2026 Dynasty Values at Tight End

Kyle Zeigler
2026 Dynasty Values at Tight End

Welcome to my 2026 Dynasty Values at Tight End article!

As the NFL evolves, fantasy football managers should as well. In particular, the tight end position. For years, tight ends needed time to develop. We are now seeing instant production from this position. Sam Laporta set the rookie record for most receptions by a TE. Brock Bowers then entered the chat a year later and not only broke that record but also several others. Trey McBride took off in Year 2. This past rookie TE class, Tyler Warren, Harold Fannin Jr., and Colston Loveland all finished as TE1s in half-PPR scoring. The position is taking off, and I see six dynasty tight ends you can get at a value who are all 25 or younger.

Colston Loveland

I know Colston Loveland is ranked TE3 in dynasty. I still see some value here, as he should be ranked in the same tier as Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. There’s quite a bit of a gap from drafting McBride and selecting Loveland.

This offense is on the rise under Ben Johnson. The Bears in 2024 went from 27th in offense to 10th in just one year under Johnson’s leadership, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). 

Loveland led the team as a rookie in receptions and yards, showing he’s already a primary option. He also ranked second on the team in target share percentage and second in yards per route run, trailing only Luther Burden. 

When the games mattered the most, QB Caleb Williams went his way. Loveland went on a heater in three straight games. He scored over 20 PPR fantasy points per game from Week 16 through the Wildcard round.

Even though he had a slow start to the season, he still finished as the TE10 in targets inside the 20-yard line. With that kind of scoring usage and his role to grow even further in his development, it puts overall TE1 in the full range of outcomes, making him a slight discount at overall TE3.

Oronde Gadsden II

This is the prime window in dynasty to buy Oronde Gadsden as a second-year tight end without spending high draft capital. He’s ranked just outside the top 10 at the position.  

We’re talking about a 22-year-old who led all TEs in aDot (average depth of target) on a minimum 50 targets with 9.5 yards, according to the Fantasy Points data suite. That kind of downfield usage is rare for a TE, especially for a rookie.

Another thing working in Gadsden’s favor is the arrival of Mike McDaniel as the new offensive coordinator, replacing Greg Roman. Last season, McDaniel leaned on Darren Waller in the redzone, using him in the slot over 40% of his snaps. It lines up well with Gadsden’s 45.6% slot rate as a rookie. 

According to the Fantasy Points data suite, Oronde Gadsden posted an 11.6% win rate from the slot, higher than George Kittle (9.2%). 

That level of separation is strong at the TE position. Combine that with his 9.7 yards per target and 1.77 yards per route run, and you have a 22-year-old who’s being used down the field as well.

This is the type of young player who provides massive value at the position that dynasty managers should aggressively target. It should only get better with Mike McDaniel scheming up scoring opportunities for Oronde Gadsden.

If you’re competitive and want to acquire him, try an early second-round pick or even a late 2026 first-round pick. Get him on your roster before he erupts.

Kyle Pitts Sr.

We do this every year with Kyle Pitts.

He enters the 2026 season ranked in the TE8 range despite finishing as the TE2 in PPR scoring last season. Pitts averaged a career-high 12.4 PPR points per game, finally giving us that breakout season fantasy managers have been waiting for since his rookie season.

The Falcons leaned on him inside the 10-yard line last year as he was second on the team in targets from this distance.

The Falcons placed the franchise tag on Pitts, which gives the team more time to iron out a long-term deal. Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Reese take over the offense for Atlanta. 

This bodes really well for Kyle Pitts because they both have a history of utilizing the tight end. In the second half of the season last year, from Week 9 to Week 18, per the Fantasy Points data suite, Harold Fannin led the team in receptions, targets per game, receiving yards per game, and yards per route run.

If Kyle Pitts can get that kind of volume and opportunity, then he is severely undervalued and offers a nice discount in your startup draft.

And being only 25 years old, his ceiling is very much intact.

Brenton Strange

Here’s a tight end who is entering his fourth season and averaged nearly 10 PPR points per game last year. Brenton Strange is a human rocket ship. 

He has improved every single year across the board. Targets, receptions, yards, touchdowns, and fantasy points per game have all climbed. Yet he’s primarily ranked as a back-end TE1 or high-end TE2. 

New Head Coach Liam Coen opened up the playbook for Trevor Lawrence, who threw close to 33 times per game and over 4,000 passing yards. Brenton Strange benefited from this.

A fair concern is his slot participation and his role as more of an inline TE. The Jaguars used more wideouts to line up as the “Z”. He ran 35.4% of his routes from the slot and the rest as a traditional TE. He still thrived wherever he was on the field.

Over the final seven games, he averaged five targets per contest, tied for ninth among TEs in catches, seventh in receiving yards, and locked down a 1.92 yards per route run.

This ascending involvement and strong efficiency have me bullish for Brenton Strange going forward.

If you’re waiting on a tight end, Strange offers TE1 appeal at the cost of a TE2. Just don’t wait too long because he’s at the end of a significant tier drop.

Want to trade for Strange using 2026 draft picks? I would send a second rounder to acquire him. 

You are shooting darts in this round anyway, and Brenton Strange is closer to a bullseye than that rookie pick.

Ben Sinnott

There isn’t much data to go on, suggesting Ben Sinnott is a huge value in dynasty. Sinnott is the type of dynasty TE you buy before the role arrives — not after. What he does have, however, is day-2 draft capital in the form of a second-round selection in 2024.

Zach Ertz is still hanging around on the depth chart… for now. The Commanders signed him for a one-year deal, and at age 35, this could be his last rodeo in the nation’s capital. 

According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Commanders ran the 12th-most multi-TE packages last year. For what it’s worth, he ran 31.3% of his routes from the slot and was the only other TE besides Ertz to receive targets from the slot.

Sinnott’s value has never been lower; this is the time to pounce on a potential frustrated manager. If you have an aging TE on your roster, toss out a third-round pick in 2026 and let the Sinnator marinate there.

Gunner Helm

It’s unclear which direction the new coaching staff for the Tennessee Titans wants to go at the tight end position. Chig Okonkwo is now a free agent, and it’s not a lock they bring him back.

Second-year TE Gunner Helm (6’5″, 241 lbs) fits what OC Brian Daboll has historically preferred: big, athletic TEs who can move around the formation with reliable hands. In New York, Daboll drafted Theo Johnson (6’6″, 264), and in Buffalo, he had Dawson Knox (6’4″, 254).

The usage of Theo Johnson was quietly good before Daboll was let go after Week 10. Through the first 10 weeks last season, among all TEs, Johnson was ninth in targets, 14th in receptions, and sixth in targets inside the 20-yard line.

Dynasty League Football (DLF) has Gunner Helm ranked as the TE28, so drafting him in startups will cost pennies. If Chig walks and Helm pops, he could be sold for dollars.

That’s going to do it for my discussion of 2026 Dynasty Values at Tight End. For more Dynasty Value articles, make sure to click here.

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