Gamers who don’t invest a premium pick on Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, or Colston Loveland might be best served waiting until much later for a tight end, especially if league mates push the middle-tier and low-end TE1 options up above their average draft positions (ADPs) in half-point per reception (half-PPR) formats. Fortunately, two forthcoming tight ends have ADPs outside the top-12 tight ends and the upside to finish inside the top five at the position.
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TE2s With Top-5 Tight End Potential
Mark Andrews (TE – BAL) | ADP: 114.7 (TE14)
One hack for finding a TE1 is to chase touchdowns, and if the tight end runs pure enough, a top-five finish can be in the cards. McBride (252.9 half-PPR points) and Dallas Goedert (155.1 half-PPR points) were the TE1 and the TE4, respectively, in half-PPR total points in 2025. McBride and Goedert were tied for the most receiving touchdowns (11) among tight ends in 2025.
In 2024, Mark Andrews led the position with 11 receiving touchdowns, and George Kittle and Jonnu Smith were tied for second, with eight receiving touchdowns. They were the TE5, TE2, and TE4, respectively, in half-PPR total points that season.
Touchdowns are a straightforward path to a top-five TE finish, and Andrews finished at a top-five TE in half-PPR total points as recently as 2024 and was a top-five one in half-PPR points per game among those with at least eight games played in 2023.
Andrews bottomed out for a TE16 finish in half-PPR total points and a TE24 half-PPR points per game (6.3) finish among those with at least eight games played in 2025.
Andrews and the Ravens will look to get back on track this year, and their ability to rebound all starts with Lamar Jackson‘s health. Andrews’s fantasy value is also tied to his multi-time MVP’s health. Andrews had the following in-out splits in Jackson’s starts and non-starts, with data via the Fantasy Points Data Suite.
Oddsmakers like the outlook for the Ravens in 2026. Baltimore’s consensus win total for 2026 of 11.5 is tied for the highest in the NFL. Moreover, per First Down Studio, their implied average points per game for 2026 is the sixth-highest at 25.9 points per game. Andrews should once again be in the mix to finish among the leaders at tight end in touchdowns this season if Jackson is healthier and things go according to the expectations of the betting markets.
Juwan Johnson (TE – NO) | ADP: 145.7 (TE20)
Things don’t always need to be complicated. Running routes is critical for scoring fantasy points for a tight end.
It’s not specific to “leading the league in routes run,” either.
Since the NFL went to 17-games, hitting 500+ routes at the TE position has yielded the following results:
Top-6 TE – 67% hit rate
Top-12 TE – 83% hit rateSimple high route volume is usually enough to equate to… https://t.co/xV05FkhXgI
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) July 14, 2026
Juwan Johnson was fourth in routes run (504) by tight ends in the 2025 regular season. Sadly, that wasn’t enough to crack a top-five finish at tight end last year. Instead, Johnson was the TE10 in half-PPR total points (141.4) and the TE16 in half-PPR points per game (8.3) among tight ends with at least eight games played.
Gamers who scooped up Johnson off waivers last year were rewarded with a quality finish, but there’s room for more from Johnson in 2026, despite his TE20 ADP being considerably lower than his fantasy finish last year. For starters, Johnson was more productive after rookie Tyler Shough took over for Spencer Rattler as the starting quarterback for the Saints. The following table shows his splits with Rattler and Shough as the starting quarterback in 2025.
Johnson’s expected half-PPR points per game dipped after Shough took over, but he logged significantly more yards per route run, receiving yards per game, and upped his first downs per route run. It’s also important to remember Shough was a rookie last year, and there’s room for improvement from the second-year pro and increased rapport with an entire offseason of Shough operating as the team’s starter with Johnson. Moreover, Johnson’s uptick in fantasy scoring in Shough’s starts, despite his first-read rate sliding, could prove especially helpful for him this year since the team spent the eighth pick in this year’s NFL Draft on Jordyn Tyson, reducing the need for Kellen Moore to direct first-read targets toward Johnson.
Speaking of Moore, his desire to play fast is outstanding for the fantasy football outlook of any of the team’s fantasy-relevant players, including Johnson. According to RotoViz’s pace app, the Saints were tied for the fourth-most plays run per 60 minutes (66) in 2025. Moreover, New Orleans was tied for the fourth-highest situation-neutral pass rate (59%).
Johnson was already a TE1 in half-PPR total points last year, and a step forward from Shough while he continues to run many routes could unlock a top-five TE season in 2026.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
