ESPN's Mike Clay has released his 2026 fantasy football rankings for tight ends, with Trey McBride leading the pack. The Arizona Cardinals tight end has emerged as one of the league's top pass catchers, trailing only Ja'Marr Chase in targets and receptions over the past two seasons. McBride led all tight ends in fantasy-relevant stats in 2025 with 15 top-12 fantasy weeks.

Brock Bowers and Colston Loveland round out the top three. Bowers tied for fifth in the NFL with 13 end zone targets despite missing five games, while Loveland jumped to 12.0 targets and 20.0 fantasy points per game in his final four games after averaging 8.5 PPG in his first 14 games. The Chicago Bears tight end's efficiency ranked eighth or better among tight ends in key metrics.

The top five includes Tyler Warren, Kyle Pitts Sr., and Harold Fannin Jr. Warren finished third among tight ends in targets despite playing with backup quarterbacks at times, Pitts set career highs in routes, targets, catches, and fantasy points, and Fannin's 108 targets rank eighth all-time by a rookie tight end. All three should be considered solid TE1 options for fantasy managers.