Tucker Kraft And 3 Other Potential TE Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates

Four underrated TEs who could have monumental fantasy football seasons in 2026.

Oct 26, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) returns to the locker room before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is some value at the TE position this season in fantasy football outside of the elite guys like Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. With that, here are four TEs that should be available in the middle to late rounds of fantasy football drafts that could have breakout seasons.

Tucker Kraft

Oct 19, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Green Bay Packers TE1, Tucker Kraft, was on track to have his best season in his three-year NFL career before his 2025 campaign came to an abrupt end after tearing his ACL. Kraft, in eight games in 2025, had 32 receptions for 489 yards and six TDs.

Fantasy managers should not have to worry about his injury going into 2026, as he expects he will be ready to go in week one. Kraft also does not have a big injury history. In his previous two seasons in the NFL, he appeared in all 17 games. He is definitely a player to go after, as he is being severely underrated. ESPN has him ranked as TE13 in PPR fantasy football formats. Last season through week nine, he was TE4 in PPR formats.

Mark Andrews

Nov 23, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) looks on during the first quarter against the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The production for Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews, since 2021, when he recorded a career-high 1,361 receiving yards, has been in a tailspin. In 2025, he went on to record his lowest receiving yards total in his career with 422 on 48 receptions. While Andrews is certainly out of his prime, there is a chance for him to have a big season with more volume opening up in Baltimore’s passing game.

TE2 for the Ravens in the 2025 season, Isaiah Likely, is now on the New York Giants. Last season, he had 27 receptions for 307 yards and one TD.  With him not being available, Andrews' usage should go up.

Likely played between 40-81% of snaps in the 14 games he played in 2025. The new TE2 behind Andrews will be Durham Smythe. In his last two seasons in the NFL, he has mostly been utilized purely as a blocking TE. He has a combined 78 receiving yards over those two seasons

Gunnar Helm

Nov 2, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm (84) makes a catch against Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. (3) during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Second-year TE for the Tennessee Titans, Gunnar Helm, will be the team’s TE1 with Chig Okonkwo now being on the Washington Commanders. There has been some hype building up for Helm in the offseason, and with a QB who has a gunslinging playstyle, Cam Ward, taking Helm in the last couple of rounds of a fantasy draft is a low-risk, high-reward move.

In his rookie season, he had 44 receptions for 357 receiving yards and two TDs. Okonkwo, as the Titans’ TE1 in 2025, had 550 receiving yards on 56 receptions for two TDs.

Brenton Strange

1Dec 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange (85) leaves the field following a game at EverBank Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jacksonville Jaguars TE1, Brenton Strange, had a great end to his 2025 season. Overall, last season he had 46 receptions for 540 receiving yards and three TDs in 12 games. That led him to be TE23 in PPR fantasy football formats. In his last three games of the season, he had five or more receptions with a TD twice. Over that short stretch, he was TE3 in PPR formats.

With Strange's chemistry getting better with QB Trevor Lawrence visibly at the end of the 2025 season, it is not a bad idea to go after Strange in fantasy drafts. ESPN in PPR formats for the upcoming 2026 season has him ranked as TE21.