Dark Horse Candidates to Finish as a Top-5 TE: Mark Andrews Bounces Back

The tight end position is one of the most interesting in fantasy leagues this season, with a number of different ways to potentially attack the position. At the top, guys like Brock Bowers and Trey McBride have emerged as elite contributors, capable of matching the best pass-catchers in the league. There’s another group of outstanding young options just a tier below them, with guys like Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, and Harold Fannin all capable of putting up huge years.

However, the position also features outstanding depth. You can comfortably wait to address tight end until the late rounds and still walk away with a potential difference-maker. Let’s dive into three tight ends being drafted outside the top 12 at the position who have the potential to finish as top-five options.

Dark-Horse Candidates to Finish as a Top-5 TE for 2026 Fantasy Football

Mark Andrews | TE | BAL

Is Andrews cooked? It’s possible. He’ll turn 31 years old this season, and he’s coming off a dreadful year by his standards. He managed just 48 catches, 422 yards, and six touchdowns despite playing in all 17 games. It resulted in a TE18 finish in 0.5-PPR scoring, and he was TE24 on a per-game basis.

While that performance is definitely concerning, it could just be an outlier. Andrews had 11 touchdowns the previous season after finishing as TE4 on a per-game basis the year before that.

There are reasons to believe in a bounce back this year. For starters, Lamar Jackson should be significantly better than he was last season. He missed a few weeks due to injury, and he didn’t look like the same player when he eventually returned to the lineup. Jackson averaged an elite 10.8 adjusted yards per attempt in his first four games last year, but he was at just 7.9 after returning. Jackson has a long track record of success, so there’s no reason to expect his struggles to continue.

That said, the biggest reason for optimism stems from Andrews’ role. Isaiah Likely has taken a large chunk of snaps away from Andrews over the past two years, but he is no longer in Baltimore. Charlie Kolar has also moved on, leaving Andrews as the clear-cut top option at the position.

The Ravens still believed in Andrews enough to give him a three-year, $39M extension in December. He’s currently coming off the board as TE15, but if the Ravens’ offense can return to previous levels, he has the potential to smash that figure.

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Isaiah Likely | TE | NYG

Speaking of Likely, he also figures to benefit from leaving Baltimore. It’s a clear step down in terms of offensive situation, but he’ll finally have the opportunity to be the No. 1 option at tight end. He was a top-12 option at TE in terms of yards per route run in both 2023 and 2024 (among TEs with at least 250 routes), and he should easily set a new career high in routes run if he stays healthy.

The Giants offense won’t be as good as the Ravens, but it could still offer some fantasy upside. Specifically, Jaxson Dart loved throwing to TE Theo Johnson last year. Johnson was second on the Giants with a 19% target share after Dart took over as the starting QB, and he had double-digit PPR points in seven contests.

Johnson is still around, but John Harbaugh was intent on bringing the Ravens’ TE to New York with him. All of the offseason reports have been glowing for Likely, as well. He has reportedly been Dart’s “favorite target,” while SNY’s Connor Huges recently reported that the Giants “appear intent on featuring him” this season.

Likely is currently coming off the board as TE13 across the industry, which makes him slightly more expensive than Andrews. That doesn’t exactly jive with our 2026 fantasy rankings, which have Andrews a couple spots ahead of his former teammate. Still, both guys appear poised for strong years in their upgraded situations.

Greg Dulcich | TE | MIA

I typically like to wrap up these “darkhorse” pieces with a longshot, and Dulcich definitely qualifies. He’s not even being drafted inside the top 25 at tight end, so a top-five finish at the position is obviously unlikely.

That said, I’m not ruling it out completely. Dulcich has the potential to be the top target earner for the Dolphins, and players who fit that description at tight end don’t exactly grow on trees.

Dulcich was also productive in limited opportunities last year. He averaged 2.26 yards per route run, which ranked third at the position among TEs with at least 100 routes. Only Dalton Kincaid and Tucker Kraft were better, and both guys are going significantly earlier.

It wasn’t long ago that Dulcich was considered a top prospect at the position. He was a third-round pick back in 2022, and he put together a solid rookie season. He’s fallen off a cliff a bit since then, but there’s a path back to relevance for him with the Dolphins. Malik Willis is a bit unproven at quarterback, but he has flashed over the past few years when forced into opportunity. It’s possible that the offense isn’t a disaster, even if the team is a dumpster fire overall.