Tyler Warren opened his rookie year looking like the best tight end in his draft class. The second half went in a very different direction. Indianapolis has lost its leading receiver and has questions about who replaces those targets. Should fantasy managers buy Warren in 2026?
Should You Draft Tyler Warren in Fantasy Football?
There’s an untouchable echelon of NFL tight ends in fantasy: Brock Bowers and Trey McBride. But could Warren be the next name to join them?
Warren has an ADP of 49.4. PFN’s consensus rank is a little lower on him at 55. He’s the TE5 in PFN’s rankings with a projected 11.7 points per game in 2026.
He led the Colts in targets last year as a rookie with 112, even with Michael Pittman Jr. in the fold. That target volume ranked fifth all time among rookie tight ends, and his 20.9% target rate was third among NFL tight ends in the 2025 season. That wasn’t outlier dominant either. He never fell below 4 targets in a single game and particularly thrived when Daniel Jones was healthy. He had 76 catches for 812 yards and finished as the TE4 in PPR formats as well.
It was a very, very strong rookie season, with Warren immediately producing at a high level. He tied for fourth in first downs among tight ends with 42. He had 6.2 yards after the catch per reception, which ranked eighth among tight ends, and just a 1.8% drop rate as well. Any definition you want to apply to Warren applies to him for sure: chain mover, YAC weapon, catch points, and universal alignment versatility.
But he also had just 4 touchdowns on 76 catches and 112 targets, and that’ll leave many fantasy managers wanting more in review of Warren’s 2025. The TD production isn’t quite there the way everything else is.
The big question isn’t whether Warren can produce. We already know he can produce at a top-five, top-10 level. It’s whether he can reach the level of Brock Bowers and Trey McBride. In my opinion, he’ll have more target competition than both players in the Colts offense, with Alec Pierce taking on more of a WR1 role. He’s the least TD-efficient of those players too, at least as of now. There’s also Jonathan Taylor, who led the NFL in carries in 2025 and is sure to be fed again after his monster season. The Colts ranked in the middle of the pack in passing percentage last year, and in my opinion, that doesn’t seem likely to expand in 2026.
Still, Warren is a true three-level threat tight end who should have a steady target allowance, especially with Daniel Jones back healthy, and could see a positive TD regression in his second year with more red-zone usage. To me, he is worth top-50 capital and can finish as a top-five tight end once again, but he should be drafted at or around his current ADP.
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Tyler Warren’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
If you want to build the case to fade Warren in DFS, I think you can. We don’t exactly know what the target diet is going to look like in this offense, and the Ravens allowed the second-fewest touchdowns to the TE position in 2025.
Outside of that, there’s no decision to be made. The addition of Keenan Allen could eat into the short target count some, but the health issues of Alec Pierce could also result in the Colts looking to exploit linebacker matchups further down the field.
I think it’s possible that Warren touches the ball 100 times this season, and if that’s the case, he could threaten the top tier at the position.
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Where Warren Ranks Among 2026 Tight Ends
- Brock Bowers | LV
- Trey McBride | ARI
- 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
Compare him against the rest of the board in PFN's Full PPR Tight End Rankings.
