The 2026 NFL season is fast approaching and the Yahoo Fantasy Ultra Playbook has everything you need to know to before your draft, giving you the tools and analysis to crush the competition. Among that analysis is Joel Smyth's TE player profiles. Below is a sneak peek of some of the 25+ tight end profiles in the Ultra Playbook, including a ceiling and risk meter for each. If you subscribe to Ultra, there are nearly 150 player profiles to digest.
Ceiling: If things fall in their favor, how big can they hit in 2026?
Risk: A subjective ranking based on injuries, surrounding injuries, coaching changes, how proven a player is, age, and other factors that bring on uncertainty.
Harold Fannin Jr., Browns (ADP: 71.4)Turns out the Bowling Green hero wasn't dependent on lesser college competition. Fannin's rookie season saw the highest avoided tackle rate of any TE since 2020, as he made plays all over the field for a struggling offense. David Njoku is out of the picture, but the team that ranked 32nd in WR fantasy points used two top picks in the NFL Draft at the position. Even considering that, Fannin’s target volume should stay high, as his targets per route in 2025 was higher than Trey McBride's and any other TE. The upside for a lower tier TE1 in drafts is well above average.
Ceiling: 8/10
Risk: 6/10
Dallas Goedert, Eagles (ADP: 106.2)Goedert is the prime example of a TD regression candidate in 2026, but does that make him a bad fantasy selection? If after finishing as the TE5, he was being drafted as the TE5, yes. But that's not the case. Goedert is currently going 15th among TEs, even without A.J. Brown in Philly. Goedert won't have the insane target share inside the five as he did last season, but it can be made up elsewhere to pay off his current ADP. If the offense bounces back as a whole, the Eagles TE can be a great punt option in fantasy football.
Ceiling: 7/10
Risk: 4/10
George Kittle, 49ers (ADP: 86.3)The Achilles injury makes Kittle's early production a giant question mark. Not only is it an extremely difficult injury to come back from, but Kittle is a 32-year-old whose specialty is yards after the catch, and his injury came in January. Last season was the first season where we saw Kittle's yards after the catch dip, but his production did not come down with it. If he comes back healthy is a major question, but if he does, he's been a top-five fantasy TE in PPG in eight straight seasons! He is currently going as the TE9 in ADP.
Ceiling: 9/10
Risk: 10/10
Dalton Kincaid, Bills (ADP: 98.9)Efficiency has never been the issue, just the volume. Kincaid finished first among TEs in (breathes in) targets/route, yards/route, yards/target, yards/rec, 1st downs/route, targeted pass rating, yards per target over expected, fantasy points/route and expected fantasy points per route in 2026. When he's on the field, his volume is the best among TE, and his production is even better. The issue is he had a 44% route share and 13% red zone target share. DJ Moore complicates things with no target competition being vacated and his past usage in the red zone. The positive is in games when Kincaid was fully healthy, his route share bumped up to 60%. Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes won't disappear, but Kincaid's path to a ceiling is clear and relies on getting on the field more than past seasons.
Ceiling: 9/10
Risk: 8/10
Tucker Kraft, Packers (ADP: 60.8)The ACL is the obvious fear, not to mention the Packers' history of slowly ramping up players recovering from injury. It's a big concern, but also the only concern. Same good QB, same good coach, same good offense, just with less target competition to compete against. His yards after catch stats look fake, 10.0 on average since 2024, with the next-closest TE at 6.5. Kraft may have overproduced in touchdowns last season, but with 17 vacated red zone targets and his playmaking ability, he should still be a top-five fantasy TE if his knee can hold up.
Ceiling: 9/10
Risk: 8/10
Kyle Pitts Sr., Falcons (ADP: 72.8)Pitts' best season came in 2025 as the TE6, however, his finish was as close to the TE18 as it was the TE4. The absence of Drake London for a month carried his production, in fact, Pitts ranked as the TE18 in games with London in the lineup. Kevin Stefanski gives some nice potential coming from a Cleveland offense that consistently used and produced good TE numbers over the last few seasons. The former top-five pick has grown each season, and could increase his receiving YPG from the fourth straight year.
Ceiling: 8/10
Risk: 5/10
Analysis from the best in the businessThe Playbook is powered by some of fantasy football's most-trusted analysts: Justin Boone (the top-ranked in-season ranker of 2025), Matt Harmon, Josh Norris, Joel Smyth, Scott Pianowski and Hayden Winks. This isn't one analyst's opinion. It's a consensus of the sharpest minds in fantasy football, featuring advice you can rely on.
The Ultra Fantasy Playbook is loaded with everything you need to dominate your draft.
What The Playbook includesPositional targets and fades: Each analyst reveals their favorite picks and players to avoid at QB, RB, WR and TE.
A sleeper and breakout candidate from all 32 teams: Every roster has one. We find them before your leaguemates do.
Deep sleepers: For the managers who want an edge late in drafts, where championships are quietly won.
Positional strategies: Deep dives on how to navigate builds for Late-Round QB, Zero RB and other popular strategies.
A detailed game plan for every draft pick range: Whether you're up first or at the turn, we tell you exactly how the board should shape your strategy in each round.
Nearly 150 player profiles: Scouting reports on the names who'll decide your season, including projections as well as ceiling and risk meters.
Half-PPR and full-PPR rankings: Consensus outlook built specifically for those scoring formats.
Half-PPR and full-PPR positional tiers from each analyst: See the value cliffs at a glance and know exactly when a position run is worth chasing.
Unique format advice: Playing in a Superflex or TE Premium league? We have top-50 lists to guide you through the key early rounds.
More analysis: Targets on each team, 2026's top-10 rookies, regression candidates, kicker and D/ST insights are all part of The Playbook.
Printable cheat sheets: Draft-day ready, so you're heads-down on the board and not toggling between 10 browser tabs.
The Yahoo Fantasy Ultra Playbook is built for fantasy managers who want to draft smarter, not just play the game.
An Ultra subscription also unlocks top-notch tools like Yahoo's Draft Strategy Lab, so you can take your mock draft game to the next level. Filter by each analyst's rankings or by a draft strategy style, like Robust RB.
How much does Fantasy Ultra cost? It's available for $79.99 per year, equal to $6.67 per month.
Where can I subscribe? Through eligible paywalls in the Yahoo Fantasy app or by visiting the Fantasy Plus landing page.
Leave a Comment