
His 15.3 yards per reception led the position. Kraft generated 10.8 yards after every catch despite a 4.8-yard average target depth. No tight end had reached 10.0 YAC per reception on 40 targets since tracking began. One forced missed tackle every 5.3 catches gave the efficiency a visible cause. Defenders met 254 pounds moving downhill after Jordan Love supplied an easy completion.
Kraft added 2.33 YPRR, a 21% TPRR, and a 31.6% red-zone target share. His seven preinjury weeks looked hotter: 2.71 YPRR, 21.6% first-read share, and 12.1% first downs per route. Green Bay received explosive-receiver economics from shallow tight-end targets.
The ACL introduces uncertainty because Kraft’s game depends upon acceleration, balance, and punishment after contact. His August recovery has answered every immediate question. Kraft resumed full team work, absorbed contact, and reached Week 1 without an expected repetition limit. Jonnu Smith arrived after Luke Musgrave’s neck injury, giving Green Bay experienced depth around its featured weapon.
I rank Kraft TE4, one place above his positional ADP and directly above Tyler Warren. That difference expresses conviction about efficiency’s source. Kraft manufactures yardage through speed and contact balance, while Love supplies elite placement. Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks vacated 131 combined targets. A healthy knee can marry greater volume to football’s most deranged tight-end YAC profile. That combination deserves aggression.
TE5. Tyler Warren
Receptions: 76 | Targets: 112 | Receiving yards: 817 | Touchdowns: 5 | Route participation: 83.6% | Target share: 21.1% | TPRR: 22.4% | YPRR: 1.63 | First downs per route: 8.4% | Red-zone target share: 27.7% | PPR points per game: 11.1
Warren immediately became Indianapolis’ structural solution, aligning everywhere and absorbing 112 targets as a rookie. He caught 76 passes for 817 yards, scored four times receiving, and added another touchdown rushing. His 21.1% target share led the Colts and ranked sixth among tight ends.
The season split at Daniel Jones’ fractured fibula. Through 10 weeks, Warren led all tight ends with 617 receiving yards. He averaged 2.13 YPRR and 13.6 PPR points during that stretch. The full season settled at 1.63 YPRR and 11.1 points as quarterback efficiency collapsed around him. That decline belongs inside the projection because Jones returns, carrying the same accuracy that powered Warren’s opening surge.
Warren drew targets on 22.4% of routes, participated on 83.6%, and claimed 27.7% of red-zone targets. Indianapolis used him for 384 receiver snaps and 64 backfield snaps, with only 51.8% coming traditionally inline. His movement created coverage declarations before the snap and favorable leverage afterward.
Michael Pittman’s departure vacated 108 targets, including 13 red-zone and six end-zone opportunities. Alec Pierce’s injury and Josh Downs’ calf issue further concentrate early availability. Keenan Allen supplies possession volume, while Jonathan Taylor owns the backfield and scored 20 times last season.
I rank Warren TE5, one place below positional ADP, despite an obvious path toward leading Indianapolis again. His 27.7% red-zone share produced four receiving scores inside an offense devoted to Taylor near the goal line. Kraft offers greater per-route destruction several rounds later. Warren’s recent groin strain adds another small September tax. The talent remains exquisite. The price demands immediate elite scoring, and his ecosystem distributes premium touches too widely for blind exaltation.
TE7. George Kittle
Receptions: 57 | Targets: 69 | Receiving yards: 628 | Touchdowns: 7 | Route participation: 69.7% | Target share: 21.4% | TPRR: 23.6% | YPRR: 2.26 | First downs per route: 13.0% | Red-zone target share: 20.0% | PPR points per game: 14.7
Kittle keeps turning ordinary route volume into aristocratic fantasy production. Eleven games yielded 57 catches, 628 yards, seven touchdowns, and 14.7 PPR points per appearance. His 69.7% route participation ranked 15th among tight ends. The scoring finished third because every Kittle route carries unusual violence and efficiency.
He generated 2.26 YPRR across the regular season and playoffs, fourth among 59 tight ends with 125 routes. His 13% first downs per route made those opportunities drive-altering. Across five seasons, Kittle’s 2.41 YPRR leads the position by 19%. His +0.599 EPA per target leads every player with 150 targets during that span, including Puka Nacua.
Last season also produced 21.4% of San Francisco’s targets during his games and +156 receiving yards over expectation. Kittle caught 82.6% of his targets while averaging 11 yards per reception. Efficiency survived a shallower route tree, changing quarterbacks, and another bruising blocking workload.
The Achilles tear occurred during January’s wild-card loss, creating the entire discount. San Francisco activated him from PUP, and his ramp began with individual work. Full-team repetitions remain the decisive checkpoint. Age 32 further enlarges the range between medical clearance and familiar explosiveness.
I rank Kittle TE7 against a TE9 market price around pick 84. Brock Purdy has produced 0.348 EPA per dropback with Kittle since 2023, compared with 0.294 without him. Mike Evans commands targets, yet San Francisco still lacks a crowded high-ADP receiving tree. Six Kittle targets can outproduce nine ordinary tight-end targets. The Achilles can steal September, weekly snaps, or both. His price absorbs that danger while preserving access to the position’s supreme efficiency artist.
TE8. Dalton Kincaid
Receptions: 39 | Targets: 49 | Receiving yards: 571 | Touchdowns: 5 | Route participation: 44.2% | Target share: 14.1% | TPRR: 27.0% | YPRR: 2.79 | First downs per route: 13.2% | Red-zone target share: 15.6% | PPR points per game: 10.5
Buffalo rationed Kincaid so severely that his 2025 season resembles a controlled laboratory experiment. He caught 39 of 49 targets for 571 yards and five touchdowns across 12 games. The resulting 10.5 PPR average came from only 44.2% route participation, 39th among tight ends.
Whenever Kincaid entered the pattern, Josh Allen found him. His 27% TPRR led 69 tight ends with 100 routes. His 2.79 YPRR led every tight end with 40 targets. He also generated 0.70 fantasy points per route, a 79.6% catch rate, and 11.7 yards per target. First downs arrived on 13.2% of routes, second at the position.
Kincaid averaged 14.1 PPR points whenever route participation cleared 50%, roughly TE5 scoring. His career route share reached 63% during games absent a practice-report designation. Last year’s hamstring, oblique, and lingering PCL complications explain much of the deployment collapse. They also establish a serious availability risk after nine missed games across two seasons.
The 2026 evidence has remained encouraging. Kincaid shed the knee brace, completed camp without a knee interruption, and played through a broken pinky. Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes retain blocking responsibilities. Their presence can preserve Kincaid’s detached receiving role while still capping raw snaps.
I rank Kincaid TE8 against a TE10 market price near pick 100. Buffalo carries a 25.7-point implied scoring environment and lacks an established alpha receiver. D.J. Moore adds competition, although Allen has never required concentrated volume to create touchdowns. A 65% route share at last year’s efficiency approaches 1,000 yards. The failure condition appears immediately through September usage. The ceiling appears every time Kincaid leaves the huddle for a route.
TE10. Kyle Pitts Sr.
Receptions: 88 | Targets: 118 | Receiving yards: 928 | Touchdowns: 5 | Route participation: 95.1% | Target share: 22.9% | TPRR: 21.9% | YPRR: 1.72 | First downs per route: 9.5% | Red-zone target share: 20.3% | PPR points per game: 12.4
Pitts finally delivered the season fantasy players had been financing since 2021. He caught 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns on 118 targets. His 95.1% route participation led the position, while 22.9% of Atlanta’s targets established unquestioned structural importance.
The aggregate breakthrough deserves admiration and interrogation. Pitts generated 1.72 YPRR, 21.9% TPRR, and first downs on 9.5% of routes. Eight deep targets produced six catches, 180 yards, and two touchdowns. He added 399 yards after the catch, fifth among tight ends. Atlanta finally used every portion of his receiving profile.
Drake London’s availability transformed the underlying player. Without London, Pitts commanded 26.7% of targets, averaged 84.4 yards, and reached 2.81 YPRR. His first-read share rose to 27.8%, with 12% first downs per route and 19 PPR points. Five London absences supplied 68% of Pitts’ season fantasy production.
Week 15 intensified the distortion. Pitts’ 11 catches, 166 yards, and three touchdowns produced 22% of his yearly PPR total. During 10 healthier London games, Pitts averaged 1.36 YPRR. That split describes a secondary receiver whose grandest eruption required concentrated circumstances.
I rank Pitts TE10 against a TE7 market price around pick 75. Kevin Stefanski’s history with tight ends and a three-year, $54 million extension protect the routes. Tua Tagovailoa’s declining downfield work and Michael Penix’s uncertain timeline destabilize their quality. Bijan Robinson and London remain Atlanta’s offensive aristocracy. Pitts owns a durable route kingdom and renewed confidence. His price assumes last year’s emergency target concentration can become ordinary life. I remain unconvinced.
TE12. Juwan Johnson
Receptions: 77 | Targets: 102 | Receiving yards: 889 | Touchdowns: 3 | Route participation: 74.6% | Target share: 16.9% | TPRR: 20.2% | YPRR: 1.76 | First downs per route: 8.1% | Red-zone target share: 18.6% | PPR points per game: 10.6
Johnson’s breakout grew from ordinary repetition until the accumulated volume became impossible to dismiss. He caught 77 passes for 889 yards on 102 targets, finishing third among tight ends in yardage. Three touchdowns kept his 10.6 PPR average quieter than the workload deserved.
New Orleans sent Johnson through 74.6% of routes, eighth at the position. He earned 20.2% of those routes and converted them into 1.76 YPRR. Only four tight ends created more explosive receptions than Johnson’s 10. His 41 receiving first downs accompanied 362 yards after the catch and a 7.6-yard average target depth.
The hands introduced friction. Johnson tied the league lead among tight ends with seven drops, lowering the ceiling on 102 opportunities. His 75.5% catch rate remained strong, though, and Tyler Shough repeatedly returned to him. Johnson posted top-12 weekly finishes during five of Shough’s nine starts. His lowest placement in that stretch was TE22.
Jordyn Tyson’s prolonged hamstring recovery removes an immediate high-volume claimant. Chris Olave governs the perimeter while Johnson works seams, sit routes, and red-zone spacing. Noah Fant and Oscar Delp deepen the room without possessing Johnson’s established chemistry. Camp repeatedly produced Shough-to-Johnson touchdowns near the goal line.
I rank Johnson TE12 against a TE16 market price near pick 142. His 18.6% red-zone target share produced only three touchdowns, opening a straightforward scoring correction. Age 30 and increased competition can compress routes later. September still offers bankable usage inside an offense whose young quarterback already trusts him. Johnson supplies the unglamorous statistical foundation this position routinely withholds: routes, targets, first downs, and quarterback preference.
TE14. Chig Okonkwo
Receptions: 56 | Targets: 79 | Receiving yards: 560 | Touchdowns: 2 | Route participation: 57.9% | Target share: 13.6% | TPRR: 21.0% | YPRR: 1.49 | First downs per route: 6.4% | Red-zone target share: 9.8% | PPR points per game: 7.3
Okonkwo spent four seasons sprinting through an offense that treated passing efficiency like contraband. He still recorded three consecutive years with 50 catches, 500 yards, and 70 targets. His final Tennessee season produced career highs of 56 receptions and 560 yards, plus another two touchdowns.
The 2025 line carried 57.9% route participation, 13.6% target share, and 1.49 YPRR. Okonkwo forced missed tackles at the position’s seventh-highest rate and ranked 12th in yards after catch per reception. His career rates remain sharper: 21% TPRR, 1.70 YPRR, and 0.20 missed tackles per catch. Ten straight multi-reception games closed his Titans tenure.
Touchdown starvation defined the ceiling. Okonkwo saw five red-zone targets and one end-zone opportunity, trailing rookie Gunnar Helm in both categories. Tennessee ranked 30th in passing yards and 31st in passing touchdowns. Cam Ward finished 35th or worse in completion rate, CPOE, and yards per attempt among qualified passers.
Washington changes the geometry. Jayden Daniels supported 91 targets, 654 yards, and seven touchdowns from Zach Ertz during 2024. That role produced 79% route participation, 21% target share, and 24% end-zone share last season. Okonkwo arrives younger, faster, and far more dangerous after the catch. His three-year, $27 million contract confirms meaningful intent.
Stefon Diggs’ arrival crowds the middle, while Terry McLaurin remains the primary receiver. I still rank Okonkwo TE14 against a TE20 market price near pick 154. John Bates and Ben Sinnott can absorb blocking assignments. Okonkwo can move through the slot, across formations, and vertically from condensed sets. The 4.52 speed finally meets an accurate quarterback and a professional scoring ecosystem.
TE19. Terrance Ferguson
Receptions: 11 | Targets: 25 | Receiving yards: 231 | Touchdowns: 3 | Route participation: 35.0% | Target share: 4.3% | TPRR: 15.2% | YPRR: 1.38 | First downs per route: 5.4% | Red-zone target share: 4.3% | PPR points per game: 3.1
Ferguson’s rookie target map looked drawn by a sleep-deprived Sean McVay with access to unlimited vertical chalk. Eleven catches became 231 yards and three touchdowns, producing 21 yards per reception. His 18.3-yard average target depth led 58 qualified tight ends and ranked third among 243 NFL receivers.
The Rams sent 15 deep targets toward Ferguson across only 196 routes. He aligned in the slot on 46.2% of those routes and outside on 23.7%. That usage created wheel routes, deep overs, and boundary releases usually reserved for receivers carrying smaller bodies. His 4.63 speed and 91st-percentile 10-yard split gave Matthew Stafford enough acceleration to attack leverage vertically.
The inefficiency also screams. Ferguson caught 44% of his targets, drew looks on 15.2% of routes, and posted 1.38 YPRR. Just 60% of his targets were charted catchable, worst among 54 tight ends with 25 opportunities. Nine first downs from 11 catches reveal what happened whenever ball and body reached the same coordinates.
My Stafford devotion could intoxicate this ranking, so the crowded room receives full weight. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams combined for 55.1% of Rams targets. Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, Max Klare, and Davis Allen remain employed. Los Angeles still used 13 personnel on an NFL-high 30.5% of plays. That formation gives Ferguson access to routes without demanding traditional personnel supremacy.
I rank Ferguson TE19 against a TE24 market price around pick 160. His late-camp side-field work adds September fragility. The bet concerns role evolution, Stafford’s audacity, and McVay’s appetite for stress-testing defensive rules. Ferguson caught two red-zone touchdowns during joint work while learning F, Z, Y, and X. One expanded route tree can turn final-round delirium into weekly spectacle.
