Tight end is one of the more polarizing positions in fantasy football. With fewer elite names and a later overall average draft position (ADP), tight ends are often overlooked. However, consistent production at tight end often acts as a bonus skill position in your lineup and is crucial for maximizing top-end scoring. It is completely understandable for tight end to slip through the cracks as you add talent to other areas of the roster, making it essential to get a starter at the position in the later rounds.
With this in mind, here are three top names to have your eye on that should be in line to comfortably outperform their ADP at the TE position and give you a leg up in producing more team success given the value of drafting them.
Top Mid-Round Fantasy Football Tight End Targets in 2026:
Juwan Johnson | New Orleans Saints
Currently ranked as TE12 on DraftKings Network fantasy football rankings and holding an ADP of roughly 133 across all leagues and scoring formats, there is plenty of optimism surrounding Juwan Johnson coming into the season. Johnson enters his seventh season in the NFL and looks to build on a career-best year. The 29-year-old pulled in 77 receptions on 102 targets for 889 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson finished last season as the 13th-ranked tight end based on DraftKings scoring at 10.7 points per game.
New Orleans had a depressing offensive outlook for the bulk of last season. But Tyler Shough took control of the offense in the second half of the season, and the Saints went 5-4 with him under center. They closed the season by winning four of their final five games, and the organization believes he could be the franchise quarterback moving forward. Shough now has a full offseason to settle in as the starter, and is the driving reason why this season could be different for the franchise.
Johnson is a direct beneficiary of this, having formed strong chemistry with Shough. Across the nine games that Shough was the starter, Johnson pulled in 41 receptions for 521 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He produced fantasy-point totals of 12.1, 19.2, 10.6, 8.9, 7.8, 7.0, 16.9, 13.5, and 8.1. Kellen Moore’s offensive vision became progressively clearer as the season continued, and expect a further leap this season. With rookie Jordan Tyson set to be injured to start the season, Johnson will be further scaled up in the offensive hierarchy. The outlook for the Saints to score is more favorable this season, and Johnson will also be more involved in the red zone. Even while setting his career high in receiving yards, he has tallied as many as seven touchdowns in a season and recorded four or more in three different years. Count on a leap for the entire Saints offense and for Johnson to be a fantasy-relevant tight end that can regularly fill a starting role.
Isaiah Likely | New York Giants
After spending his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Isaiah Likely is free from playing behind Mark Andrews. To date, he has never played more than 60% of offensive snaps in a season, and he played just 57% of offensive snaps last year. Still, he has finished with average fantasy-point outputs of 5.9, 5.9, 8.0, and 4.5 points based on DraftKings scoring. The New York Giants handed Likely a three-year contract with the expectation that he will play a major role in the offense, and they are counting on him to deliver.
This season will mark a new era of football in New York, with John Harbaugh taking over as head coach. Jaxson Dart showed flashes of being the franchise quarterback the organization hoped for, and the Giants will be eager to build on it in a new system. One of the best ways to make life easier on a young quarterback is by leaning on the tight end position as a safety blanket in the flow of the attack. Likely offers a massive 6-foot-4 frame and moves fluidly as a route-runner.
It has always felt like Likely has more ability than he ever showed in Baltimore. This is his first real chance to put this on display, and he should trail only Malik Nabers in the offensive pecking order for the Giants’ pass catchers. It is also more than just a throwaway point that Nabers is still recovering from a pair of knee surgeries. Likely has also established himself as a reliable red-zone threat, with 15 receiving scores across his four seasons despite limited time on the field. The new Giants’ pass-catcher is currently being drafted with an ADP of roughly 111.1, and is considered TE16 in the 145th overall slot on DraftKings Network rankings. There is some risk that comes with him, but if it all clicks in the flow of the Giants’ offensive attack, there is a pathway to Likely finishing the season as one of the top tight ends in football.
Terrance Ferguson | Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams selected Terrance Ferguson with the 46th overall pick in last year’s draft. He joined a loaded tight end group last year, and this remains a bit problematic with Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee officially ahead of him on the depth chart. But Ferguson gradually became a bigger part of the offense for the Rams last year and will look to build on it. Across the 14 games he did play, the 23-year-old pulled in 11 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns.
However, in the last two regular-season games, he pulled in five receptions for 87 yards and two scores. The star-studded wide receiver pairing of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams will headline the receiving production. Still, Nacua has some injury concerns, and Adams is due for some touchdown regression after pulling in an NFL-best 14 touchdowns last year. Los Angeles also goes to 13 personnel at a high rate, pulling one of the two top wideouts off the field, and Ferguson became the second target in these sets by the end of last year.
Expectations are sky-high for this Rams team, and they will be getting the best effort from every team they face each week. Sean McVay is one of the top offensive minds in football, and Ferguson is much higher on their list of talents than it feels like is being fully recognized. The Oregon product is a deep-ball threat at a rare position and a matchup problem against both linebackers and safeties. Given the depth of the Rams’ tight end room and questions about his role in the offense, this is a selection that carries risk. He is currently being selected with an ADP of roughly 156 and is ranked as TE19 in DraftKings Network rankings. But if you are looking for a late-round flyer with the talent to be one of the top tight end performers in one of the best offenses in the NFL, Ferguson is your guy.
