Tight end gets thin quickly, which makes finding an edge at the top of the position even more valuable. Brock Bowers holds down the TE1 spot ahead of Trey McBride, while Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren have already climbed into the top four. Tucker Kraft rounds out the top five, putting him ahead of established names like Sam LaPorta and George Kittle.
That’s where these rankings start to get interesting. Are Loveland and Warren ready to make that leap? Can Kyle Pitts finally turn his talent into consistent fantasy production? And just how far should Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews fall as the position gets younger around them? You can see where every tight end stacks up against the rest of the player pool in PFN’s overall PPR rankings, then test out different draft-day approaches with the PFN fantasy mock draft simulator.
Note: These rankings are a combination of both our fantasy experts, Kyle Soppe and Jason Katz.
NFL Preseason Tight End Rankings
1) Brock Bowers | LV
2) Trey McBride | ARI
3) Colston Loveland | CHI
4) Tucker Kraft | GB
5) Tyler Warren | IND
6) Sam LaPorta | DET
7) George Kittle | SF
8) Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE
9) Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL
10) Isaiah Likely | NYG
11) Juwan Johnson | NO
12) Travis Kelce | KC
13) Jake Ferguson | DAL
14) Dallas Goedert | PHI
15) Mark Andrews | BAL
16) Dalton Kincaid | BUF
17) Hunter Henry | NE
18) Chig Okonkwo | WAS
19) Brenton Strange | JAX
20) Dalton Schultz | HOU
21) Greg Dulcich | MIA
22) Kenyon Sadiq | NYJ
23) AJ Barner | SEA
24) Terrance Ferguson | LAR
25) Oronde Gadsden II | LAC
26) T.J. Hockenson | MIN
27) Pat Freiermuth | PIT
28) Evan Engram | DEN
29) Gunnar Helm | TEN
30) Cade Otton | TB
31) Jake Tonges | SF
32) Colby Parkinson | LAR
33) Theo Johnson | NYG
34) Mason Taylor | NYJ
35) David Njoku | LAC
36) Mike Gesicki | CIN
37) Michael Mayer | LV
38) Eli Stowers | PHI
39) Max Klare | LAR
40) Darren Waller | CAR
41) Tommy Myers | FA
42) Darnell Washington | PIT
43) Eli Raridon | NE
44) John Bates | WAS
45) Oscar Delp | NO
46) Justin Joly | DEN
47) Tyler Higbee | LAR
48) Sam Roush | CHI
49) Michael Trigg | DAL
50) Tanner Koziol | JAX
Should I Draft George Kittle in Fantasy Football?
Kittle has caught at least half-a-dozen touchdown passes in each of the past five seasons, and while the injury bug caught up to him last year, availability has largely been a skill he’s showcased.
Christian McCaffrey is going to soak up all sorts of volume, but outside of that, what is stopping Kittle from pushing 7-9 targets per game in an offense that we expect to once again be among the most efficient in the sport?
For me, nothing. His current ADP builds in more than enough risk: he’s slotted in such a spot on draft boards that he really doesn’t offer a ton of risk. If this is a lost season for him, your season isn’t burned, but if he’s near the peak of his powers at any time in September, you’re printing value.
The schedule toughens for San Francisco as the weather cools, something that most view as a negative. I’m not spinning as a positive, but where do you think Brock Purdy is going to direct the offense with postseason seeding on the line and the Rams-Chargers-Chiefs-Eagles lined up in succession?
The 49ers are going to play the long game with their most reliable pass catcher, and I’d encourage you to do the same. Assuming no setbacks, he’ll be ranked as an easy top-10 option at the position in Week 1, and even if my early-season optimism proves to be overly aggressive, I’m confident that he could be a swing piece when all of the chips are in the middle of the table around the holiday season.
Should I Draft Harold Fannin Jr. in Fantasy Football?
I really want to be in on Fannin. He is clearly a very talented player, and what he did as a rookie is genuinely rare for a third-round tight end.
The production speaks for itself. Fannin posted 11.7 fantasy points per game and finished as the TE7. That is a legitimate starting fantasy tight end in his first professional season.
What makes it more impressive is how he got there. Fannin did that on a 77.2% snap share that ranked 16th at the position, while running a route on only 72.2% of Cleveland’s pass plays, which ranked 19th. He was not on the field as much as the tight ends around him in the standings.
The reason he produced anyway is that his talent commanded the football. Fannin earned a target on 25.5% of his routes run, the second-highest rate in the entire league. When he was out there, the ball found him. There is a ton of upside sitting in that profile if the playing time ever catches up.
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The concern, as it is with anyone attached to this offense, is that they are the Browns.
The quarterback situation is a nightmare. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders will both undoubtedly make starts this season, and neither is an NFL-caliber starter. It is very difficult to build a fantasy case around any pass catcher in that environment.
Target competition is the other problem. Cleveland added K.C. Concepcion and Denzel Boston in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, and Jerry Jeudy is still around. The only meaningful departure is David Njoku. The additions outweigh that subtraction. We do not need Fannin’s target share taking a hit, particularly in an offense that may struggle to move the football at all.
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The unfortunate reality is that the Browns have a pretty talented roster missing only a quarterback. If they ever figure that out, there are a lot of intriguing fantasy options in this building. That is a bet for another year.
Fannin is my TE7 and the TE7 by ADP. I really want to like him. I also really want to avoid drafting players on bad teams. The Browns are likely to be a bad team.
There is a price at which I will take Fannin. Someone will probably get there before I do.
