Brenton Strange’s first full season as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ clear TE1 did not quite go as expected, but he did show plenty of positive signs. While not quite a fantasy force, the upside was evident. Can Strange put it all together in year two of Liam Coen’s system? Here’s why fantasy football managers who wait on tight end should eye up Strange.
Should You Draft Brenton Strange in Fantasy Football
Last season, Strange averaged 9.8 fantasy points per game. Nothing to write home about. 10ish PPG is quintessential replacement-level production at the position. In 2025, a whopping 10 tight ends averaged roughly between 9-11 PPG. Officially, Strange finished as the TE18 in PPG.
The volume wasn’t great. Strange only earned a 15.8% target share and was only targeted on 20.1% of his routes run. But that’s to be expected when competing for targets with Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, and Parker Washington.
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There were some serious positive indicators, though. Strange’s 1.81 yards per route ranked eighth at the position. He also averaged 9.0 yards per target and .094 first downs per route run, both inside the top 10.
The main issue with Strange’s fantasy value is that he’s, at best, the fourth option in the passing game. Typically, we want our tight ends to be No. 2 (or the rare case where the tight end is the primary target like Brock Bowers or prime Travis Kelce). That’s not going to change in 2026 with all of Thomas, Meyers, and Washington returning.
At 6’4″, 250 lbs, Strange makes for an ideal red zone target. Yet, he only caught three touchdowns in 12 games last season. Trevor Lawrence took a massive leap forward and the Jaguars were the sixth-best scoring offense in the league.
Lawrence threw 29 touchdowns. He could easily meet or surpass that this season and it stands to reason at least a couple more of them will go to Strange.
If nothing else changes with Strange’s usage or production profile, but he simply scores two or three more times, that would be enough to get him close to 11 PPG, which would’ve put him inside the top 12 tight ends. Now, what if Strange does see an uptick in usage?
There’s plenty of opportunity for Strange’s workload to increase. He is the only pass catcher on this team with a clearly defined role. We have no idea who is going to lead this team in targets or what the hierarchy will end up being between the three wide receivers, not to mention Travis Hunter’s involvement. We do know Strange is the clear TE1 and will play over 80% of the snaps as long as he’s healthy.
Strange’s Redraft Fantasy Football Value
Tight end has historically been a barbell position. That means you either want to pay up for an elite tight end like Bowers or Trey McBride, or punt the position until the final few rounds. Strange obviously falls into the latter approach.
In a typical 12-team draft, Strange is probably not even going to be selected. His ADP is somehow around TE18, nowhere close to a number that would have a fantasy manager make him their TE1. That’s what makes him so valuable.
Strange is literally free. You can go into your draft and know Strange will be there in the very last round. If he pans out, great, you have yourself a TE1. If not, who cares? You can drop him and find the same replacement-level 10ish PPG by streaming the position.
The reality is, at tight end, only a handful of guys really move the needle each year. Strange is unlikely to be one of them, which is, of course, not the goal. But how many tight ends really have the potential to be that guy? You could argue 8-10 and you should absolutely be prioritizing one of those players ahead of Strange. But once those guys are gone, there’s no reason to spend a mid-to-late pick on a middling tight end. Completely punt it and eye up Strange.
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We have Strange ranked as our consensus TE17, but I personally have him up at TE13. The gap between the TE10 and the TE24 is a lot smaller in terms of productivity than the ADP disparity would suggest. Once the potential for a true difference-maker is gone, you can get the same production and upside from a dozen guys. Strange is my pick.
Preseason Fantasy TE Rankings
- Brock Bowers | LV
- Trey McBride | ARI
- Colston Loveland | CHI
- Tyler Warren | IND
- Tucker Kraft | GB
- Sam LaPorta | DET
- George Kittle | SF
- Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE
- Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL
- Isaiah Likely | NYG
- Travis Kelce | KC
- Dallas Goedert | PHI
- Jake Ferguson | DAL
- Mark Andrews | BAL
- Juwan Johnson | NO
- Dalton Kincaid | BUF
- Chig Okonkwo | WAS
- Brenton Strange | JAX
- Hunter Henry | NE
- Kenyon Sadiq | NYJ
- Dalton Schultz | HOU
- Greg Dulcich | MIA
- AJ Barner | SEA
- T.J. Hockenson | MIN
- Oronde Gadsden II | LAC
