Gaining an edge in your fantasy football league requires making bold moves. The tight end position has become ripe with opportunity for savvy trades this season.
While some big names may be overvalued, several emerging stars are ready to be acquired. Here are the top tight ends to target to give you an advantage, and the players you should consider selling as NFL Week 1 approaches.
Top Trade TE Targets To Buy in Your League
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
Zach Ertz could be one of the most undervalued players in fantasy football this season. The Commanders’ veteran is being drafted outside the top 150 picks as the TE18 in PPR, the format in which he should excel the most.
Ertz was a consistent target for QB Jayden Daniels in 2024, and his production was heavily back-loaded, which is an encouraging sign, given that he was playing with a rookie quarterback.
Daniels clearly gained trust in Ertz as the season went on, and the connection blossomed. From Week 11, Ertz was the TE8 in FPPG, scoring six receiving touchdowns in seven weeks.
Jayden Daniels had to get Zach Ertz a touchdown in this game!pic.twitter.com/cDumrZJQWO
— COMMANDERS FOOTBALL (@HogsHaven) January 19, 2025
Touchdowns can be a volatile stat, but given the tight end’s 16 targets in the playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s safe to say that Daniels just trusts his guy. Ertz has been Daniels’ go-to guy throughout the preseason. He doesn’t need to be explosive to produce in PPR and can be a budget Mark Andrews for those who want to invest in other positions.
Elijah Arroyo, Seattle Seahawks
Elijah Arroyo has received some buzz during the preseason, but arguably not enough. The former Miami standout excelled in 2024, hauling in a modest 35 receptions but averaging 16.9 yards per reception and adding seven touchdowns in 13 games.
His speed over the middle of the field is obvious on tape, and he should shine as a pass catcher in the NFL. Seattle clearly agrees, after taking him 50th overall in April’s draft and releasing veteran TE Noah Fant, who vacates 64 targets from 2024.
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Arroyo should see a fair share of those and could also line up out wide, with mismatch opportunities all over the field.
You shouldn’t be relying solely on Arroyo at tight end, but he is an intriguing rookie who could prove a steal down the line. Those with a safer floor play at the position could do much worse than adding Arroyo, who could even be on waiver wires in plenty of leagues.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
Ja’Tavion Sanders is a breakout candidate in 2025, and, like the rest of the Panthers’ offense, is being underestimated heading into the season. The former Texas star was known for his receiving ability in college and showcased it multiple times in his rookie year.
Unfortunately, Sanders suffered a scary-looking injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12, just as he was showing signs of a breakout.
Year 2 should be far more fruitful, as a resurgent Bryce Young will lean on his tight end in a year that promises plenty of shootouts for Carolina. With Adam Thielen now back in Minnesota, the second pass-catching role behind Tetairoa McMillan is wide open, and Sanders has as good a chance as any to earn it.
If he can earn regular targets, which shouldn’t be a problem, he is a high-upside stash for Week 1, and like Arroyo, may not even require trade compensation.
Top Trade TE Targets To Sell in Your League
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Sam LaPorta is a very talented tight end, but his TE4 ADP means he’ll have to get close to repeating his rookie season to prove a value, and that’s asking a lot. Also, LaPorta’s rookie production would have ranked just third at the position last season.
In fact, even in 2023, LaPorta was third at the position in FPPG, so if he does repeat that, congrats, you drafted the TE3 at TE4. However, if he doesn’t make the jump back to his 2023 form, he will prove a massively disappointing pick in the early fifth round of drafts, where there is plenty of value in other positions.
TRICKERY GETS SAM LAPORTA HIS FIRST TD OF THE YEAR!!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8YESwcFmIp
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) October 13, 2024
If you’ve drafted the Lions star, there should still be an opportunity to leverage his perceived value in a trade for a cheaper tight end, upgrading elsewhere in the process. Rookie Tyler Warren offers just as much upside, but may be difficult to prize away from the player who drafted him.
Hope for LaPorta’s resurgence in 2025 is understandable, but his drop-off in production was easily explained last year. The tight end was targeted 37 fewer times, while WR Jameson Williams was targeted 49 times more than in 2023.
LaPorta was Detroit’s clear second target in 2023, but slipped to third with Williams’s emergence last season. With that unlikely to change, LaPorta owners should do what they can to pivot before the season starts.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce is doing reasonably well for himself off the field, but there were some worrying signs on it last season. The Chiefs legend finished the season as the TE5 in PPR, but all is not as it appears at first glance.
In the first three weeks of the season, with WR Rashee Rice healthy, Kelce averaged just four targets and five fantasy points per game. Rice will miss the first six games of the 2025 season through suspension, but will be back for the final 11, including the fantasy playoffs.
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There will be temptation to keep Kelce while Rice remains out, but he will lose value each week as Rice’s return gets closer. Also, WR Hollywood Brown should be fully healthy and involved for Kansas City this season, which will affect Kelce’s target share even without Rice on the field.
WR Xavier Worthy will also have a say in Year 2, but Kelce’s worrying stats alongside Rice should encourage Kelce owners to sell up while his name still holds weight. Jake Ferguson was the TE7 in FPPG with Dak Prescott last season; he would be an easy trade and would likely include some extra compensation on the side.
