Harold Fannin Jr. is heading into his second NFL season with the Cleveland Browns. The situation around him looks quite different from what it did a year ago. There is a lot to sort through with the young tight end. Should fantasy managers be drafting Fannin in 2026?
Should You Draft Harold Fannin Jr. in Fantasy Football?
In PFN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator, Fannin’s ADP is currently 69.4. That’s late round 7 or early round 8, depending on how many people are in your league. PFN’s fantasy experts Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe, between their two boards combined, have a pretty similar ranking. They have him as the 71st overall player in their fantasy football rankings for this year. That comes out to TE8, and his projected points per game in a PPR format is 10.49.
Fannin took Cleveland by storm in a season that didn’t bring a lot to be excited about for Browns fans. Fannin was one of those bright spots for sure. He put together an incredible rookie year as an early third-round selection. But still, to end up the year with 72 catches, 731 receiving yards, and 6 touchdowns is impressive production for any tight end, let alone a rookie. He ended up as the TE6 in fantasy football.
Looking at the Browns this year, they did load up at wide receiver. They brought in KC Concepcion and drafted Denzel Boston as well. Both of those were selections in the first two rounds for Cleveland. But you can also look at it this way: David Njoku is no longer on the team, so in theory there are more snaps for Fannin.
Especially early on in his rookie year, you could argue he didn’t have as big of a role in that Browns offense. But as the year progressed, his target count got a lot more consistent. Looking at that backstretch of the year, he had 14 targets against the Bears in December and 11 targets against the Tennessee Titans that same month. I think there’s a chance you could see that level of production, that level of target share. Maybe not every single week, but I think it’ll be a lot more often that he gets double-digit targets in the passing game.
Say what you want about Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, and a lot can be said about those guys, but if it’s the NFL, you’re going to have to throw the ball at some point. If you don’t have a quarterback you feel incredibly confident in, a tight end, a security blanket like Fannin, could be a very valuable asset to have.
At his current projected rate as a TE8, I’m definitely considering taking him at his current ADP of 69.4. I think Fannin has the upside to be a top-5 fantasy tight end this year. I don’t think he has the upside of a Trey McBride or Brock Bowers, but I think he could be close.
A lot of people are talking about Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren as some of these second-year tight ends to watch in fantasy football. I think Fannin belongs in that same conversation. If you can get him a little bit later than you get those other guys, I think that’ll end up being tremendous value.
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Harold Fannin Jr.’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
Ugh.
The Browns announced on Aug. 24 that Deshaun Watson will open the season under center for this directionless franchise, and that has me lower than consensus on Fannin in the short term.
That take is less about Watson himself and more about the tight end’s efficiency metrics with Shedeur Sanders (1.84 PPR points per target and 2.09 yards per route, rates in the same zip code as 2025 Trey McBride) a season ago.
We honestly don’t know what Watson has to offer, but this is a tipping point either way. It feels like a move they felt cornered to make for financial reasons, hoping that his play on the field opens up an excuse to evaluate the younger options.
Don’t get me wrong, Fannin is a real player, and if you have him as your lone tight end, you’re not adjusting. He’s a low-end TE1 for me in this spot with me projecting a passing script; I just don’t think he has the weekly top-5 upside that I’ll give him if/when the QB hierarchy changes.
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Where Fannin Ranks Among 2026 Tight Ends
- Colston Loveland | CHI
- Tucker Kraft | GB
- Tyler Warren | IND
- Sam LaPorta | DET
- George Kittle | SF
- Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE
- Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL
- Dalton Kincaid | BUF
- Isaiah Likely | NYG
- Juwan Johnson | NO
- Jake Ferguson | DAL
More rankings can be found in PFN's PPR Tight End Rankings.
