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It is finally time to be building out your fantasy football draft strategies for the 2025 NFL season. With the start of the campaign just weeks away, starting to determine your draft plans now will help set you apart from your leaguemates.
For the final installment in ClutchPoints’ positional rankings, let’s take a deep dive into the tight end position. After Brock Bowers took home top honors as TE1 last year, the Las Vegas offense is hoping that Geno Smith is their long-term solution at QB. So is Bowers in a position to lead all TEs again, or will someone else take the crown?
Any data regarding player stats from the 2024 fantasy season were pulled from Sleeper and all rankings factor in a point-per-reception (PPR), single-QB league format. As always, utilize our rankings but make sure to build out your pre-draft rankings to match the specific format of your fantasy football league.
1. Brock Bowers
2024 Finish: TE1
The tight end position has once again become a hot-button topic in fantasy football, after the rookie year breakout from Bowers in 2024. All Bowers did was lead all TEs in receiving yards, receptions, and targets last year, while averaging over 70 receiving yards per game and outpacing some elite wide receivers.
Bowers enters his second season as the top-rated TE in ClutchPoints’ tight end rankings, and he will be catching passes from Geno Smith, a massive upgrade from last season. Expecting the Raiders to need to throw the ball a lot once again this year, another big campaign is in store for Bowers.
2. Trey McBride
2024 Finish: TE2
Touchdowns were hard to come by for the Arizona Cardinals' offense as a whole, something that hindered Trey McBride last year. Even with only finding the end zone twice in 2024, with his first score not coming until Week 17, McBride still managed to finish as the overall TE2.
On the heels on his best professional season to date, McBride is in line to once again play a huge role in Arizona’s passing attack. Even with Marvin Harrison Jr. ready to take a step forward, look for McBride to cross the 1,000-yard mark while scoring at least 5 TDs in 2025.
3. George Kittle
2024 Finish: TE3
While rare, the first three tight ends in these rankings are listed in the same order that they finished last season in, and that includes George Kittle coming in as TE3 for 2025. With the skill player group either injured or suspended, the San Francisco 49ers look like they will need to lean heavily on their veteran tight end as he enters his ninth season in the NFL.
Kittle has a solid rapport developed with Brock Purdy, as his 1,106 yards in 2024 marks the second-highest yardage total of his career. Combine that with an unknown timeline for Brandon Aiyuk, Demarcus Robinson being handed a three-game suspension by the NFL, and Ricky Pearsall acclimating to a bigger role, and you have the perfect storm for another big year for Kittle.
4. T.J. Hockenson
2024 Finish: TE34
The best friend of a young quarterback making the first start of his NFL career is a veteran tight end who knows how to make things easy, and that looks to be the role for T.J. Hockenson in 2025. As J.J. McCarthy takes the reins for the Minnesota Vikings, Hockenson might see one of the heavier target shares in his career, at least to start the season.
With Jordan Addison missing the first three games due to a suspension, Justin Jefferson and a plethora of lower-tiered WRs will need to step up, paving the way for Hockenson to start the year off strong. In his first two healthy seasons with Minnesota, Hockenson finished as the TE2 and TE4, respectively, and that paints a very optimistic picture for how he can contribute this year.
5. Sam LaPorta
2024 Finish: TE8
Compared to his rookie season, Sam LaPorta disappointed last year as he finished as the TE8. Having led the tight end position in 2023, LaPorta took a step back across the board, seeing fewer targets last year than receptions from the prior season.
But looking ahead to his 2025 season, nothing has really changed in the pecking order as it concerns pass catchers for the Detroit Lions. With Amon-Ra St. Brown still leading the way, it trickles down to Jameson Williams, LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs to soak up the remaining targets.
Look for LaPorta to hold a sizable role in John Morton’s new offensive attack, one that will look to attack more vertically, which should open up more underneath work for LaPorta.
6. David Njoku
2024 Finish: TE11
The only trustworthy part of the Cleveland Browns offense is that Joe Flacco will be asked to throw the ball a ton in 2025, and his rapport with David Njoku should pay dividends for your fantasy football rosters. While wanting to stay far away from any pieces of the Cleveland offense is a fair approach, Njoku offers solid value for player that is currently ranked as the TE11.
Njoku and Flacco have a sustained body of work together to look at, as these two were members of the 2023 Cleveland offense. In the five games that Flacco took meaningful snaps in for the Browns, Njoku scored four of his six touchdowns and produced four, double-digit fantasy point performances.
Outside of Jerry Jeudy, Njoku is the only other major part of the passing attack for the Browns, and he should continue to give you a good return on investment if you draft him this year.
7. Travis Kelce
2024 Finish: TE5
In what could be the final season for Travis Kelce, the Chiefs superstar checks in at TE7 in these fantasy football rankings. Having produced his worst season since 2015, Kelce still racked up over 130 targets and 800-plus yards, although his touchdown total fell from five to three last year.
The passing attack for the Kansas City Chiefs has some volatility to it this season, as the pending legal situation surrounding Rashee Rice may limit how much time Patrick Mahomes’ WR1 sees the field. Kelce will once again play the role of Mahomes’ security blanket, as he should see TE1 numbers in what might be his final time lacing it up in the NFL.
8. Evan Engram
2024 Finish: TE33
There is no locked-in WR2 for the Denver Broncos, giving Evan Engram a really good chance at filling that role in 2025. Having joined Denver this offseason, Engram has had his praises sung high and low by head coach Sean Payton during training camp, so it’s fair to assume he is walking into a large role in the passing attack.
Denver has been without a sure-fire option at tight end for years now, and Engram will get every chance to fill that spot. Outside of Courtland Sutton, it is tough to know who to trust in the passing game for the Broncos, so you can count on Engram as a safe-floor, high-upside option for Bo Nix and company.
9. Tucker Kraft
2024 Finish: TE10
The pass-catching situation for the Green Bay Packers is not one that many teams have, as they have a lot of options they can count on without having a real pecking order. But thankfully for Kraft, he is the clear leader of the tight end room, fresh off a 70-target, 7-TD season in 2024.
While his ADP is very close to where he is being projected in these rankings, Kraft feels like one of those safer bets at TE that doesn’t require a big investment. Likely coming off the board in a double-digit round, you can bet on Kraft to give you fringe TE1 numbers as he will be one of the few Green Bay pass catchers to stand out in a crowded group.
10. Tyler Warren
These tight end rankings do not project for a rookie TE to be the TE1 in fantasy football for the third consecutive season, but that doesn’t mean you should be out on that group. While Colston Loveland was the higher draft pick, based on surrounding options, Tyler Warren looks to be the option with the higher upside for his rookie campaign.
With Daniel Jones beating out Anthony Richardson for the QB1 spot with the Indianapolis Colts, the shorter passing game will likely be the focus when putting the ball in the air. Warren should benefit from a bevy of shorter targets, which will keep his average depth of target (aDOT) low but give him a high amount of targets. Warren’s yardage total might not be incredibly high, but in a point-per-reception (PPR) format, he is bound to finish as a TE1.
