Fantasy Football Tight End Busts to Miss on Draft Night

Three Fantasy Football Tight Ends to avoid on draft night.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) runs against Kansas City Chiefs during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Football is finally back.  The NFL preseason kicked off on Thursday in exciting fashion as the Carolina Panthers beat the Arizona Cardinals 33-30 on a last second touchdown scramble as time expired.

As the NFL regular season on September 9th nears closer, we look at the top Fantasy Football Tight Ends to miss on draft night. 

Jake Ferguson

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) runs against Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) and linebacker Dallas Turner (15) during the first half at AT&T Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jake Ferguson is a solid tight end, but he is not worth the buzz at his position for the 2026 season.  

Ferguson will be competing with an elite receiving core with the likes of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy,  and new addition Marquez Valdez-Scantling.  The Cowboys have one of, if not the best, receiving cores in the NFL which will limit Ferguson’s targets and his big play opportunity throughout the season. 

Ferguson has also had trouble holding onto the ball the past two seasons with seven fumbles over the past two years.  Ferguson did have 8 touchdowns last year in the red zone, but that number is expected to decrease this season with bolstered and now more tenured Dallas receiving core.  

Mark Andrews

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) runs against New England Patriots safety Craig Woodson (31) during the first half of the game at M&T Bank Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mark Andrews is a longtime household name for Fantasy Football Managers because of his success over the years.  However, in the past few years Andrews’ production has stagnated and become another Tight End to avoid for this upcoming season. 

Andrews will turn 31 before the start of the season, and is coming off one of his least efficient year in 2025.  He finished with career lows with just 48 catches, 422 yards, and 5 touchdowns downgrading himself to the TE2 tier.  

Andrews has gotten some buzz with the departure of Isaiah Likely, increasing Andrew’s snap count, but it is unlikely for the 31 year old to really have a turnaround season after his disappointing 2025.  Andrews poses a risk at the Tight End spot, with his unknown and volatile fantasy production on a week-to-week basis, along with his increased tendency for drop passes. 

Lamar Jackson will be looking elsewhere than Andrews in the red zone, which results in Andrews falling into the Bust category. 

Sam LaPorta

Detroit Lions tight end Sam Laporta (87) during mini camp at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sam LaPorta came into the 2025 season as one of the top Tight End’s to target in Fantasy, with the Lions high-powered offense and scoring prowess.  However, throughout the season LaPorta proved to be inconsistent and failed to meet his high TE expectations.  LaPorta saw just six red zone targets, and one end zone target in the nine games he played in the 2025 season.  

The Lions depth across the board offensively limited LaPorta’s targets throughout the season and especially in the end zone.  LaPorta was able to rack up yards averaging 54.3 yards per game when he did play, but his season was cut short by a herniated disc in game nine, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Coming off of back surgery, LaPorta will be faced with the same challenges of limited red zone targets, and injury prone possibility.  Because of this, he finds himself in the potential bust category.