The short answer. The Balladex projection model's #1 fantasy tight end for 2026 is Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals) — projected for 16.4 PPR fantasy points per game, an ADP around round 1. Rounding out the top five: Tucker Kraft, Brock Bowers, Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland.
Top tight ends · 2026 projected
Ranked by projected PPR points per game and value over replacement. Tap any player for his full projection.
| # | Player | Team | Projected line | Proj PPG | VOR | ADP Rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Trey McBride |  ARI | 119 rec · 1,196 yds · 9 TD | 16.4 | +7.3 | 1 |
| 2 |  Tucker Kraft |  GB | 77 rec · 1,071 yds · 9 TD | 14.0 | +4.9 | 2 |
| 3 |  Brock Bowers |  LV | 96 rec · 1,028 yds · 7 TD | 13.9 | +4.8 | 2 |
| 4 |  Tyler Warren |  IND | 86 rec · 910 yds · 7 TD | 12.6 | +3.4 | 3 |
| 5 |  Colston Loveland |  CHI | 71 rec · 902 yds · 6 TD | 12.0 | +2.9 | 4 |
| 6 |  Harold Fannin Jr. |  CLE | 82 rec · 854 yds · 6 TD | 11.8 | +2.6 | 4 |
| 7 |  Sam LaPorta |  DET | 72 rec · 801 yds · 6 TD | 11.4 | +2.3 | 5 |
| 8 |  George Kittle |  SF | 65 rec · 868 yds · 6 TD | 11.1 | +2.0 | 5 |
| 9 |  David Njoku |  LAC | 74 rec · 642 yds · 6 TD | 10.1 | +1.0 | 6 |
| 10 |  Kyle Pitts Sr. |  ATL | 68 rec · 758 yds · 4 TD | 9.9 | +0.8 | 6 |
| 11 |  Oronde Gadsden | LAC | 59 rec · 785 yds · 5 TD | 9.9 | +0.8 | 7 |
| 12 |  Jake Ferguson |  DAL | 69 rec · 566 yds · 5 TD | 9.4 | +0.3 | 8 |
| 13 |  Dallas Goedert |  PHI | 56 rec · 599 yds · 6 TD | 9.1 | +0.0 | 8 |
| 14 |  Mark Andrews |  BAL | 55 rec · 637 yds · 5 TD | 9.1 | 0.0 | 8 |
| 15 |  Travis Kelce |  KC | 62 rec · 646 yds · 4 TD | 9.0 | -0.1 | 9 |
Method. A Balladex model estimate (illustrative), not a guarantee: each player projected forward from his last three seasons, bent along a position aging curve and availability, TDs regressed toward red-zone opportunity, defensive scheme and weekly matchups folded in, scored PPR and ranked by value over replacement. See the full 2026 draft board, the weekly start/sit & streamers board, matchups grid, and the model's sleepers & busts.