TEs to Avoid in Fantasy Football: Which ADPs Aren't Worth It?
Spending too much draft capital on the wrong tight end could make or break your fantasy football team. Justin Carlucci highlights three TEs he's staying away from at their current ADPs.
Tight end is a position that often creates some of the widest divides in fantasy football opinion. It is also a onesie position, where a ceiling game can swing a weekly head-to-head matchup.
Here are a few players I’m pumping the brakes on at their current ADPs.
TEs to Avoid in Fantasy Football for 2026
Tyler Warren, Colts (ADP: 51.7)
I wrote about Tyler Warren last week in my Sleeper ADP article, and nothing has changed. The talent is real. The league-winning ceiling is real. But at 51.7, I still think there is too much risk.
Warren is going smack in the middle of Colston Loveland and Tucker Kraft, which means you are making a meaningful roster-construction decision. In that range, you might still be looking for your RB2 before the dead zone kicks in. You can also take a wide receiver with substantial upside, including Davante Adams, Luther Burden, DJ Moore, or Jameson Williams. Bucky Irving and Quinshon Judkins may be there too.
Those players feel more vital to building an early-round foundation than taking a tight end whose weekly role has more uncertainty than people want to admit.
I believe Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and Loveland have clearer floors. Warren could pay off if his goal-line role expands, but the Colts do not project as an especially high-volume passing attack.
Daniel Jones is returning from a 2025 season-ending injury, the acquisition of Keenan Allen brings another underneath target hog into the building, Josh Downs remains involved, and Alec Pierce could eventually return to a significant role. Will Warren earn targets?
Now, Warren is also dealing with a groin strain. The reports are positive, and he is expected to be fine, but that does not make me want to spend a fourth- or fifth-round pick on him.
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Dalton Kincaid, Bills (ADP: 112.8)
I also wrote recently about Kincaid vs. Mark Andrews, and I remain out on Dalton Kincaid.
We’ve been in love with the player Kincaid could become, but we are not accepting who he has been. He has not stayed healthy, he has not consistently been on the field enough, and he has not been used near the goal line as much as fantasy managers want to believe.
Kincaid’s red-zone deployment is the biggest issue. If you remove Weeks 6, 11, 12, 13, and 17 from last year’s sample—games where he was unavailable—Kincaid played only 10 of Buffalo’s 54 snaps inside the five-yard line. That is below a 20% rate. His usage inside the 10-yard line was only a tick over 20%.
The money is made in the red zone. Buffalo loves to run it near the goal line, and the offense now includes DJ Moore on the outside. I do not know why Kincaid’s red zone usage would suddenly double or triple. I’m looking elsewhere, except in best ball stacks where I have Josh Allen.
T.J. Hockenson, Vikings (ADP: 159.1)
Hockenson is cheap enough that I understand the appeal, but I still do not see a clear route to consistent volume.
Minnesota will be successful if it runs the football. The Vikings ranked 19th in neutral pass rate last season, and when leading by at least seven points, they threw the ball at only the 23rd-highest rate in the league, according to Fantasy Points.
Kyler Murray is an upgrade over J.J. McCarthy, but that does not leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy about Hockenson’s fantasy ceiling. Justin Jefferson is the centerpiece. Jordan Addison will demand targets. Jauan Jennings is now in the fold. And Minnesota has two running backs it wants to feed.
Hockenson could have a spike week or two. But I do not see a reliable enough weekly target floor to make him a priority, even at pick 159.1. There are several other directions I would rather go late at tight end.
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