There is a consensus top eight in Dynasty Tight End Rankings that is as strong as it has ever been. We don't all agree on the order, but most everyone agrees that Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, Sam LaPorta, Tucker Kraft, Kyle Pitts, and Harold Fannin are the top eight tight ends. The question is how long it stays that way. McBride is the only tight end over 25 years old, so we wouldn't expect any of these guys to age out any time soon. So...does someone else rise into the top eight? Or does one of these guys see their value fall off a cliff? I don't see either as particularly likely, but it's at least worth a look.
Unsurprisingly, my favorite guy to rise into the top eight would be Isaiah Likely, who I have ranked at TE9. Likely just turned 26, and just signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the New York Giants. He has a chance to finish this year second on the Giants in targets and both John Harbaugh and Matt Nagy have a history of offenses that feature the tight end position. If Likely breaks out and finishes as a top six tight end, as my projections suggest he will, Likely will be ready to rise if any of the tight ends above him falter. So who is most likely to falter?
I had Matthew Rupert from Couch Scouts on Fantasy Football Today Dynasty to discuss rankings risers like Greg Dulcich. Check it out:
Perception-wise, the answer is probably Pitts. He was spectacular to close 2025, but his boom games came almost exclusively without Drake London. Because Pitts didn't meet our expectations in the past year, many are discounting his 2025 breakout. I expect he takes things to an even higher level because of Kevin Stefanski and his tight end-centric passing game, but not everyone agrees. If Pitts is mediocre or worse this year, a chunk of the Dynasty community will throw in the towel on him. I'm also a little bit concerned about Fannin in 2026, but he is so young I don't think Dynasty managers would let a down year affect his value nearly as much as they would with Pitts.
So yeah, if you told me that one guy moved into the top 8 next year, I would guess Likely took Pitts' spot. Other possible candidates? Dalton Kincaid is reportedly healthy now and has generally been awesome when he's been on the field and healthy. If he plays 75% of the snaps this year, he could leap. If David Njoku is washed and Oronde Gadsden raises his snap share, he could certainly make a case for himself as well. Long-term, I could see Kenyon Sadiq or Eli Stowers make the move, but I do not expect the rookies to follow the recent trend of great Year 1 production for tight ends. It could be that this top eight sticks for a year. After all, six of them were in the top eight last year at this time.
Here are my updated Dynasty Tight End Rankings:
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