**EARLY = THREE STRONG AT THE TOP** People have been complaining for decades the tight end position is the black hole of fantasy football. More years than not, those complaints have been reasonably warranted but that’s certainly not the case in 2025. It all starts with a pair of uber-athletic, target monsters in Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. These up and comers are simply a cut above right now and look to be anchoring fantasy teams for the next decade. This position sorely needed firepower at the top and got a double dose. It’s not every year that you’ll see two tight ends off the board by the end of the second round, but that’s what you’re typically seeing this year in most standard leagues. The high end difference makers don’t stop there. Even though he has more than a handful of years on McBride and Bowers, a healthy George Kittle is still a fantasy beast in his own right. Kittle comes off a huge year as last year’s TE1 and has extra volume available now with Deebo Samuel off to Washington. He’s usually a round, if not two cheaper but Kittle is capable of doing as much damage as anybody. The combination of price and upside makes Kittle the gamblers choice of this year’s TE crop. **EARLY/MIDDLE = ANDREWS/HOCKENSON** In most cases, if you miss on McBride and Bowers, it’s usually best to let the tight ends fall until you get to Evan Engram. However, TJ Hockenson and Mark Andrews are proven pros that you can pencil in production for and those aren’t easy to find at TE. He’s not a spring chicken anymore but we all know what Andrews brings to the table in the Baltimore offense. We also know his dynamic QB Lamar Jackson isn’t getting any worse. Andrews represents the safer selection of the two but comes with less upside. Hockenson is younger and has more upside, but also comes with more moving parts. Most TEs don’t have to worry about lining up alongside one of the best receivers on the planet in Justin Jefferson. Yes it’s nice to take pressure off, but Jefferson goes through stretches where he simply dominates the targets. The other problem Hockenson is dealing with is a first year starting quarterback in JJ McCarthy. While there’s a lot of promise for the 2024 first round selection who won the national championship at Michigan, the fact remains that McCarthy missed all of last year as a rookie. It really comes down to price. While Hockenson and Andrews do get a slight edge overall, with so many moving parts, it’s hard to justify taking them two rounds higher than Engram. **LATE/MIDDLE = TARGET EVAN ENGRAM** It’s not very often when you can get this excited about a journeyman tight end on a new team but Evan Engram is looking at an especially juicy set up. By joining forces with head coach Sean Payton in Denver, Engram is being thrust right into the same TE slot that Jimmy Graham dominated in New Orleans. It’s been a few years now but anybody who remembers the numbers Graham put up in New Orleans certainly knows the kind of impact a TE in the Sean Peyton offense can have. Even though Engram has had an up and down career so far, it’s important to remember that he was a former first round pick for a reason. His length and speed make him a matchup nightmare. The other thing we can’t forget is how awful his first two teams have been and yet he’s still done pretty well. Now that Engram is heading to a team with a championship coach and a young quarterback on the rise in Bo Nix, he could easily produce enough to threaten the top five TEs this year. Don’t be afraid to reach a little bit for Engram. Denver didn’t bring him in to block. **LAST STARTERS = FURGUSON/KRAFT** The bad news is, we don’t have a starting tight end yet. The good news is that hopefully we’ve been stuffing the rest of our roster with difference making players. No worries. It certainly wasn’t our TE plan, but we always have to be ready for plan C. The fact this year is that when you’re on either end of a 12 team draft, it can severely affect your chances of landing McBride or Bowers. Many who select a top three pick don’t see either TE even make it back to them for their second pick. There goes plan A. Andrews and Hockenson were never very realistic targets and were far too expensive as expected. The real bummer came when a Denver fan reached up a round and stole Evan Engram away from us. Just like that, what felt like a strong plan B was over before it started. That stinks but it happens. There’s no time to cry because we still need a starting TE. Fortunately for us, Jake Ferguson and Tucker Kraft both have optimal situations for upside. Ferguson is along for the ride on a Dallas team that could very well lead the league in passing yards. Green Bay also possesses a lot of firepower and they’re more than willing to feed the physical Kraft. Arguably the most violent running TE, Kraft is like a bull in a China shop. If you ever think these guys are getting paid too much money, think about what it’s like to try and tackle Tucker Kraft. **DEEP STASH = HENRY/PITTS/OTTON**

**EARLY = THREE STRONG AT THE TOP** People have been complaining for decades the tight end position is the black hole of fantasy football. More years than not, those complaints have been reasonably warranted but that’s certainly not the case in 2025. It all starts with a pair of uber-athletic, target monsters in Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. These up and comers are simply a cut above right now and look to be anchoring fantasy teams for the next decade. This position sorely needed firepower at the top and got a double dose. It’s not every year that you’ll see two tight ends off the board by the end of the second round, but that’s what you’re typically seeing this year in most standard leagues. The high end difference makers don’t stop there. Even though he has more than a handful of years on McBride and Bowers, a healthy George Kittle is still a fantasy beast in his own right. Kittle comes off a huge year as last year’s TE1 and has extra volume available now with Deebo Samuel off to Washington. He’s usually a round, if not two cheaper but Kittle is capable of doing as much damage as anybody. The combination of price and upside makes Kittle the gamblers choice of this year’s TE crop. **EARLY/MIDDLE = ANDREWS/HOCKENSON** In most cases, if you miss on McBride and Bowers, it’s usually best to let the tight ends fall until you get to Evan Engram. However, TJ Hockenson and Mark Andrews are proven pros that you can pencil in production for and those aren’t easy to find at TE. He’s not a spring chicken anymore but we all know what Andrews brings to the table in the Baltimore offense. We also know his dynamic QB Lamar Jackson isn’t getting any worse. Andrews represents the safer selection of the two but comes with less upside. Hockenson is younger and has more upside, but also comes with more moving parts. Most TEs don’t have to worry about lining up alongside one of the best receivers on the planet in Justin Jefferson. Yes it’s nice to take pressure off, but Jefferson goes through stretches where he simply dominates the targets. The other problem Hockenson is dealing with is a first year starting quarterback in JJ McCarthy. While there’s a lot of promise for the 2024 first round selection who won the national championship at Michigan, the fact remains that McCarthy missed all of last year as a rookie. It really comes down to price. While Hockenson and Andrews do get a slight edge overall, with so many moving parts, it’s hard to justify taking them two rounds higher than Engram. **LATE/MIDDLE = TARGET EVAN ENGRAM** It’s not very often when you can get this excited about a journeyman tight end on a new team but Evan Engram is looking at an especially juicy set up. By joining forces with head coach Sean Payton in Denver, Engram is being thrust right into the same TE slot that Jimmy Graham dominated in New Orleans. It’s been a few years now but anybody who remembers the numbers Graham put up in New Orleans certainly knows the kind of impact a TE in the Sean Peyton offense can have. Even though Engram has had an up and down career so far, it’s important to remember that he was a former first round pick for a reason. His length and speed make him a matchup nightmare. The other thing we can’t forget is how awful his first two teams have been and yet he’s still done pretty well. Now that Engram is heading to a team with a championship coach and a young quarterback on the rise in Bo Nix, he could easily produce enough to threaten the top five TEs this year. Don’t be afraid to reach a little bit for Engram. Denver didn’t bring him in to block. **LAST STARTERS = FURGUSON/KRAFT** The bad news is, we don’t have a starting tight end yet. The good news is that hopefully we’ve been stuffing the rest of our roster with difference making players. No worries. It certainly wasn’t our TE plan, but we always have to be ready for plan C. The fact this year is that when you’re on either end of a 12 team draft, it can severely affect your chances of landing McBride or Bowers. Many who select a top three pick don’t see either TE even make it back to them for their second pick. There goes plan A. Andrews and Hockenson were never very realistic targets and were far too expensive as expected. The real bummer came when a Denver fan reached up a round and stole Evan Engram away from us. Just like that, what felt like a strong plan B was over before it started. That stinks but it happens. There’s no time to cry because we still need a starting TE. Fortunately for us, Jake Ferguson and Tucker Kraft both have optimal situations for upside. Ferguson is along for the ride on a Dallas team that could very well lead the league in passing yards. Green Bay also possesses a lot of firepower and they’re more than willing to feed the physical Kraft. Arguably the most violent running TE, Kraft is like a bull in a China shop. If you ever think these guys are getting paid too much money, think about what it’s like to try and tackle Tucker Kraft. **DEEP STASH = HENRY/PITTS/OTTON**