Every fantasy owner knows it’s a challenging task to draft a tight end that will bring significant value to their team. With fewer than a handful each year, and Brock Bowers being the only obvious answer, who else will be dominant in 2025? Here is a list of three tight ends who can help any fantasy football team win a championship this season.
Battling injuries in 2024, Evan Engram only ended up playing nine games and having career lows in almost every statistic. After having a very disappointing season, the Jacksonville Jaguars released him, saving the team $5.99 million off their salary cap.
This move may have saved the Jaguars money, but when healthy, he has proven to be a Pro-Bowl caliber tight end who can produce over 900 yards. Heading into 2025, Engram signed a two-year deal with the Denver Broncos, solidifying his new starting position.
Joining a new organization and offensive scheme can be concerning for fantasy owners, but given the way the Broncos are planning on using him, he will transition back to his Pro Bowl form. Head Coach Sean Payton referred to him as a “Joker” tight end, one capable of lining up anywhere on the field and creating mismatches.
With a new head coach who recognizes his ability in the passing game and plans to utilize him in various formations and positions, it will significantly benefit both the team and fantasy owners.
Having a new offensive scheme and role won’t be the only major difference for Engram this season. For the first time in his career, he will be playing with a consensus current top 15 quarterback with Bo Nix under center.
Having the combination of the new Joker role and a young rising star as his quarterback, Engram will shatter his 2025 projections of 607 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Drafted on average as the 88th overall pick and falling to the seventh round, he is a steal if selected for the 2025 season.
In 2023, rookie Sam LaPorta made a significant impact, recording 889 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He earned a Pro Bowl selection and finished third in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, leaving fantasy owners raving about this young star’s potential.
Last season, LaPorta took a step back, seeing 14 fewer receptions, leading to over 100 fewer receiving yards and three fewer touchdowns. This recession may give fantasy owners a sour taste, hoping to see him progress, not decline, in his second year of his career, but it was just a hiccup in his progress.
Heading into the 2025 season, LaPorta and the Detroit Lions offense will be working with John Morton as their new offensive coordinator. Morton previously worked as the passing game coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 2024, and also served as the Lions’ senior offensive assistant in 2022.
With Morton emphasizing the passing game and having one of the best running backs in the NFL, Detroit plans to increase its use of play-action plays in 2025. This strategy will not only open the field up for the entire offense but also create more opportunities for LaPorta.
Having an offense filled with stars makes it more challenging for a tight end to stand out, but with a new offensive coordinator ready to push the ball downfield, LaPorta will have another breakout season.
Starting the year as the fourth-best tight end to draft in fantasy football and being drafted on average as the 54th overall pick, he will be selected around the fifth round. With a new emphasis on play-action and pushing the ball downfield, he will exceed his 2025 projections of 770 receiving yards and 6.7 touchdowns.
The best fantasy football tight end not named Brock Bowers goes to Trey McBride without any doubt. Last season, McBride excelled with 111 receptions for 1,146 yards, averaging 10.3 yards per reception and achieving a catch rate exceeding 75%. Having fewer than 50 receiving yards than Bowers did last season, there isn’t much that fantasy owners can take away from McBride’s game, except his ability to find the endzone.
In his first three seasons, he has recorded only six touchdowns. There are many reasons a fantasy owner can cite as to why he has such a low number of touchdowns despite being a dominant tight end. Ultimately, the Arizona Cardinals have an inconsistent offense.
When they do score, they primarily rely on the running game with Kyler Murray and James Conner. This has been the trend over the past few seasons, resulting in their last winning season being 2021. In order for this team to break the trend, they will need to adjust their approach in the red zone, giving targets like McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. more opportunities.
If the Cardinals can adjust how they operate in the red zone, McBride will turn into the best tight end in fantasy football. With only two touchdowns in 2024, he was still second in fantasy points in full-point-per-reception leagues, having 12.9 fewer points than Bowers. With a projection of 1,002 receiving yards and 5.4 touchdowns in 2025, McBride is expected to solidify his position as the second-best tight end after Bowers for the second year in a row. If McBride matches or surpasses his 2024 receiving yards and scores five or more touchdowns, he will emerge as the top tight end in fantasy football.
Based on how fantasy football owners perceive the tight end position, there are several strategies to consider when drafting one this year. If you want the best of the best, you’re going to need to spend a second-round pick on Bowers or a third-round pick on McBride.
I would recommend targeting wide receivers and running backs in the first two rounds and selecting McBride early in the third round if you’re pushing for one early. Having nearly the same production as one another in 2024, it’s not worth spending the second-round draft pick on Bowers unless you have a steal of a pick set up in the third round.
If you’re planning to hold tight and select a tight end in the middle of the draft, I recommend targeting LaPorta in the fifth round. With a new offensive coordinator ready to set him up for a year like his rookie season, he is prepared to take the league by storm once again in 2025.
If you’re like me and like to take risks with the tight end position, I say sit back and target Engram in the seventh round. Being in a whole new system and organization can be scary to some. When you look into how Payton will utilize this dynamic veteran, plus the exceptional talent surrounding him, he is set up for a breakout year, possibly his best.
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