Fantasy Football: How to approach the tight end position for 2026, plus strategy for the new TE Premium format

All it took was one draft. I started playing fantasy football in my late 20s. Ray Rice was the first RB on my team. I had no clue what I was doing (still don't!). Anyway, after getting rolled by my leaguemates, there was only one thing to do. Build more teams!

In a sense, it was an all-or-nothing proposition. I could've left it alone. Placing dead last in a work league happens to the best of us (right?). Clearly, there was no middle ground for me. And I'm willing to bet you have a similar feeling when it comes to selecting a player at one specific position.

The TE role is one we hype up every year. It feels deep each offseason, and then we wind up with the same few players leading teams into the playoffs. The last six months have been no different. But I've still got some ideas on how to approach tight ends ahead of the 2026 season.

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What's this TE Premium Stuff About?

So, you might've heard Yahoo is trying something different . We're adding Tight End Premium as a scoring mechanic to your league. The setting boosts the award for a reception by a TE to 1.0 (default is 0.5). And I'm guessing you have a few questions about the option to inject a bit more chaos into your league.

Does TE Premium increase the value of the position?

Yes. Without a doubt.

By ratcheting up the benefit of catching the ball, we should expect to see more points from our TE1 on a weekly basis. But, more importantly, it brings the position more in line with the other designations.

As you can see, TE Premium pushes tight ends points above replacement ahead of both RB and WR. TruMedia

I built a points above replacement (PAR) model to measure how much value each position brings relative to its baseline or replacement level. Simply put, the model is a way to compare what you drafted to what you could've found on the waiver wire.

Remember, we only start one TE at a time. However, multiple RBs and WRs have to be in our lineup. The disparity puts pressure on the "onesie" to add value — not just give us a few points each week. That becomes more true the earlier we draft our starter. Regardless, two takeaways here.

The first one is simple. A bonus for TE receptions raises the value of the position. They're generating more points, so no surprise here. The larger conclusion comes when weighing them against RBs and WRs. Because the scores are increasing, they're falling more in line with the point totals of RBs and WRs. Or, during some seasons, exceeding them. Accordingly, this opens up more viable draft strategies with TEs headlining fantasy rosters.

How do I adjust tight end ADP for this scoring? Just move everybody up?

Well, actually, no.

Unfortunately, while every TE gets the boost, they don't all see the same bump in value. Let's first look at what metrics have the most impact on fantasy scoring.

Target Share (2021-2025): 0.93 (r value)

Route Rate: 0.89

RZ Target Share: 0.86

Over the last five seasons, tight ends that get more cardio than blocking reps and earn targets have received the nod from fantasy gamers. However, those guys get harder to find the deeper we get into a draft.

Here's a look at how tight end workload declines fast as the draft progresses. FantasyPros ADP and TruMedia Data

Intuitively, better players, or pass-catchers with secure workloads, are more expensive. If we knew a guy would be anywhere close to their team's leading receiver, they'd have an early-round price tag on them before you could utter "sleeper." However, because of positional scarcity (i.e., there are only so many worthwhile tight ends), we pull everyone forward.

So, in reality, the elite TEs are the benefactors?

Yep. The rich get richer.

Think about it this way. Higher scores were the main driver for the increase in value over replacement for TEs. But those larger point totals only come from receiving the ball. We still need routes and targets. So, as target shares flatten out in the middle rounds, value takes a nosedive.

Only the elite rounds gain value from TE Premium formats. FantasyPros ADP and TruMedia Data

In other words, if you're going to take advantage of TE Premium scoring, do it early. Clicking on Travis Kelce in the seventh round because you waited actually hurts your team. That's especially true when TEs with a similar range of outcomes are available later (e.g., Jake Ferguson, Dallas Goedert, Dalton Kincaid).

However, if you want to find a guy with the potential to be this year's TE1, let's build a profile for an elite receiver.

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Find the TE Cosplaying as a WR

So, we've established a basic analytical framework to screen TEs. Essentially, we want the pass-catchers with constant involvement in their team's passing game. But if we're swinging for the fences in the early rounds, only the best at the position will suffice. Luckily, we have an idea of what that looks like:

Throwback Touchdown 🏈 Jacoby Brissett’s 18-Yard Passing Touchdown to Trey McBride against the Bengals in 2025! Video: NFL pic.twitter.com/0USORrnlP4

— NFL Touchdowns (@TheNFLTouchdown) July 20, 2026

Of course, the first social media clip I came across featuring last year's TE1 is against my Bengals. Anyway, Trey McBride's case for the fantasy MVP title was simple: he was the Cardinals' WR1. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson were just talking points for '26 and beyond. McBride's 27.9% target rate ranked seventh among all WRs. But we've seen players like him before at the top spot of the end-of-season standings.

Here's a look at the top tight end in fantasy each season from 2021-2025. FantasyPros ADP and TruMedia Data

Since 2021, the overall TE1 has either the top or secondary option on their squad....