Happy New Year!
As redraft managers enter a quiet time of year, one of my favorite things about Dynasty Fantasy football the fact that there is no off-season. We are rapidly moving towards 2026. NFL Draft lead analysis and will soon begin providing our lead profiles to prepare you for your new recruits. But first, it's time to update my Dynasty rankings at each position, and in this first edition of 2026, I'm also including a look at my top three tiers at each position. As for the tight end position, it was a year of transition. Travis Kelsey maybe I'm saying goodbye David Njoku struggled with injuries and was replaced, and George Kittle turned 32 and missed six games due to injury. Luckily, we had an elite rookie class to fill the void.
Level 1
Brock Bowers, Raiders
Trey McBride, Cardinals
Level 1 is the same as a year ago and in the same order. I would understand if you ranked McBride over Bowers after last season. I didn't because I think there's a significant risk that McBride takes at least a small step back next year, and mostly because Bowers played with an injury in the worst offense in football this year. Let's hope the Raiders do some significant work to improve that side of the ball this offseason. Picking #1 will certainly help.
Level 2
Colston Loveland, Bears
Harold Fannin Jr., Browns
Tyler Warren, Colts
Tucker Craft, Packers
Sam LaPorta, Lions
Oronda Gadsden II, TE Chargers
Kyle Pitts, Falcons
It's mega level, and frankly, it's probably too big. The three rookies at the top are definitely at the same level, and the four guys below them aren't too far behind. Pitts is the wild card in this group and probably deserves his own tier. Pitts set records for most catches and touchdowns this year and just turned 25 and is a free agent. Where he lands can go a long way in determining whether he belongs in that tier.
In the latest episode of FFT Dynasty, Dan Schneier shared his thoughts on what we'll see in 2025 and what that means for 2026. We talked. Jackson Dart, Marvin Harrison Jr.Harold Fannin and others. Check this out:
Level 3
AJ Barner, Seahawks
Isaiah Probably, Crows
Mason Taylor, Jets
Dalton Kincaid, Accounts
Terrence Ferguson, Rams
Theo Johnson, Giants
George Kittle, TE 49ers
This level is so diverse that I'm not sure you can summarize it in one paragraph. What I'm sure of is that people will think Kittle is too short, but injuries aren't the only reason he got here. Outside of touchdowns, his efficiency plummeted in 2025 and his career average was lowest in yards per catch and YAC/reception. He's still great, but Father Time is unbeatable and may land his first strikes in 2025.
Here's the first edition of my 2026 Dynasty TE rankings:
