RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesUpdated Jake Ferguson Fantasy Outlook 2026: Cowboys TE Part of an Elite Offense
Jake Ferguson is entering his fifth season with the Dallas Cowboys. The fantasy community continues to draft him as a set-and-forget option at his position. There is a fair amount to work through with the veteran tight end. Should fantasy managers be drafting Ferguson in 2026?
Should I Draft Jake Ferguson in Fantasy Football?
Ferguson keeps getting drafted like a difference maker; he simply is not.
He averaged 11.1 fantasy points per game last season, which looks perfectly fine on the surface. Break down how that number was assembled, though, and it falls apart in a hurry.
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In the four games CeeDee Lamb missed, Ferguson feasted to the tune of 18.6 PPG; with Lamb on the field, that figure cratered to 8.9. Those are two completely different players, and only one of them belongs in a fantasy lineup.
That split is the whole story, and it maps onto something I believe about the position generally. The best fantasy tight ends are almost always at least second in their team’s target hierarchy. That is the threshold. When a tight end is the No. 2 option, he sees enough volume to produce weekly. When he slides to No. 3, the targets dry up, and the player becomes unstartable.
Ferguson is the cleanest illustration of that principle you will find. Elevated to the No. 2 role with Lamb sidelined, he was a genuine weapon. Operating as the No. 3, he did nothing.
The problem is that the No. 3 job is his real one. Behind Lamb and George Pickens, Ferguson is the third option at best when this offense is at full strength.
That target competition is stiffer than it used to be. Pickens is a legitimate alpha in his own right, talented enough that he caps what even Lamb can produce in this offense. Two receivers of that caliber do not leave much behind for a tight end.
There is another wrinkle worth monitoring. Ryan Flournoy has been drawing a ton of praise throughout training camp, and there is a very real chance he eats into Ferguson’s target share as well. That is the last thing a player already fighting for scraps needs.
Absent an injury to one of the players ahead of him, Ferguson profiles as a touchdown-or-bust streamer rather than a weekly starter. Those players have value at the right cost. They do not have value at this one.
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Ferguson is my TE16 against a TE11 ADP, and that five-spot gap reflects real conviction. I am not reaching for a third option at a price like this, particularly when I can grab a cheaper punt option several rounds later or spend up on an actual difference maker earlier.
I would rather let someone else pay for the four-game mirage.
Katz’s TE Fantasy Rankings 2026
Brock Bowers | LV
Trey McBride | ARI
Colston Loveland | CHI
Tyler Warren | IND
Sam LaPorta | DET
Tucker Kraft | GB
Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE
George Kittle | SF
Kyle Pitts Sr. | ATL
Dalton Kincaid | BUF
Travis Kelce | KC
Dallas Goedert | PHI
Brenton Strange | JAX
Isaiah Likely | NYG
Mark Andrews | BAL
Jake Ferguson | DAL
Chig Okonkwo | WAS
Juwan Johnson | NO
Hunter Henry | NE
T.J. Hockenson | MIN
AJ Barner | SEA
Greg Dulcich | MIA
Kenyon Sadiq | NYJ
Oronde Gadsden II | LAC
Gunnar Helm | TEN
Dalton Schultz | HOU
Pat Freiermuth | PIT
Colby Parkinson | LAR
Terrance Ferguson | LAR
Cade Otton | TB
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
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