Dallas Goedert is entering his ninth season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, at 31 years old, he is coming off the best fantasy year of his career. With A.J. Brown gone and a rookie tight end in the building, should fantasy managers be drafting Goedert in 2026?
Should You Draft Dallas Goedert in Fantasy Football?
I don’t want to sound overly dramatic. There’s too much of that on the internet these days. But I do not for the life of me understand why this guy’s being drafted as a fantasy starter as a top-120 pick. If you’re going to wait on the tight end position, I think there are about a half-dozen guys I’d rather wait on.
He’s a veteran in an offense that is low volume to begin with when it comes through the air. You’re telling me they move on from A.J. Brown, move on from one of the top 10 receivers in the sport, draft another tight end, and you think that’s going to result in more passing volume for this Philadelphia passing attack? I kind of think you’re crazy. I’m not going that direction.
He’s being drafted right around TE12, which means in 12-team leagues you’re drafting him as a weekly starter. Yeah, no. I’ve got Juwan Johnson in New Orleans ranked over him. With Goedert, you can’t say he broke out at this age last season, but he scored 11 times. That was great last year. Not a single one of those points matters this year.
The dude was 61st in targets across the NFL last season. He was 10th in targets inside the 10-yard line. If you think that’s going to sustain, if you think he’s Davante Adams at the tight end position, go for it. Then call me and ask me to jump in your league with you, because I want to be in a league where he’s being drafted as a starter. I think it’s a waste of equity, and if you draft Goedert because of the name value, because of the offense he plays for, you’re going to feel bad about cutting him.
I don’t think Eli Stowers cuts into his workload in a crazy way. But if Goedert is going to struggle to earn targets and Stowers runs 10 routes a game and sees a target or two, you’re removing from a profile that’s thin as it is. I can’t get there.
I am out on Goedert for 2026. There are enough tight ends way down the board. You’re either paying up, which realistically I’m not doing, or you’re going Juwan Johnson, or you’re going Isaiah Likely. Pick a name down the board. Really, pick anybody with upside. I don’t think Goedert has it. I think last season was the outlier, not the norm. You’re paying way too much for numbers that happened in the past, not what’s going to happen in the future. Goedert is a full fade in 2026.
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Dallas Goedert’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
I want to preface this by saying that I have no redraft shares of Goedert and that I’m not sad about it. He was effectively a goal-line vulture last season (TD on 18.3% of his receptions, up from 5.1% over the three seasons prior), and I have a hard time seeing that being replicated.
I also don’t think this passing offense racks up the yards in bulk anytime soon, and few teams spend second-round draft capital on a TE behind a 31-year-old to show confidence in their veteran.
All of that is true, and yet, I think Goedert is a viable option this week and that’ll likely be the case as we navigate the first month or so of 2026.
If you’re going to have a score-or-bust profile, you’re in play when facing the second-worst red-zone unit from a season ago, and while I believe that this offense eventually evolves away from him, I do think he can serve as comfort food for Jalen Hurts through September.
2024-25
Targets per route when A.J. Brown was ON the field: 18.8%
Targets per route when A.J. Brown was OFF the field: 27.1%
Goedert caught 24-of-26 targets against divisional opponents last season with 4 scores. It’s important to remember that this is an annual game that we play weekly: my season-long fade remains my stance, but it doesn’t mean he can’t have productive weeks.
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Where Goedert Ranks Among 2026 Tight Ends
- Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL
- Dalton Kincaid | BUF
- Isaiah Likely | NYG
- Juwan Johnson | NO
- Jake Ferguson | DAL
- Dallas Goedert | PHI
- Travis Kelce | KC
- Mark Andrews | BAL
- Chig Okonkwo | WAS
- Hunter Henry | NE
- Brenton Strange | JAX
More rankings can be found in PFN's PPR Tight End Rankings.
