Tight end is a tricky position every year, but especially in 2026. Brock Bowers and Trey McBride are elite options, but you’ll have to sacrifice a premium pick and fall behind at running back and wide receiver. Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren are fine options, but they present similar (though lesser) problems to the elite options. Harold Fannin has significant target competition and arguably the worst quarterback situation in the league. Sam LaPorta is hurt yet again, and Tucker Kraft is coming off of ACL surgery. So where can you turn for a cheap but potentially lucrative option? Here are three discount tight ends using Apex ADP to consider in your fantasy drafts.
Dalton Kincaid – ADP: 129.6 (TE14)
After being selected 25th overall in 2023, Kincaid has seen his games played, targets, and receptions fall every season. He’s battled numerous injuries and appeared to be on a downward trajectory. However, a closer look shows a top-end pick primed for a bounce-back.
While only finishing 39th in route share among tight ends in 2025, Kincaid was the dominant receiving option whenever he was on the field:
Unsurprisingly, he’s also been the leader in targets per route run among all tight ends over the past few seasons. The key for him is increasing his route share, which has been limited by his health struggles (9 missed games over the past two seasons). Beat writer Joe Buscaglia had this to say after Kincaid dominated the Browns-Bills joint practices:
However, this camp and preseason have looked and felt a bit different for Kincaid. He’s been at practice every day, he looks stronger and he’s playing with more physicality in the blocking game. Most importantly, his usage during camp practices has seen a bit of a bump — even with tight ends Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes fully healthy. It’s not to say that he’s on the precipice of playing 75 percent or more of the team’s offensive snaps, but Kincaid’s health, summer usage, and ability are all trending toward an enhanced role in 2026.
Most importantly, his health appears to be (at least for now) a non-issue:
D.J. Moore will lead this team in targets as long as he’s healthy, but a healthy Kincaid is as good a bet as any to finish 2nd on the team in targets. An excellent candidate for an age-adjusted peak season, he is the perfect TE2 with every-week startability for as long as he’s healthy. If you need to shore up your TE room at an 11th-round cost, Kincaid is your best bet.
Juwan Johnson – ADP: 164.8 (TE18)
Johnson had one of the quietest TE8 seasons in recent memory. He became a very reliable 2nd-option behind Chris Olave; here’s how he ranked among TEs in 2025:
- 3rd in yards (889)
- T-7th in targets (102)
- 5th in receptions
- 7th in target percentage (18%)
- T-4th in 20+ yard receptions (11)
Top-pick Jordan Tyson was having a sensational camp until his chronically injured hamstring put him out for at least two months, if not longer:
Along with Alvin Kamara’s injury, the Saints are once again short on pass-catchers behind Chris Olave. After his sensational season last year, recency bias has downplayed the fact that he was considering retirement after suffering four concussions during his NFL career (including two in 2024).
Offensive difference-maker and new head coach Kellen Moore takes over playcalling duties and is likely to continue to feed Johnson with high-percentage targets while Olave functions as the intermediate and deep threat:
Johnson is one of the highest-floor TE2s available, and can serve as your TE1 in a pinch on any given week. He’s a steal in the 14th round.
Terrance Ferguson – ADP: 172.8 (TE20)
A size-speed freak out of Oregon, the 6’5″, 247lb Ferguson instantly became fantasy-relevant when he was drafted by the best offensive mind in football with the 46th overall pick last year. His athleticism is mouth-watering (per PlayerProfiler):
Extremely raw as a rookie, he was still used in a manner that attempted to exploit his size, speed, and big-play ability to an extreme degree:
Always at the forefront of offensive innovation, the Rams are once again set to be among the league leaders in 3 TE sets. Unsurprisingly, they finished 5th in TE targets last year, and that seems to be the floor with all signs pointing to Ferguson set to play a massive role:
His contingent upside is even larger considering Puka Nacua is facing a potential suspension and a groin issue while Davante Adams has missed three games over each of the past two seasons and turns 34 in December. Adams’s efficiency is indicative of a player who is near the cliff. Despite the lack of a true third receiving weapon in the receiving game, Adams averaged his fewest targets per game since 2016, his fewest receptions and yards per game since 2015.
Ferguson is the ultimate home run swing with essentially zero cost at the tight end position.
