Top 40 fantasy football standard tight ends for 2025

The NFL season is peaking around the corner, beckoning us with its siren call. But we need to get our fantasy drafts in before we can bask in the spectacle that is Week 1 of the NFL season. That means we also need to figure out who we like at tight end in PPR leagues. Like running back and quarterback, there are only a few smash picks at the tight end position — Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and George Kittle. After those guys, you can probably wait until you’ve filled all your starting slots before grabbing one or two upside plays.

One way to find fantasy tight ends worth streaming is to pay close attention to tight end injuries throughout the season, even those of backups. Below are some fantasy relevant tight end injuries going into the season.

Otton has a leg injury that will keep him out for a “little bit,” but we don’t know yet if it will threaten his Week 1 availability yet. He should see an increase in targets with Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan currently injured.

Likely broke his foot in late July and needed surgery. He won’t start the season on IR, so the hope is he’ll be available sometime in September. His absence likely helps Mark Andrews the most, but should concentrate targets a bit more for Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.

Hill and Moreau are both on I.R., which should help Juwan Johnson see more concentrated work than previous seasons.

Smith has been dealing with a knee injury, but has recently returned to practice. It appears like he’ll be available to start the season. The Steelers’ OC Arthur Smith loves tight ends and the Steelers have good depth at the position with the addition of Smith to go along with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.