We asked our staff to plant their flag on players this fantasy season. These are the guys they want and have big hopes for this season. Let’s take a look at our staff’s tight end flag plants.
Flag Plants- Tight Ends
GOYAADi: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Last year was a down year for Travis Kelce, right? He had 97 receptions, three more than in 2023. In fact, in the previous seven seasons, Kelce has never (ever everrr) caught fewer than 92 balls. And while his relationship off the field took all of the headlines, fantasy managers should be more concerned with his connection to the other superstar in his life, Patrick Mahomes. When these two are in sync, they are nearly unstoppable. With Rashee Rice agreeing to a six-game suspension, expect Kelce to be the primary passing target for the first third of the season. When Rice injured his knee in 2024, Kelce had TE1, TE2, and TE3 (overall) finishes in weeks 8, 9, and 10. The Chiefs’ offense is also better positioned to support him in 2025. With Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown healthy, rookie Jalen Royals joining the mix, and Isiah Pacheco continuing to establish balance on the ground, defenses will be stretched thinner. That means fewer bracket coverages and more opportunities for Kelce to exploit mismatches against linebackers and safeties. Until further notice, Travis Kelce isn’t chasing the field at tight end; the field is still chasing him.
Ty Recino: Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
2023 was the year of Trey McBride, 2024 was the year of Brock Bowers, and 2025 will be the year of Tyler Warren. 3 years in a row, we’ll see a rookie tight end take the league by storm, and it’s Mr. Warren. There’s a reason that the Indianapolis Colts used first-round draft capital to take the tight end. In his senior year at Penn State, he posted an impressive 104 receptions, 1,233 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Those stats alone are great, but what I love even more is that the Nittany Lions used Warren in the run game. Warren racked up over 200 yards rushing with an absolutely insane 8.4 yards per carry. This versatility is going to make Warren an absolute game-changer for the Colts. With where things stand now for the Colts, they don’t really have a true WR1 receiver on the roster. Michael Pittman Jr and Josh Downs are solid WR2s, but they don’t steal the show. I can easily see Warren leading the team in receptions and receiving yards. With the early action we saw from him in his first preseason game, I was very impressed with what I saw, and it was clear he was the favorite option. I don’t care who is at quarterback; Warren is going to have a Kelce-like career.
Aaron St. Dennis: David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
David Njoku is far from the sexiest name on the tight end list, but he is definitely one of the most consistent. Njoku has posted three consecutive Top 12 finishes, with a career-high of TE6 in 2023. He finished as TE11 last season despite missing six games to injury. The biggest draw to Njoku is that he has proven to be quarterback-proof in this makeshift Cleveland offense, regardless of whether the Brown’s start Joe Flacco or one of the rookies, Njoku is going to be a set-it and forget-it mid-range TE1. He is going off the board as TE9 currently, and that is a discount I am all over. Early in the offseason, I was a big fan of drafting one of the elite tight ends, but as the summer has progressed, the cost of Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and George Kittle has gotten to a point where I simply wait six rounds later and pull the trigger on Njoku. He is the top tight end in my second-tier of tight ends, and considering he typically goes behind all of the players in that tier, he is a player I will have many shares of this season. Pencil in Njoku for 100 targets and lock in a Top 5 finish at a bargain bottom price.
Aaron Weiner: Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
This was a bit of a hard one for me, because I’m the guy who’s waiting on tight end in drafts, then streaming the position. Unless I get an ADP bargain on Brock Bowers or Trey McBride, I have been known to draft Brandon Aubrey before I add a tight end. My two favorite late tight ends this year are Hunter Henry and Jake Ferguson, and since I only get one pick, it’s Henry. Everyone seems to think that Drake Maye is going to bust out this year for New England. Well, if he does, Hunter Henry’s going to eat. For starters, Henry led the Patriots in receptions and receiving yards last year. But it’s better than that. Once Maye took over the job in Week 6, Henry’s numbers with Maye at quarterback were legit TE1 numbers. From Week 6 through Week 16 last year, Henry was TE9 in PPR scoring, averaging 11.1 points per game. He was consistent, too, posting at least 9.5 points in all but two games during that stretch. At a position where you’re often happy if you don’t get a zero, his consistency was welcome. Henry also accomplished this despite catching just two touchdowns during that time, making him a good volume play. Furthermore, Henry is much more likely to catch five or six touchdowns (career average 5.4 per season) than the two he caught last year. Henry is free in some drafts and mostly free in others. He is being drafted around 170 on Sleeper and CBS, 155 on ESPN, and 149 on Yahoo.
Matt Mutchler: T.J. Hockenson: Minnesota Vikings
Despite only playing 10 games last year, T.J. Hockenson had three Top-12 and five Top-24 weeks. Now, more than a year removed from his ACL tear, I expect him to be a Top-5 tight end again and challenge for number 1 overall (assuming Kyler Murray realizes he doesn’t HAVE to throw to Trey McBride every time). Right now, Minnesota has a starting quarterback who hasn’t played in the regular season, a banged-up superstar receiver, a suspended receiver two and a 35-year-old third receiver who has been on the team for less than a week. Hockenson will get targets early and often, and, as J.J. McCarthy grows more comfortable at the helm, the veteran tight end will see better and better looks.