Fantasy Football Tight End Preseason Prep 2026

I present part three of a six-part series, continuing with the most intriguing tight end sleepers for this year’s fantasy drafts. The tight end targets I highlight below aren’t the most obvious players to go off the board in most fantasy drafts. In fact, only two of the players are regularly drafted in the first ten rounds of most leagues. 

Here are my sleeper picks to scoop up value at tight end, should you decide upon a wide receiver and/or running back heavy draft in the early rounds.  

Terrance Ferguson TE #23 ADP 168

In the “have a little faith” category, I implore you to buy into “T-Ferg”. 

At first glance, this is a muddy receiver room, especially when it comes to the Rams tight ends. Veterans Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson have both led the Rams’ tight end room over the last two seasons. Not only that, but the Rams spent considerable draft capital on talented Max Klare in the second round of the draft this season to further complicate the situation. 

But here’s where the talent overcomes the depth chart, and in this case, Ferguson is the most talented TE on the roster. The word from Rams camp is that Ferguson is likely the third option behind only Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. According to PFF, Head coach Sean McVay is expanding Ferguson’s role across F, Z, Y, and X formations, which is atypical for a tight end. 

In a McVay offense, fantasy managers will want a piece of that action. That’s action that team owners can get for a late-round pick, nonetheless. With that role in this offense, I project Ferguson to garner 60+ targets and 600 yards and 6+ touchdowns. 

If you have a dynasty or keeper league draft, he best be high on your radar.

Isaish Likely TE #14 ADP 104

This is not the sexiest pick of all time, but here’s where fantasy captains capitalize on a familiar face in a new place, as Isaiah Likely finds himself in another John Harbaugh offense. The New York Giants will be a team that provides him the opportunity for a higher degree of targets, more so than when he played second fiddle to the enigmatic Mark Andrews in Baltimore. 

Week 4 last season was Jaxson Dart’s rookie debut, and it became the start of a budding bromance with his former tight end room. This season, that relationship will come to a screeching halt in Week 1. In Dart’s first nine starts last year, TE Theo Johnson commanded a 19.3% target share, which for a tight end is tremendous. Furthermore, Johnson managed to see 22.8% of Dart’s first-read target share, totaling 40.7 yards receiving per game. Johnson’s five touchdowns ranked third in the league for rookie tight ends in 2025, just behind Harold Fannin and Colston Loveland. 

Johnson wasn’t the only one to get love from Dart, as Daniel Bellinger also caught 19 passes for 286 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Overall, that equals 27.5% of Dart’s passes directed at the tight end position. 

But here’s where follow-the-money is an absolute determining factor. In the offseason, Likely signed a three-year, $40 million contract. There’s a high “LIKELY-hood” that the new guy in town will steal the show and target shares from both Johnson and Bellinger.  With a new staff, Dart may have a new focus and a new place to throw on short-yardage attempts. 

Brenton Strange TE #17 ADP 136

“Strange” times we’re living in these days, and it gets stranger by the day. What isn’t strange to me is the amount of talent Liam Cohen and his Jaguars have on the offensive side of the ball. On paper, it’s easy to see wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr. (1st Round, 2024), Travis Hunter (1st Round, 2025), not to mention an offensive line littered with high-round picks: Anton Harrison, 1st round, 2023, Walker Little, 1st round, 2021, Ezra Cleveland, 2nd round, 2020, and Emmanuel Pregnon, 1st round, 2026. The offensive beast that is ready to break out is none other than unheralded 2nd-round (2023) tight end Brenton Strange.

Here’s my case for Strange to finish the season as a top-8 tight end (and currently going at the price of the 17th best tight end off the board). His upward trajectory began last season, when in 12 games, Strange recorded 46 catches for 540 yards and 3 touchdowns. At a 17-game pace, with those same metrics, he’d have 65 catches, 765 yards, and five touchdowns. There is a chemistry between Strange and Trevor Lawrence, and he fits well into Liam Cohen’s scheme (evidenced by Jacksonville’s commitment to him this offseason in the form of a 3-year, $ 36 million contract extension, which could escalate to $ 48 million including incentives). Look for Strange not only in redraft leagues but prioritize him in dynasty and keeper leagues, as the next three years for him could be impressive. 

Oscar Delp TE #38 ADP Undrafted

Out of all the tight ends in the NFL, the one most fans have heard least about is likely the one that’s the most impressive athlete. One of the reasons it’s clear Oscar Delp has flown under the radar is that he played primarily behind all-world tight end Brock Bowers while at the University of Georgia. The New Orleans Saints recognized his talent and drafted Delp with the 73rd overall pick in this year’s draft.

Here’s a case for Delp making a splash early in his career. During offseason 7-on-7 periods, Delp was the offense’s most targeted player. These practices were held in June, and athletic guys like Delp can make it look easy, especially without pads. 

It’s clear, though, that Delp has the talent and ability. But what’s not clear is the opportunity. He is behind starting veterans Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant. Johnson is coming off a career year (77 receptions for 889 yards), and Delp is going to have to hope Head Coach Kellen Moore can’t ignore his talent and involve him in the offense. If an opportunity were to present itself, such as the preseason injury rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson suffered, it certainly does clear up targets for someone in the Saints offense for likely the first month of the season. 

Consider Delp as a dynasty add, with sights set on the future and a cleared path toward targets. But for this season, a top-20 finish at TE for the 38th tight end coming off the board would be considerable value. A season of 40 receptions, 425 yards, and 4 touchdowns would put him clearly on all fantasy managers’ radar. 

Eli Stowers TE #34 ADP 216

When it comes to building an offense around receiving weapons, considerable draft capital nowadays is spent on tight ends. Eli Stowers is no exception. Stowers, a standout at Vanderbilt last season, is yet another ultra-talented tight end with traits more of that of a large wide receiver than that of a traditional blocking tight end. 

Unfortunately, early returns from Eagles training camp don’t suggest Stowers has found his confidence yet. Newly drafted tight ends and running backs do tend to have a significant adjustment period when getting acclimated to NFL offenses. Thus, fantasy managers have to preach a little patience with Stowers (as with Delp) and drafting him in a redraft league needs to be done in only the deepest of leagues. 

Just keep this in mind. He ran a 4.51 forty-yard dash, all while being 6’4”, 239 pounds. There aren’t too many defensive backs who are going to be happy trying to tackle him this season or in the future.