Tight End Strategy For 2026 Fantasy Football Auction Drafts: Target Colston Loveland In Tier 1

The tight end position feels more wide open than it has been in years. Some of the dominant figures we relied on in years past are gone, and others are in the twilight of their careers. Fortunately, a new generation of superstars has emerged and is ready to take over the position.

Add it all up, and it is legitimately one of the deepest groups of tight ends I can recall. In standard 12-team leagues, you could be the last guy to address the position and still end up with a really strong option.

That means there are a number of different ways to potentially attack the position in fantasy football auction drafts. We can compare our suggested fantasy football auction values with the average prices for each player on Yahoo and in high-stakes NFFC auctions to see exactly where the value lies.

Fantasy Football Auction Strategy: The TE Position

Tier 1

There is currently a clear-cut top two at tight end, with Bowers and McBride both commanding heavy price tags in auctions. Bowers is going for roughly $37 on Yahoo and $35 in NFFC auctions, while McBride is at $33 and $28, respectively.

On paper, those don’t feel particularly aggressive. It puts them in the same pricing tier as players like Nico Collins, Derrick Henry and Jeremiyah Love on Yahoo, which feels reasonable for their overall rankings.

However, these prices do make these players a bit overvalued compared to our suggested price tags. We have Bowers and McBride at $27 apiece, and with the quality of depth available at TE this season, it’s hard to recommend pushing much past $30.

Instead, Loveland looks like an elite alternative to the top two options. He possesses similar upside—there’s a reason we have him in Tier 1—but he’s not commanding nearly the same price tag. We have a suggested value of $24 on Loveland, compared to an $18.3 average value on Yahoo and $22 in the NFFC. If you are going to go with a top tight end, he feels like the preferred option.

Tier 2

This is the tier that I expect to target most in auction leagues this season. No tier is offering a larger discrepancy in terms of our projected values and the current price tags for those players:

Warren: $17 Fantasy Life Value, $12.3 Yahoo, $17 NFFC
Kraft: $17 Fantasy Life Value, $6.3 Yahoo, $8 NFFC
Fannin: $15 Fantasy Life Value, $3.9 Yahoo, $8 NFFC
LaPorta: $14 Fantasy Life Value, $4.2 Yahoo, $6 NFFC
Pitts: $14 Fantasy Life Value, $3.4 Yahoo, $8 NFFC

While these guys lack the same monster upside of the top three, they all have the potential to put together big seasons. The general public appears to be underappreciating that upside. That could stem primarily from the depth at the position.

For many years, the philosophy has been to be “first or last” at tight end. Essentially, if you’re not paying up the big dollars for one of the top options, you can simply wait until the very end of your auction to scoop someone on the cheap.

That may not be the best philosophy in 2026-27. If you ignore this tier and simply wait to land someone cheaper, you’re missing out on significant value potential.

Of the quintet, Kraft and Fannin are my favorites. Kraft was one of the best TEs in fantasy before going down with an injury last season, and the Packers have 131 targets up for grabs after losing Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks this offseason. Fannin was one of the most efficient TEs in football as a rookie, and he should also see an uptick in volume in his second year. He may have to overcome subpar quarterback play, but he won’t have to compete with David Njoku for snaps at tight end. I’d be happy to have either player at their current prices, and I’d consider adding both if they go for less than $10.

Tier 3

This stands out as another quality tier to target. We don’t see quite as much value as we do with the Tier 2 guys, but it’s pretty darn close. All eight of these players are going for at least $7 below our suggested prices on Yahoo, and all but Likely are available at a discount of at least $6 in NFFC auctions.

The difference between this tier and the second tier is that these players all have at least one question mark. Kittle is likely to miss the start of the season, while Kelce and Andrews both appear to be on the decline. Kincaid has plenty of talent—and a great quarterback in Josh Allen—but has been unable to carve out a full-time role as a pass catcher. Ferguson and Geodert are merely complementary options, while Likely’s role is uncertain after signing with a low-pass-volume offense in New York.

That leaves Gadsden, who is my favorite player in this price range. He showed flashes as a rookie, particularly during a four-week stretch in the middle of the season. He posted an 82% route participation and 20% target share during that time frame, and he averaged 17.9 PPR points per game. No TE in fantasy was more productive over that stretch, and Gadsden could be poised for a bigger role in 2026-27. The team has yet to re-sign Keenan Allen, who led the team with 122 targets and 81 receptions last year.

Tier 4

As with Tier 3, these players are also going for less than we think they should be. However, the gap between our projected price tags and their actual marks is getting smaller. The average “value” rating dips from $9.38 in Tier 2 to $8.65 in Tier 3 and $6.76 in Tier 4.

That doesn’t mean that these players aren’t interesting. All of these guys have some potential, and all are worthy selections for the back end of your roster. They could be solid No. 2 options for your squad, and they’re potentially even start-worthy if you go stars-and-scrubs at RB and WR.

Tier 5 & Below

After Tier 4, we’re talking about guys who probably don’t deserve to be drafted. There are still a few names worth keeping an eye on here (Greg Dulcich, Eli Stowers and Terrance Ferguson to name a few), but this is primarily waiver fodder for the start of the year. You could consider adding one of the “buzzier” names in this range, but I wouldn’t spend more than $1. You’d be better off allocating any additional resources to other positions.