It’s an exciting time in the tight end world. The NFL is deploying them more proactively in game plans these days, and not coincidentally, a bunch of uber-talented tight ends have entered the league in recent years. It’s fun to work on your tight end board, imagining the vanity star at the top or targeting a late-round breakout in the later rounds.
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Training camp life has become harder to decipher for fantasy football usage in recent years, as teams become more buttoned-up in their news dissemination and more careful with preseason game usage. Keep this in mind as you navigate the clips of the summer — it’s important to have a sharp B.S. detector and a solid foundation of common sense as you try to separate what’s noise and what’s news.
Here are some tight ends I’ll be monitoring closely the next six weeks, trying to figure out where the puck is headed.
More Training Camp Questions
Are Tucker Kraft and George Kittle healthy?
It’s fun and it’s bittersweet to link these guys together, an emerging star and a walk-in Hall of Famer. They’re both downfield stars, YAC-friendly, seam-busters who can score from anywhere on the field. That’s not common for a tight end.
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And we have to worry about their physical condition as we get ready for the fresh season. Kraft’s breakout year was abruptly ruined in the middle of 2025, when he tore his ACL. At least the injury happened early enough that it’s plausible he could be ready for Week 1 this year. But we need to have thief-sensitive hearing as we look for every sign on Kraft’s true readiness. Perhaps his best foot might have to wait until the second half of 2026, or even next year.
Kittle is even more of a wild card, as he ruptured his Achilles in the playoffs. He’s also entering his age-33 season, which makes us more concerned about injury timetables. Kittle’s Week 1 status is certainly in limbo, which might make teammate Jake Tonges a short-term caddy worth holding.
Are new setups friendly for Brock Bowers and Trey McBride?
Being tied to a losing program hasn’t held Bowers and McBride back the last two years, though we still dream of them being better supported by their clubs. Hopefully Bowers is settling into a better infrastructure, with offensive wizard Klint Kubiak now helming the Raiders. McBride and the Cardinals were “Garbage Time Heroes” for most of 2025, turning negative game scripts into fantasy gold. But the Cardinals have since replaced the entire coaching staff, so we’ll want to keep our ears on the ground here, looking for clues.
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It’s also possible that Bowers and McBride could be working with multiple quarterbacks this year — perhaps a veteran on opening day (Kirk Cousins, Jacoby Brissett) but a rookie later in the year (surely Fernando Mendoza, possibly Carson Beck). We always like to bet on talent with our pass-catchers, but the guys throwing the ball need to be considered, too.
Are sophomores Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren headed to the moon?
Warren was the best rookie tight end in the first half of 2025, and Loveland took the baton from there. It wasn’t Warren’s fault his production wavered at the end — once Daniel Jones got hurt, the entire Indianapolis offense was essentially on probation. Warren has a fun upside this year, especially if Jones is healthy. And it’s possible he could pick up some extra target share with Michael Pittman Jr. out of town.
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Loveland did little in the first two months but his “Hello World” game came in early November, a 6-118-2 explosion at Cincinnati. Only McBride outscored Loveland over the final 10 weeks of the season (including Week 18).
It’s possible Loveland won’t have a buzzy summer, as the Bears play their cards close to the vest. Nonetheless, it’s fun to track his ascension into stardom. With Warren, the detective work is more serious — we want to see how healthy Jones is, and what the Indy target tree looks like with Pittman gone.
Will Isaiah Likely and Chig Okonkwo adjust quickly?
Likely and Okonkwo were often tease players in their previous cities, talented players who were held back from their true upside because of other factors. Likely had trouble carving out a heavy market share in a crowded Baltimore passing game — obviously Mark Andrews is also a star tight end — and Okonkwo was often forgotten in Tennessee, even as his downfield tape would pop from time to time.
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Now Likely and Okonkwo settle in with the Giants and Commanders, respectively. Likely, of course, also followed coach Jim Harbaugh to New Jersey. With New York and Washington both struggling to build a deep receiver room (the Giants can’t be sure of Malik Nabers’s status to open the year), you could imagine both of these newcomers challenge for 100-plus targets right out of the box.
Perhaps the signs of a Likely or Okonkwo breakout will flash this summer. My eyes are wide open.
Also Receiving Votes
This piece could be a bottomless cup of narratives and projection, but eventually we have to hit send. Let’s just duck in a few quick hitters before we close up …
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Will Tua Tagovailoa take over as the Atlanta QB, and what does it mean for Kyle Pitts Sr., who went ballistic late last season?
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Is Kenyon Sadiq ready to contribute as a rookie for the Jets?
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Can the Browns cobble together even average quarterback play from a motley crew of guys, and if not, will Harold Fannin Jr. survive?
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Oronde Gadsden II was a fun rookie, but now the Chargers have David Njoku, too. How will Mike McDaniel deploy the pair?
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The Rams love having one of the deepest tight end rooms in the league. Will one of them emerge this summer and become a viable sleeper candidate?
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Miami has one of the worst wide receiver rooms in the league. Can Greg Dulcich step into that void and become a target hog?
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How much touchdown equity does AJ Barner hold in Seattle? And will we hear anything about him possibly getting occasional goal-line work?
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Can Erick All Jr. become a regular in Cincinnati? We’re always looking for ways into that carnival.
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Is this the year Dalton Kincaid spikes his participation rates? We’ll be sniffing around, because his efficiency stats are impressive.
Get out the blocking sleds, the sports drinks and the popsicles. I’m ready for a fun NFL summer.