2025 fantasy football rankings – Profiles for the top 30 tight ends

In advance of the NFL draft, Mike Clay is revealing his 2025 fantasy football rankings at each key offensive position, with profiles for each player. These rankings do not include rookies, since we are unsure of their landing spot.

If you are seeking a breakdown of this year’s top NFL draft prospects, Mike has profiled the top 80 skill position players in his fantasy football rookie rankings.

Position rankings and profiles: QB | RB | WR | TE

1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Bowers is fresh off a dominant rookie season in which he produced 262.7 fantasy points, easily the most by a first-year tight end. He was a featured player right out of the gate and went on to pace the position in routes, targets, receptions (112 is the most ever by a rookie, regardless of position), yards and fantasy points. Bowers’ season could’ve been even better had he seen more goal-line work (he was limited to five TDs and six end zone targets). He is already an elite player and the 22-year-old figures to benefit from improved QB play now that Geno Smith is under center. Bowers should be one of the first two TEs off the board on draft day.

2. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

Since stepping into a starting role in Week 8 of the 2023 season, McBride has an enormous 28.4% target share (9.0 per game). He averaged 6.8 receptions, 69.3 yards and 15.4 fantasy points per game during the span. He was the poster boy for bad TD luck in 2024, totaling three scores (two receiving) despite finishing second at the position in targets, catches, yards, end zone targets (10) and fantasy points. McBride’s TE-high 7.9 expected TD total speaks to his bad luck and, though he also didn’t score much in 2023 (three TDs on 108 targets), he’s a candidate for a big improvement in the area in 2025. McBride is a strong bet to lead all tight ends in fantasy points.

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle has finished sixth or better in fantasy PPG each of the past seven years. That includes a first-place finish in 2024 (15.8 PPG), which was fueled by an incredible 13 weeks in the top 12 among TEs in 14 full games. Kittle has paced the position in yards per reception, yards per target and yards per route run each of the past two seasons and has finished exactly second in touchdowns three years in a row. With Deebo Samuel Sr. traded and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) expected to miss significant game action, Kittle has a case to be the top tight end off the board on draft day entering his ninth NFL season.

4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

After pacing all tight ends in fantasy points as a rookie in 2023, LaPorta fell to eighth in 2024. His receiving line dipped across the board (from 86-889-10 on 121 targets to 60-726-7 on 84 targets), though it’s notable he got back on track to some extent after a slow start. After averaging 2.8 targets (11% team share) and 7.1 fantasy points during his first six games, LaPorta leapt to 6.7 targets (21% share) and 13.6 fantasy points in his final 11 (including the playoffs). Those numbers are nearly identical to his rookie season and closer to what we should expect moving forward. Working in Detroit’s elite offense, LaPorta is a solid TE1.

5. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Kelce is a future Hall of Famer, but his days as an elite fantasy tight end may be over. Kelce’s targets and receptions actually increased from 2023 to 2024, but he saw a big dip in yards (823), TDs (three), yards per target (6.1) and RAC (3.5), all of which are career lows. After finishing no lower than third in fantasy points (second in PPG) in eight straight seasons, Kelce fell to fifth (seventh PPG) in 2024. Kelce will continue to benefit from Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ pass-heavy offense, but the 35-year-old is now more of a midrange TE1.

6. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

Njoku is entering his ninth NFL season following a 2024 campaign in which he missed six games but was terrific when active, averaging a career-high 13.5 fantasy points per game. He was a top-10 scorer in seven of 11 games and finished top 5 at the position in targets for the second season in a row. Njoku has rarely been very productive in the scoring department (his career high is six touchdowns), but he found the end zone five times last season and has now led the position in end zone targets two years in a row. Despite Cleveland’s never-ending QB issues, Njoku has finished 11th or better in three consecutive fantasy campaigns (top 8 in PPG) and the 29-year-old remains a midrange TE1.

7. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Hockenson is eyeing a bounce-back following a 2024 season in which he missed Weeks 1-7 and was limited a bit upon his return while rebounding from a torn ACL suffered in 2023. Hockenson appeared in 10 regular-season games, but was limited to 60% of the snaps and averaged 6.1 targets and 8.7 fantasy points per game. That’s a far cry from his 80% snap share, 8.5 targets per game and 14.6 PPG the season prior. Hockenson entered last season having finished seventh or better among TEs in fantasy PPG four years in a row (top 5 in both 2022 and 2023), so it’s reasonable to expect him to return to that level in 2025. New QB J.J. McCarthy is a wild card, but Kevin O’Connell’s pass-friendly offense should help keep Hockenson in the weekly TE1 mix.

8. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Andrews is a tricky evaluation after an odd career turn in 2024 in which he was fortunate to finish eighth in fantasy PPG after posting top-5 finishes the prior five seasons. After handling a target share in the 22-to-28% range during 2019-23 (all were top 4 at the position), Andrews dipped to 15% in 2024 (20th) and finished 20th in targets, 14th in catches, ninth in yards and first in TDs among tight ends. Andrews has always been extremely efficient when targeted (he’s never finished lower than fifth in YPRR), but he’s also never been quite as TD dependent (11 TDs in 2024 were a career high and his 16.2% TD rate was way above his prior career rate of 7.1%). Andrews was bailed out by the TD outlier and will need to bounce back in the target area in order to return to elite TE1 production.

9. Evan Engram, Denver Broncos

Engram signed with Denver after spending his first eight NFL seasons with the Giants and Jaguars. The 2017 first-round pick is coming off a bit of a lost season, as injuries cost him seven games and he found the end zone only once when active. Engram was still heavily targeted (his 25% target share ranked third among TEs) and, even with last season’s dud, he has finished top 7 in fantasy PPG in five of his eight seasons. Engram isn’t much of a touchdown scorer (he hasn’t produced more than four in a season since 2017, but he’s joining a good Denver offense led by Sean Payton (who helped Jimmy Graham to three consecutive top-2 fantasy seasons) and impressive second-year QB Bo Nix. Engram remains squarely in the back-end TE1 mix and there’s upside for even more.

10. Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins

Smith is back with the Dolphins following a career year in which he finished top 5 among tight ends in targets, receptions, yards, fantasy points and touchdowns. This after never finishing better than 15th in the former four categories during his first seven NFL seasons. Smith’s season actually started slowly (4.9 targets per game and one game with 12-plus fantasy points during Weeks 1-10), but he averaged 8.5 targets and a position-high 18.6 PPG from Week 11 on. Smith’s career resume suggests a return to earth could be in the cards, but he should continue to benefit from defenses playing two-high safeties at the league’s highest rate in order to slow down Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Smith is safest as a fringe TE1.

11. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

Kincaid failed to clear 13.1 fantasy points in a single game last season, which is pretty hard to believe when you consider he handled a 20.3% target share (5.8 per game) in a Josh Allen-led offense that averaged 3.6 touchdowns per game (the highest ever by an Allen offense). Kincaid got seven-plus targets in six of 13 regular-season games, but never cleared 53 yards in a single outing and found the end zone only twice. He finished 15th at tight end in targets despite four missed games, but was 26th in catches and 28th in yards thanks to an ugly 59% catch rate and 6.0 YPT. Kincaid’s pedigree (2023 first-rounder), heavy usage and the strong Buffalo offense provide hope for a Year 3 leap, but he’s risky after such an underwhelming 2024. Consider him a fringe TE1.

12. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

Kraft took over as the Packers’ No. 1 tight end in Week 12 of the 2023 season and hasn’t looked back. In the 27 games since (including the playoffs), Kraft averaged 4.3 targets and 9.4 fantasy points per game. He played 85% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps in 2024 and while his volume was underwhelming (18th among TEs in targets and receptions), he was productive (seventh in yards and fourth in touchdowns). Kraft finished second at the position in yards per reception and yards per target, as well as first in YPRR for the second season in a row. Kraft finished 15th in fantasy PPG and he’ll need additional volume in 2025 in order to leap into the weekly TE1 mix. The 24-year-old has some upside, but he’s safest as a good TE2.

13. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Goedert is entering his eighth NFL season with some uncertainty, as he appears to be a strong bet to be traded. The 30-year-old has finished each of the past six seasons as a top-12 fantasy scorer on a per-game basis, though he’s struggled with durability (23 missed games during the six-year span) and TD scoring (he’s never cleared five TDs or six end zone targets in a single season). He’s otherwise been productive (top 10 in YPRR five of the past six seasons) and, if traded, his new team will surely make him a consistent piece of the passing game. Goedert should be valued as a good TE2 for the time being.

14. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys

Ferguson enters 2025 with eyes on a rebound after he fell from 10th in fantasy PPG in 2023 to 23rd last season. He essentially missed four full games, but still finished ninth among TEs in targets. The main issue was touchdowns, as he fell from five scores and a position-high 10 end zone targets in 2023 to zero TDs and two end zone targets in 2024. His 88 targets were easily the most among all players without a TD catch. Having Dak Prescott back will help, as Ferguson averaged 10.2 fantasy PPG in seven games with Prescott (not far off his 10.4 PPG in 2023), compared to 5.2 PPG in six full games when he was out. Ferguson is a solid TE2 who could flirt with weekly top-10 numbers.

15. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Henry is entering his fifth season in New England fresh off a career year in most categories. He set career-best marks in target share (20%), targets, catches and receiving yards, but still finished 16th in fantasy PPG due to a lack of scoring. Henry found the end zone only twice, which matches a career low. The veteran tight end hasn’t finished a season better than 15th in PPG since 2020 (his final year with the Chargers) and though he was better with Drake Maye on the field, he’ll now need to overcome more target competition with Stefon Diggs in the lineup. Henry, 30, is likely to post midrange TE2 numbers, but there’s a shot for more if Maye makes a big Year 2 leap.

16. Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals

Gesicki re-signed with the Bengals after a strong finish to his first year with the team. After falling completely off the fantasy radar the prior two seasons, Gesicki finished top 15 in routes, targets, catches, yardage and end zone targets in 2024. He struggled to find the end zone (exactly two TDs for the third time in four seasons), but finished 18th in fantasy PPG. Gesicki was boom/bust (four games with 14-plus points, but 11 with 9 points or fewer), but he peaked late with position-best marks in targets (22), catches (18), receiving yards (154) and fantasy points (33.4) during Weeks 17 and 18. Gesicki is a situational player, but he will benefit from Joe Burrow and the league’s pass-heaviest offense. He’s a fine TE2 target.

17. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Following two solid but unspectacular seasons to begin his NFL career, Otton made a big leap in 2024, finishing in the top 15 among TEs in snaps, routes, targets, receptions, yards, TDs and fantasy points. Injuries around him were a factor, however, as he handled a solid 16% target share (4.8 per game) but was limited to a 29-307-1 receiving line (6.3 fantasy PPG and no games over 11.2) in 10 games with Mike Evans also in the lineup. Then, during Weeks 7-10 with Evans injured (Chris Godwin also missed most of this action), Otton handled a 25% target share (9.5 per game, 8-plus in all four) and posted a 30-293-3 receiving line (19.3 PPG with 18-plus three times). With Evans and Godwin back, Jalen McMillan on the rise and Tampa’s heavy reliance on its RBs, Otton figures to head back to low-ceiling TE2 production.

18. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

We’re now four years into the Kyle Pitts experience and it’s safe to say things aren’t going as well as expected. The 2021 No. 4 overall pick exploded out of the gate with 1,026 yards and an 11th-place finish in fantasy PPG as a 20-year-old rookie, but he’s yet to come close to those marks since, peaking at 667 yards and 17th in PPG (both in 2023). Pitts did post career highs in TDs (four) and end zone targets (seven) last season, but his 14% target share was a career low and ranked 25th among TEs. He wasn’t even playing half the snaps during the final month of the season, leaving his role very much in question for 2025. He has the pedigree and is still only 24 years old, but Pitts can’t be trusted as anything more than a bench lottery ticket.

19. Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans

Okonkwo has settled in as a consistent contributor in Tennessee, having finished each of his three seasons in the range of 450 to 528 yards and 5.7 to 6.7 fantasy PPG. The 2022 fourth-round pick has yet to finish a season better than 15th in targets, catches, yards or TDs. Scoring has been a clear issue, as Okonkwo has 10 end zone targets and six TDs in 51 career games. On the plus side, he saw a huge spike in work late last season, producing 199 yards on 23 touches during Weeks 15-17 (his 28 targets ranked first and 43.9 fantasy points second among TEs during the span). There aren’t many mouths to feed in Tennessee, so it’s possible the 25-year-old can carry that momentum into 2025, but he’ll need decent QB play. He’s best viewed as a back-end TE2.

20. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

Freiermuth is entering his fifth NFL season having yet to emerge as a viable fantasy starter. The 2021 second-round pick peaked with an 11th-place finish in fantasy PPG in 2022 and, despite catching a career-high 65 passes and matching a career best with seven TDs last season, he ended up 14th in PPG. A concern here is that the TD output is unsustainable, as Freiermuth ranked 20th in expected TDs (3.1, which aligned with where he was when he scored two TDs in both 2022 and 2023) and a career-low two end zone targets. Freiermuth was more productive after Russell Wilson replaced Justin Fields, so a potential Aaron Rodgers signing would help his cause, but he’ll also have more target competition with DK Metcalf joining George Pickens at wide receiver. Freiermuth is a back-end TE2.

21. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

Strange is the new No. 1 tight end in Jacksonville following the release of Evan Engram. We got a preview of this last season when Engram was sidelined for eight games. In those weeks, Strange played 72% of the snaps and handled a solid 14.6% target share (4.9 per game). That led to one big fantasy outing (12-11-73-0 in Week 15), but he otherwise averaged 6.9 fantasy PPG and failed to clear 12.4 points in any of the other seven games. Perhaps Strange gets to another level in Year 3, but the 2023 second-round pick seems likely to settle in as a low-ceiling TE2.

22. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Kmet enters 2025 having finished better than 16th in fantasy PPG once in his career, a ninth-place finish in 2023. He finished in the top 10 among TEs in all key categories that season, but plummeted to outside the top 20 in targets, catches, yards and fantasy points in 2024. In what was a bit of a bizarre season, Kmet appeared in all 17 games, paced all tight ends in snaps, finished fifth in routes and led the position with an 84% catch rate, but ended up 27th in fantasy PPG. He had two games with double-digit targets but three with zero. Perhaps the 26-year-old will bounce back in Caleb Williams’ second season, with Ben Johnson calling plays and Keenan Allen gone, but he’s likely to remain a fringe TE2.

23. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders

Ertz returns to Washington for his 13th NFL season after a very successful debut campaign with the team. One season after being waived by Arizona and failing to find his way to another 53-man roster, Ertz won the Commanders’ starting TE gig and ended up in the top 12 at the position in routes, targets, catches, yards, TDs and fantasy points. His 10 end zone targets ranked second at the position. Ertz is now 34 years old and has added competition for targets with Deebo Samuel Sr. in town and Ben Sinnott entering Year 2, so a step back in production is probable, but he’ll continue to benefit from playing a role in a Jayden Daniels-led offense. Ertz is best viewed as a low-ceiling TE2.

24. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Schultz is eyeing a rebound in 2025 after he followed up four consecutive top-12 fantasy campaigns with a 20th-place finish (28th in PPG) in 2024. Schultz posted a productive 59-635-5 receiving line in 15 games in 2023 (his first season in Houston), but saw his usage dip last season despite ranking fourth among tight ends in pass routes. Schultz became a nonfactor near the goal line, totaling two end zone targets and two TDs, both of which are his fewest since taking on a regular offensive role in 2020. His history suggests a return to the fringe-TE1 mix is possible and he could see a slight boost in targets with Christian Kirk replacing Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell (knee) in doubt for the season, but he also could lose work to second-year TE Cade Stover. Schultz doesn’t have much late-round appeal.

25. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

Johnson returns for his sixth season in New Orleans after a solid 2024 showing in which he set career highs in catches and yardage while appearing in every regular-season game for the first time in his career. The converted wide receiver has finished between 18th and 26th in fantasy PPG each of the past three seasons, though it’s notable that he saw a boost in usage and production following Taysom Hill’s injury late last season (12-plus points in three of his final five games). Hill is a long shot to play in 2025, though the team will be in better shape at wide receiver with a healthy Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, as well as newcomer Brandin Cooks. Johnson, 28, is no more than a fringe TE2.

26. Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks

Fant is back for his fourth season in Seattle having yet to come close to repeating his moderate fantasy success during his three seasons in Denver. The 2019 first-round pick has yet to post a top-10 fantasy campaign on a per-game basis, and after finishing top 12 among TEs in targets, catches, yards and fantasy points in both 2020 and 2021, he’s failed to finish better than 15th in any of those categories during three seasons with the Seahawks. Fant has scored a total of one touchdown over the past two seasons and very well could lose work to second-year TE AJ Barner in 2025. The 27-year-old is not worth late-round consideration.

27. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams

Higbee is set for his 10th NFL season (all with the Rams) after missing most of 2024 while recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered during the 2023 playoffs. Higbee made his season debut in Week 16 and went on to appear in five games, including the playoffs. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t play much of a role initially, but he seemed back to his usual self in the playoff game against the Eagles, posting a 7-54-1 receiving line on 10 targets. Higbee has enjoyed spurts of fantasy-relevance at times throughout his career, but he’s never finished better than 10th in PPG, and even that was way back in 2019. The 32-year-old will settle in no higher than third in target priority behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, so he’s not worth your attention in the late rounds.

28. Theo Johnson, New York Giants

Johnson is entering his second NFL season after playing a hefty 84% of the Giants’ offensive snaps as a rookie. The fourth-round pick didn’t see much work in the passing game early on and missed the final five games due to injury, but he was picking up steam prior to going down. After totaling a 14-150-0 receiving line on 20 targets (7% share) during his first eight games, Johnson leapt to a 15-181-1 line on 23 targets (19%) in the final four outings. The fantasy output wasn’t great in the Giants’ punchless offense, but the increase in reliance is notable and it will only help having Russell Wilson under center. The 24-year-old Johnson is a fine sleeper target in the late rounds.

29. Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers

Sanders is headed into his second NFL season following a solid rookie campaign in which he played 55% of Carolina’s offensive snaps. He flashed a bit while playing an expanded role when Tommy Tremble was sidelined for four games near midseason (5.0 targets and 10.9 fantasy points per game), but the rookie was limited to a situational role in the 11 games Tremble was active (2.0 targets and 2.6 PPG). Sanders will be a candidate for more work in his second season, but he’s still very young (22) and will continue to share work with Tremble. The 2024 fourth-round pick is only worth a late flier in deeper leagues.

30. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

Likely is back for his fourth NFL season after quite the head-scratcher of a season in 2024. He came out with a bang with 12 targets and a TE-high 26.1 fantasy points in Week 1, but failed to come close to either number the rest of the season. He did find the end zone six times in 16 games, but a lack of volume allowed him only 6.5 fantasy PPG after the season opener. Playing behind (or alongside) Mark Andrews the past three years, Likely has yet to finish a season among the top 20 tight ends in snaps, routes, targets, catches or yardage. His 20th-place finish in fantasy PPG last season was a career best. Perhaps Likely’s best days are ahead of him, but consistent fantasy value is a long shot as long as Andrews is on the roster. The 25-year-old does not need to be drafted.