3 Tight Ends Going Too Late In 2026 Fantasy Football Drafts

I guess we can call these “keep it simple” Saturdays.

Last week, we had our mind blown by a crazy stat Dwain McFarland uncovered and it reminded us that we don’t always have to overthink fantasy football.

And then yesterday, Dwain continued his awesome “What Matters Most For Fantasy” with the tight end position.

For the first time in the series, previous-season fantasy points per-game isn’t the strongest correlation to next-season fantasy points.

When it comes to tight ends, receiving yards per game from the previous season is the most important for predicting future success:

This makes a lot of sense when you consider TDs are the biggest driver for TE scoring, but they are also a highly volatile stat that isn’t sticky from year-to-year (.33 correlation).

When we look at last year’s receiving yards leaders there are some obvious guys at the top—Trey McBride (1st with 1,239 yards) and Colston Loveland (3rd with 906 yards)—but then we find some interesting names who are all going after pick 100 in drafts.

Consider this a simple, but strong, sleeper list for 2026 TEs:

No. 2 Kyle Pitts (928 yards; ADP: TE8)
No. 4 Juwan Johnson (889 yards; ADP: TE20)
No. 5 Hunter Henry (880 yards; ADP: TE19)
No. 6 Travis Kelce (851 yards; ADP: TE10)
No. 7 Dalton Schultz (836 yards; ADP: TE23)

None of those names are “sexy” by any means (although Taylor might beg to differ), but there are some massive values here—specifically Johnson, Henry and Schultz (good law firm name, tbh).

All of these guys represent strong selections in best ball drafts, but I also think they could be strong TE2 targets in redraft.

My ideal redraft strategy would be to take George Kittle and then pair him with one of those cheap guys above who can cover for him at the beginning of the season.

DWAIN’S EPIC WHAT MATTERS TO TIGHT ENDS

Time to Buy Jeremiyah Love Making The NFL Leap

Few things are as breathtaking and fun to watch as Jeremiyah Love hurdling over defenders during his Notre Dame days. Many of those jumps set him loose on long runs on the way to amassing 3,016 scrimmage yards and 40 TDs for this multi-talented weapon who is taking his talents to Arizona. He’s not yet 21, and appears to have as bright an NFL future as any of the players just drafted. Now it’s time for forward-thinking fantasy managers to act when Love’s available in fantasy drafts in the months ahead.

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Around the Watercooler

Stay up to date without spending hours scrolling. Catch up with the latest and greatest around the Fantasy Life and NFL ecosystem …

📫 Open the mailbag … to find a Trevor Lawrence-Jordan Love dynasty debate.

🎯 A breakout RB got the bag to lead a rising offense. Target him.

🏆 Should we fade this star’s Heisman Trophy odds? So many good QBs.

🧀 A pair of talented WRs looking to break out. Who ya got?

🙈 Pass on this former WR1 in Round 1? Worst picks in each round.

💸 Brock Bowers is the entire Raiders passing game. Break the bank for him.

😬 Some are worried DeVonta Smith will face double teams all day, every day. Should you be?

🏋️ As someone who has 70-pound dumbbells … let me tell you that this is INSANE.

👁️‍🗨️ The Rams getting reinforcements? An update.

🤔 Make this make sense. An insane QB value.

💪 We didn’t see the breakout coming on this QB. Get ready to draft him.

Editors’ Picks

Only 8 more Sundays until football is back. That’s less than two months! We can taste it, too. Our Fantasy Life Draft Guide, rankings and projections are ready for your prep. And ICYMI, enjoy these articles.

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Purdy is Underrated

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Draft From 1.02: Don’t Feel Bad Picking Bijan Robinson

Should we be looking at Bijan Robinson as the consolation prize in the great debate of 2026: Who should be the 1.01 in fantasy football drafts? So far, the consensus is to pick Jahmyr Gibbs. We love Gibbs like a relative, but what if the top pick should’ve been Bijan all along? Getting “stuck” with him is more than a consolation prize.

Chris Allen is back with his series on the different draft slots, moving down the line to the 1.02. Luckily, there’s more to talk about than just who to take in the first round. There’s definite strategy that involves roster construction at various points in the draft. ⤵️

GO ELITE QB OR TE FROM THIS DRAFT SLOT?

Selling Nico Collins’ Ranking As Too High?

Considering how running back crazy fantasy managers will be in the first two rounds of drafts, those wide receivers who do get taken in those opening rounds better be hits. And big ones. Jonathan Fuller takes a hard look at one of the top WRs in the game, Nico Collins, and analyzes whether his ranking matches up with the the risk—see injury history—that comes with taking a player so high. But Jonathan doesn’t stop there. ⤵️

FULL SELL ON CAM SKATTEBO?

What’s Your Running Back Draft Strategy?

Since they had so much fun and at least meant to follow the rules on draft strategy last week, Kendall and Pete jumped into another best ball draft using dueling RB strategies: Robust RB vs. Zero RB. What’s your strategy? Subscribe today and don’t miss any episodes on the Fantasy Life Show YouTube channel.

WHO ARE THE RBs TO TARGET IN EACH STRATEGY?

Published Jul 18, 2026, 6:00 AM ET