Identifying breakouts for Fantasy Football before the season can pave the path to winning your Fantasy Football leagues. Targeting players set to explode for Fantasy Football in your Redraft drafts, or trading for these players in Dynasty Leagues, can give you the edge to bring home a championship. If you know me as a content creator, you know my intention (and original brand) has always been to help you “Play 2 Win”. That is the goal of this article – to help you win by outlining my favorite Fantasy Football breakout tight ends for 2025.
Most Fantasy Football terms are defined differently, so I need to clarify what I mean by a breakout. Your definition, my definition, and the definition of countless others for a Fantasy Football breakout may have some similarities, but can also be looked at completely differently at the same time. I define a breakout as a player who can take a substantial leap in Fantasy Football production or a player who can have an immediate Fantasy Football scoring impact, which in either case is a major positional advantage in lineups for a given year.
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In last year’s article, I highlighted five players for the tight end position I felt were breakout candidates. Two of those players were Brock Bowers and Trey McBride, who ended up finishing first and second for the position in total Fantasy Points. While you might look back and say 2/5 is just 40%, that 40% hit rate could have helped you win leagues in 2024. I have four players this year that I feel can take the step forward in being league difference makers and winning you a championship. Let’s get it
4 Breakout Tight Ends for Fantasy Football in 2025
1. Tucker Kraft, Packers
The interesting fact about Tucker Kraft is that he was the second tight end his own team drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft. Luke Musgrave was selected in the second round with pick 42, and the Packers doubled up later selecting Tucker Kraft in the next round with the 78th overall pick. This reminds me of the Ravens back in 2018 when they selected tight end Hayden Hurst in the first round, then Mark Andrews in the third round. In both instances, that second tight end became “the guy”.
In 2023 as a rookie, Kraft played the majority of the snaps Weeks 12-18 as the starter, ranking during that span for the position: tied for 12th in targets, tied for eighth in catches, 10th in receiving yards, and seventh in total Fantasy Points. Kraft held down the role in 2024, and while he finished 18th in targets and receptions (70/50) he finished seventh in receiving yards (707) and 14th in Fantasy points per game (PPG). Stats that popped include finishing second in both yards per target and yards per reception (10.1/14.1) and finishing top five in yards after the catch.
Green Bay did select Matthew Golden with the 23rd pick in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, but there still is no clear alpha target in Green Bay. The likes of Golden, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks all feel like WR2s at best. Kraft’s role was consistent in 2024, averaging 85% of the snaps for the year. Holding down that lead tight end role, being efficient, being important to the offense, the offense not having a clear alpha, and still growing as a player are signs that 2025 could be the breakout season. And I say this as a Bears fan.
2. Tyler Warren, Colts
Tyler Warren had a massive receiving season in 2024, and his numbers popped, not just for tight ends but for all positions across the FBS. Warren finished tied for second in the FBS with 104 receptions and finished seventh in receiving yards with 1,233, numbers better than most wide receivers. Via Nfl.com, Warren also won the John Mackey Award (nation’s top tight end), Second-team Associated Press All-American, Big Ten Conference TE of the Year, First-team All-Big Ten, Finalist for the Paul Hornung Award (nation’s most versatile player), finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting, and Fiesta Bowl MVP (6-63, two touchdowns receiving).
The Colts selected Warren with the 14th pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Warren has a massive 6’5, 256lb frame, and he plays with a ton of confidence, alpha energy, competes heavy, absorbs contact at ease, runs the ball a bit, and has a major season under his belt. The camp focus for the Colts will be the Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones quarterback battle. While Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs have both proven to be quality assets, I would not be surprised if Warren becomes best friends with whoever the quarterback is in 2025. The next Brock Bowers or Sam LaPorta in the sense of being an immediate Fantasy asset as a rookie tight end.
3. Dalton Kincaid, Bills
There were high expectations for Dalton Kincaid as a rookie in 2023, after being selected by the Bills with the 25th overall pick in the first round as a new weapon for Josh Allen, who was desperate for playmakers post Stefon Diggs. Kincaid was targeted 91 times, caught 73 of those balls for 673 yards, and scored two touchdowns and averaged 9.4 Fantasy PPG (#14). In 2024, growth was hoped for from Kincaid, but injuries impacted his season. He averaged fewer PPG at 7.8, which ranked 18th in his 13 appearances. Kincaid played eight games above 50% of the snaps but did have six games with seven or more targets, five games over 40 receiving yards, and three games over 11 Fantasy Points. Via playerprofiler, Kincaid did get targeted deep the second most, finished eighth in average depth of target, and 12th in air yards, which demonstrates his potential for upside.
In 2025, the Bills will feature Khalil Shakir in the slot, who was solid in 2024, second-year Keon Coleman, newcomers Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore, and role player Dawson Knox as the pass-catching competition. There is no clear dominant alpha receiver for Josh Allen. Kincaid has also only scored two receiving touchdowns in each of his seasons played, which is a category that could rise in 2025 in a solid Bills offense with one of the best quarterbacks in the game. A developmental and healthy year three with Josh Allen could mean the Fantasy expectations will be met for Kincaid this coming year, which could translate into his awaited breakout.
4. Chig Okonkwo, Titans
Figured I would finish this article with some spice, and that spice is Chig Okonkwo who is still just 25 years old. Chig has played all 17 games for three straight seasons, which is impressive in itself, finishing with 450, 528, and 479 receiving yards in those years. 70+ targets over the last two seasons have shown some role consistency. Chig has scored over 13 Fantasy Points six times through three seasons. This has all been tied to quarterbacks Will Levis, Mason Rudolph, Ryan Tannehill, and Malik Willis.
The Titans selected Cam Ward out of Miami with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to fill their starting quarterback role. Ward finished 2024 with 4,313 passing yards and 39 passing touchdowns. Elijah Arroyo, a rookie tight end for the Seahawks, finished last season with 590 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Calvin Ridley is the clear #1 target for this Titans offense, but that #2 role is wide open for me. Veteran Tyler Lockett, Van Jefferson, Treylon Burks, and rookies Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, and Xavier Restrepo highlight the target competition. Chig could fight for the second target role with a gunslinger in Ward, who has clear passing yardage and touchdown upside, which could result in a true Fantasy breakout for 2025.
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