Tight end remains one of the toughest fantasy football draft positions to navigate. However, the number of useful offensive contributors beyond the elite names continues to increase, as more schemes and quarterbacks seek the position more frequently.
Many league formats now employ Tight End Bonus points, increasing the reward for TE receptions or yards to elevate the position's importance in the player pool.
Regardless of whether you're trying these innovative scoring methods, drafters must jockey for the best return on investment. Does that mean paying up for stars, or waiting to find value?
Let's assume a half-point per reception (half-PPR or 0.5 PPR) for league scoring when discussing these TE rankings for 2025 drafts. You'll also notice tier rankings -- the optimal way to draft a fantasy football team.
TIPS TO WIN YOUR LEAGUE: 2025 Fantasy Draft Kit
Fantasy Football TE rankings: Best tight ends for 2025 drafts
8/29/25 fantasy draft rankings update highlights:
- Trey McBride got a tiny boost centered around Value Based Drafting (VBD). As a tight end, locking in his statistical ceiling in a rare positional advantage is more alluring than drafting Ladd McConkey.
- T.J. Hockenson and Sam LaPorta flip-flopped to the TE4 and TE5, respectively.
Read our Top 50 TE rankings below.
These fantasy football tight end rankings are based on leagues with 1 point each per 10 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards, 6 points for rushing and receiving touchdowns, and 1 point per reception. (If your league has TE bonuses for catches, yardage, or big-play thresholds, you may need to apply extra context to these rankings, which are a foundation for attacking the TE position.)
| Rk | Ovr | Tr | Tight Ends | TM | Bye | OvrRk ↕️ |
| 1 | 16 | 1 | Brock Bowers | LV | 8 | |
| 2 | 17 | 1 | Trey McBride | ARI | 8 | ⬆️ 1 |
| 3 | 35 | 2 | George Kittle | SF | 14 | |
| 4 | 55 | 3 | T.J. Hockenson | MIN | 6 | ⬆️ 10 |
| 5 | 59 | 3 | Sam LaPorta | DET | 8 | ⬇️ 15 |
| 6 | 66 | 4 | David Njoku | CLE | 9 | |
| 7 | 74 | 4 | Travis Kelce | KC | 10 | |
| 8 | 75 | 4 | Evan Engram | DEN | 12 | |
| 9 | 84 | 4 | Mark Andrews | BAL | 7 | ⬆️ 3 |
| 10 | 95 | 5 | Tyler Warren | IND | 11 | ⬆️ 12 |
| 11 | 103 | 5 | Jake Ferguson | DAL | 10 | |
| 12 | 104 | 5 | Tucker Kraft | GB | 5 | |
| 13 | 109 | 5 | Colston Loveland | CHI | 5 | ⬆️ 14 |
| 14 | 121 | 5 | Dalton Kincaid | BUF | 7 | |
| 15 | 143 | 6 | Dallas Goedert | PHI | 9 | |
| 16 | 153 | 6 | Brenton Strange | JAC | 8 | |
| 17 | 155 | 6 | Jonnu Smith | PIT | 5 | |
| 18 | 156 | 6 | Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL | 5 | |
| 19 | 159 | 6 | Hunter Henry | NE | 14 | |
| 20 | 165 | 6 | Zach Ertz | WAS | 12 | |
| 21 | 170 | 7 | Chig Okonkwo | TEN | 10 | |
| 22 | 173 | 7 | Darren Waller | MIA | 12 | ⬆️ 9 |
| 23 | 189 | 7 | Isaiah Likely | BAL | 7 | |
| 24 | 199 | 7 | Mason Taylor | NYJ | 9 | |
| 25 | 204 | 7 | Pat Freiermuth | PIT | 5 | |
| 26 | 205 | 8 | Mike Gesicki | CIN | 10 | |
| 27 | 232 | 8 | Cade Otton | TB | 9 | |
| 28 | 234 | 8 | Ja'Tavion Sanders | CAR | 14 | |
| 29 | 258 | 8 | Elijah Arroyo | SEA | 8 | |
| 30 | 266 | 8 | Juwan Johnson | NO | 11 | |
| 31 | 272 | 8 | Dalton Schultz | HOU | 6 | |
| 32 | 287 | 8 | Noah Fant | CIN | 10 | |
| 33 | 288 | 9 | Cole Kmet | CHI | 5 | |
| 34 | 296 | 9 | Terrance Ferguson | LAR | 8 | |
| 35 | 297 | 9 | Noah Gray | KC | 10 | |
| 36 | 298 | 9 | Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE | 9 | |
| 37 | NR | 9 | Theo Johnson | NYG | ||
| 38 | NR | 10 | Oronde Gadsden II | LAC | 12 | |
| 39 | NR | 10 | Taysom Hill | NO | 11 | |
| 40 | NR | 10 | Tyler Higbee | LAR | 8 | |
| 41 | NR | 10 | Will Dissly | LAC | 12 | |
| 42 | NR | 10 | Ben Sinnott | WAS | 12 | |
| 43 | NR | 10 | Tyler Conklin | LAC | 12 | |
| 44 | NR | 10 | Dawson Knox | BUF | 7 | |
| 45 | NR | 10 | Michael Mayer | LV | 8 | |
| 46 | NR | 10 | Luke Musgrave | GB | 5 | |
| 47 | NR | 10 | AJ Barner | SEA | 8 | |
| 48 | NR | 10 | Austin Hooper | NE | 14 | |
| 49 | NR | 10 | Gunnar Helm | TEN | 10 | |
| 50 | NR | 10 | Luke Schoonmaker | DAL | 10 |
PPR RANKINGS: Top 300 Cheat Sheet | QB | RB | WR | TE | DST | PK
NON-PPR RANKINGS: TOP 300 Cheat Sheet | RB | WR | TE
Fantasy TE Draft Rankings Tips for 2025
PPR formats lean on target upside for fantasy football tight ends who are in line for big workloads, over those who rely more strongly on the much more volatile touchdown totals and red-zone usage.
In 2025, Tier 1 of tight ends for fantasy drafts include:
- Brock Bowers
- Trey McBride
- George Kittle
Drafters should be careful not to push up Tiers 2 and 3 too strongly. While these names do have upside, the floor is not yet a level worthy of a Round 4 or 5 pick in a common PPR league.
However, if you believe the running backs, wide receivers, and quarterbacks are interchangable around Pick 50 (a justifiable take), you can stretch a bit for:
- Sam LaPorta
- T.J. Hockenson
- David Njoku
- Travis Kelce
- Evan Engram
When looking deeper into the tight-end pool, look for the names who excel in yardage after the catch, often a skills add-on for a TE with midrange security for their quarterbacks in favorable offensive systems.
Some favorites in this ilk this year who can be had in the middle rounds include:
- Jake Ferguson
- Tucker Kraft
- Dalton Kincaid
- Colston Loveland
- Tyler Warren
Deeper sleepers could cash in on vacated targets, career growth, and more factors to open up a bigger role:
- Brenton Strange
- Chig Okonkwo
- Mason Taylor
While risk runs wild in overvaluing the week-to-week impact, a successful fantasy draft plan can attack different sections of the tight end pool, as long as opportunity, talent, and ceiling are balanced with the proper return on investment.