The tight end position is the most difficult to navigate in Fantasy Football. Not everyone can roster Brock Bowers or Trey McBride. The majority of the tight end landscape is not very Fantasy Football impactful, so identifying who can be a difference-maker is a great way to separate yourself from your league members. Drafting tight ends set for a breakout season will give you a boost towards winning your Fantasy Football league. Here are four breakouts for the position in 2026 to target in your drafts.
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4 Breakout Tight Ends for Fantasy Football in 2026
1. Colston Loveland (Bears)
Many will read this first player and say “he already had a breakout”, but I completely disagree. A TE12 finish in 2025, when Colston Loveland’s utilization shifted towards the end of the season, is not a breakout.
That is simply foreshadowing what a full season could be. The Bears used the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Colston Loveland out of Michigan, despite rostering Cole Kmet. Loveland finished his rookie season with 82 targets, 58 catches, 713 receiving yards, and six touchdowns. Major flashes included 118 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in Week 9 (29. Fantasy Points), 94 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets in Week 17 (21.4 Fantasy Points), 91 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets in Week 18 (25.1 Fantasy Points), and then 137 yards on 15 targets in the NFL Wild Card Round (23.7 Fantasy Points). Solid target-earning along with upside in both yardage and touchdowns that translated directly to huge Fantasy Football impacts.
DJ Moore is now a Buffalo Bill, which vacates 85 targets. Olamide Zaccheus is back in Atlanta, and vacates 65 targets. Loveland earned 10+ targets across his final four games (including the NFL Playoffs) in a row. Loveland’s average depth of targets and deep targets both ranked top three for the position, and he was top six for the position in both yards per reception and yards per route run (Playerprofiler). Upside and efficiency are tied tightly to Loveland, and with a full season of high utilization he is going to smash his TE12 Fantasy Finish from 2025 and have a true breakout in 2026.
2. Isaiah Likely (Giants)
The Giants signed Isaiah Likely to a huge three-year, $40 million contract this offseason, which reunites him with his former Ravens head Coach, John Harbaugh. Despite operating as the TE2 in Baltimore behind Mark Andrews, Likely has produced over 300 receiving yards in all four of his seasons, with two of those seasons being over 400 receiving yards. In 2024, Likely produced 477 yards, scored six touchdowns, and finished top 12 for the position in all of yards per route run, yards per target, and yards per reception (Playerprofiler).
Jaxson Dart had a very promising rookie season as a dual-threat quarterback looking to take a big step forward. Malik Nabers is the alpha through the air of this system, but is coming off of a torn ACL and a damaged meniscus, with a mixture of reporting coming out regarding his timeline. Darnell Mooney and Malachi Fields were added this offseason for wide receiver depth. Theo Johnson is a rising tight end, but Likely was paid to be the TE1 in New York. There is a true chance that Likely earns the #2 target role this season, and a chance that Nabers misses time, which would even further elevate the importance of Likely to dart. A true TE1 role in an offense that could feed Likely could mean a big season for him, racking up yardage after the catch, making big plays, and being a red zone threat.
A team’s TE2 turned Fantasy Football breakout. Likely’s ceiling is very high for 2026 with his new opportunity, connected to his former Head Coach, with a rising young quarterback who needs a consistent outlet.
3. Chig Okonkwo (Commanders)
Chig Okonkwo was signed by the Commanders this offseason on a three-year, $27 million deal. Chig has averaged 504.25 receiving yards through four seasons with the Titans, but produced a career-high 560 yards in 2025. Okonkwo finished inside the top 10 tight ends in yards after the catch in 2025, showing he can be a playmaker with the ball in his hands. Okonkwo finished two of his last three games with 16.4/14.5 Fantasy Points to cap off the regular season last year.
Okonkwo has earned 70+ targets for three straight seasons and has an even higher target ceiling in Washington. Terry McLaurin will be the alpha through the air for Jayden Daniels in 2026. Deebo Samuel vacates 99 targets from 2025, and Zach Ertz vacates 72 (13 games played). I am a huge fan of rookie Antonio Williams, who should factor in plenty as the WR2. The target #2 role is wide open, with the higher possibility that turns into Okonkwo operating as Jayden Daniels’ new Ertz.
Okonkwo has shown the ability to earn targets and produce decent yardage, but he is now in a position to have career-highs across the board. Year one in Washington will be a big one for Chig, following his payday to join the squad.
4. Oronde Gadsden II (Chargers)
Oronde Gadsden II was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Syracuse. Gadsden finished two of his college seasons with over 900 receiving yards, and we saw that sort of upside in his rookie season. Gadsden finished with 49 catches on 69 targets for 664 receiving yards and scored three touchdowns. Upside and efficiency were evident by the numbers, with Gadsden finishing third in deep targets, 10th in yards per route run, fourth in yards per target, and third in yards per reception for the position (Playerprofiler).
Gadsden finished five weeks with over 60 yards, but the massive week came in Week 7. That game, Gadsden caught seven of his nine targets for 164 receiving yards and a touchdown for 29.4 Fantasy Points. He would produce 18.7 Fantasy Points the very next week due to 77 yards and a touchdown. Despite competing with Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey, and Quentin Johnston for targets, Gadsden still finished five weeks with 6+ targets and two with 8+.
Mike McDaniel was hired as the new Offensive Coordinator for the Chargers this offseason, which should elevate the entire offense. Back in Miami, we saw some upside flashes out of Darren Waller in 2025 and a huge season out of Jonnu Smith in 2024. This should be encouraging for Gadsden’s year two. David Njoku was also brought in on a one-year deal, but he did not prevent Harold Fannin Jr. from rising last year, even when healthy. Gadsden can be in for a huge year two and fight for the target #2 role from Justin Herbert in 2026.
For more great fantasy football rankings and analysis, make sure to check out the 2026 FantraxHQ Fantasy Football Draft Kit!
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