The New York Jets had a clear plan entering the 2026 offseason: fix the offense. Part of that fix was selecting Kenyon Sadiq in the middle of the first round of the NFL Draft. In recent years, we’ve seen rookie tight ends burst onto the scene and be factors in fantasy football right away. Sadiq’s draft capital gives him a chance to do so, but his production profile and offensive situation may not.
Should You Draft Kenyon Sadiq in Fantasy Football?
The first-round pick from the New York Jets is currently being selected in PFN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator with an ADP of 165.4. That’s about the 17th round, give or take, depending on how many people are in your league. It’s similar to where PFN fantasy draft analysts Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe have him ranked 172 on their board in their fantasy football rankings this year, and they’re projecting him at around 7.97 points per game in a PPR league. That comes out to TE21 this year, so that’s a low-end TE2, high-end TE3.
Do you necessarily want to roster three tight ends? It’s totally up to you. It also depends on how deep your bench is and how many spots you have to work with. But I think Sadiq has significant upside solely because he was a tremendous receiving tight end in college. I think that translates incredibly well to fantasy, because you have your blocking tight ends who get drafted early, but you can’t always quantify that in fantasy.
Sadiq, on the other hand, has an incredible, elite level of athleticism. He’s somebody who can run a full route tree at the tight end position. You’ve seen that there are rookies who can contribute at a high level in fantasy. Look at last year, when you had guys like Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Gadsden, and Harold Fannin, just to name a few, who were all rookies. They all contributed at a very high level. Sure, that was a really good tight end class, but I think Sadiq is up there with guys like Warren and Loveland in how good they were as prospects coming out of the draft.
Sadiq has unbelievable receiving upside. Yes, I know it’s going to be Geno Smith throwing him the ball. Mason Taylor, I think, is more of a possession guy. I think Sadiq has more potential to take the top off a defense.
At receiver for the Jets, it’s Garrett Wilson, and who else? AD Mitchell has shown flashes, but he hasn’t been a consistent producer yet. Omar Cooper Jr. has taken his lumps in training camp. You don’t necessarily know what he’s going to be, at least in year one. There’s potential there, but I’m not too sure about year one. I feel more comfortable with Sadiq there.
I don’t know if I’d necessarily pound the table to draft Sadiq, because I think he’s going to be a low TE2, high-end TE3. But with that last pick in your draft, sure, it’s worth taking a shot on, especially if you’re not too satisfied with your tight ends. I think Sadiq is a high-upside swing that you could absolutely take, and it has the potential to pay off. There’s some risk in using a roster spot on Sadiq, but if you’re taking him in that 165 ADP range, it’s not necessarily a massive sunk cost. At that ADP, I would say yes to taking Sadiq in your fantasy leagues this season.
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Kenyon Sadiq’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
The rookie tight end is a dynasty asset, but in redraft, I’m not expecting much. We’ve seen rookies at the position explode recently, but let’s not forget that, until just a few years ago, all of the data was pointing to this as a position that takes time to develop.
Sadiq might be good. Heck, he could be great. With time. There’s no reason to get overly excited in betting on him right now. Instead, savvy managers will stream more proven entities at TE, locking in minimal production and waiting for the kid to show some signs of breaking out.
Chart the routes and pay attention where Geno Smith is going with the ball. My overarching concern in 2026 is that there is simply not much in the way of touchdown equity to chase here.
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Where Sadiq Ranks Among 2026 Tight Ends
- Hunter Henry | NE
- Brenton Strange | JAX
- Dalton Schultz | HOU
- AJ Barner | SEA
- Greg Dulcich | MIA
- Kenyon Sadiq | NYJ
- Terrance Ferguson | LAR
- Oronde Gadsden II | LAC
- T.J. Hockenson | MIN
- Pat Freiermuth | PIT
- Gunnar Helm | TEN
See PFN’s 2026 PPR Tight End Rankings for more.
