Dynasty Fantasy Football: Post-Draft Rookie Tight End Rankings for 2025

For most fantasy football leagues, the season ended months ago.

For some, the fun is largely just beginning. "Dynasty" or "keeper" fantasy football leagues are becoming more popular as NFL fans shift to a year-long, macro outlook of the league by retaining their favorites stars and players every year.

The most important aspect of these leagues is the yearly rookie draft. You'll cut a few underperformers from the roster to make room for incoming rookies as the potential stars of tomorrow. Just last season, teams could have gone from the bottom of the league to the top with selections of Jayden Daniels, Bucky Irving, or Ladd McConkey.

With the 2025 NFL Draft having come and gone, we know where this year's top rookie prospects are settled and where their draft capital was exercised.

Tight end was once considered a challenging position for fantasy viability as a rookie, but Sam LaPorta and Brock Bowers have led the entire position in fantasy points in consecutive years as rookies. Will we have a star contributor among this year's crop?

Note: These rankings and projected rounds are for 12-team, half-PPR "superflex" or two-quarterback leagues, emphasizing the quarterback position. Positionally mixed post-draft rookie dynasty rankings are also available.

Post-Draft 2025 Dynasty Rookie Tight End Rankings

1. Tyler Warren, Colts

Projected Round: Mid-to-Late 1st

Whoever fell to the Indianapolis Colts was going to be a strong candidate for this year's TE1, and my top-ranked tight end is no exception.

Tyler Warren was a surprisingly polarizing prospect for a guy who averaged 2.79 yards per route run (YPRR) in 2024 with the Penn State Nittany Lions. That was 16th in FBS among all players -- much less tight ends. He's just a slightly older prospect (23.0) who had to wait a bit behind Theo Johnson for his opportunity.

The physical, big-bodied bruiser reminds me of George Kittle with the ball in his hands, and he'll fill a gap I'd argue has been present in Indianapolis since Dallas Clark left. Quarterback play could be an issue in 2025, but this is an entrenched starter who will get his fair share of targets.

2. Colston Loveland, Bears

Projected Round: Late 1st

I had my opinions on Colston Loveland before the draft. I'm also not too dumb to realize that, if an NFL team invests a No. 10 overall pick on a player, they're going to use him.

Loveland found a bit of a surprising home with the Chicago Bears, but we knew he'd be an early first-rounder somewhere. Chicago had Cole Kmet when Ben Johnson, historically, hasn't always been committed to volume at the tight end position.

Personally, Loveland's production and situation mirrors Michael Mayer's college situation, but the latter wholly outproduced the former in his final season. Of course, Mayer proceeded to get upgraded in Las Vegas come the very next draft. A 20.0% contested catch rate is also indicative of Loveland's weakness relative to his strengths like speed into his routes and ability to separate from linebackers.

All of a sudden, the Bears' pass-catchers are loaded. If you need a tight end at the end of the first, Loveland is okay, but expecting anything close to a LaPorta or Bowers-esque rookie season is just not realistic.

3. Terrance Ferguson, Rams

Projected Round: Early 3rd

Terrance Ferguson might be the signal of a changing philosophy in SoCal.

We haven't seen tight end be a reliably relevant position for the Los Angeles Rams in the Sean McVay era. This is also the first time L.A. has spent a pick in the first two rounds on a tight end in said era, and they did so with plenty of other needs that could have been filled. They must adore Ferguson.

In my pre-combine rankings, I mentioned the Oregon Ducks product was a fast riser that I might have had ranked too low. He finished as my TE5 and 85th overall player before April's event.

Ferguson has plus speed for the position and seems to be ascending with his best collegiate efforts in January's Rose Bowl and Senior Bowl, respectively. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams will obviously run the show in L.A. for a bit, but a few seasons similar to Tyler Higbee's 2022 season -- 72 catches, 620 yards, and an unlucky 3 TDs -- wouldn't be a bad return for an early third-rounder.

4. Mason Taylor, Jets

Projected Round: Mid 2nd to Early 3rd

In terms of landing spot, whoever ended up on the New York Jets was going to be a fantasy-relevant piece right away. I groaned as it became Mason Taylor.

A second-round selection shows scouts insist Taylor has another gear as an NFL weapon, but he never broke 550 receiving yards in college despite the LSU Tigers' excellent quarterback play. While there was competition, it's hard to pile up stats with a variety of button hooks and flats.

The pro-ready son of former Miami Dolphins DE Jason Taylor is a high-floor pick to develop into a three-down tight end in real football, but I'm not sure he'll ever be a fantasy juggernaut. We've not yet seen anything close, and a 4.74 40-yard dash showcases just okay athleticism.

New York could badly needed a second weapon to emerge beside Garrett Wilson. I'm just not sure Taylor is the right player.

5. Harold Fannin Jr., Browns

Projected Round: Mid-to-Late 3rd

This was another painful landing spot for the exact opposite reason.

At 6'4", Harold Fannin Jr. might never be an effective in-line NFL blocker. My comparison for him was a larger, more polished version of former fullback Marcel Reece as a mover at his size. However, he's just 20 years old and put up one of the greatest seasons for a tight end ever in the FBS era of college football.

Fannin led the Bowling Green State Falcons with 117 catches, 1,155 yards, and 10 touchdowns. I'm sorry, Loveland and Taylor just couldn't ever do that in FBS regardless of competition level.

Flush with draft capital, the Cleveland Browns took on the project, meaning we'll have to wait for David Njoku's contract to elapse in 2026 unless he's granted a unique, unexpected role in his rookie season. Even then, Cleveland's QB situation is a nightmare.

If Fannin was a Jet, he'd be a slam dunk to go in the second round. He may crawl into the fourth round in some leagues now.

6. Elijah Arroyo, Seahawks

Projected Round: Mid 3rd

Elijah Arroyo's incumbent to battle for snaps is a good example that evaluations, rankings, and potential don't always pan out.

Noah Fant hasn't topped 700 receiving yards in a campaign over six relatively healthy seasons. The former first-round pick now will have to fend off Arroyo on the Seattle Seahawks' depth chart.

Much more than anyone on the list so far, Arroyo is a total unknown and a dart at traits. He managed just 1.71 YPRR for the Miami (FL) Hurricanes with an 8.8% target share, and this was with a quarterback that went No. 1 overall in April's draft.

At 16.9 yards per reception, he made big plays. His 4.64 40-yard dash is also 85th percentile at the position when he's also 6'5".

If Arroyo can hit the ground running, targets are available here behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Noah Fant, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and an oft-injured Cooper Kupp currently comprise the rest of Sam Darnold's war chest.

7. Oronde Gadsden II, Chargers

Projected Round: Late 4th to Undrafted

If there's a super sleeper at the tight end position, I think it's Oronde Gadsden II.

The son of former Dolphins wideout Oronde Gadsden battled injuries with the Syracuse Orange, but he was an intriguing prospect when on the field. He produced 1.95 YPRR and was top five at the position in deep (9) and contested (17) catches last season.

More than most of the aforementioned prospects, his run blocking gets dinged, but Pro Football Focus (PFF) looked favorably on his performance there in 2024.

Either way, the Los Angeles Chargers are chock full of blockers at the position. If Gadsden can do what he did in Syracuse and stretch the field vertically up the seam, he could make an immediate imprint with Justin Herbert as his signal-caller.

8. Mitchell Evans, Panthers

Projected Round: Undrafted

You won't have to use a pick on any other tight end on this list, but the best of the rest is, to me, undoubtedly Mitchell Evans.

Evans' Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a claim at "Tight End U", and the tight end might have been a higher pick if injuries didn't wreck the prime of his college career. He was limited to just seven games in 2023 and missed another pair of contests in 2024.

Notre Dame has also been a bottom-40 school in passing yards per game in two of his three seasons as a starter. However, if you watched the College Football Playoff, you probably noticed one or two of Evans' 14 grabs. "Glimpses" are how I'd describe his college career in a nutshell. He showed great ball skills and had a 72.2% contested catch rate in 2024-25.

Having never fully bought into Ja'Tavion Sanders, Evans could be an alternative for the Carolina Panthers. He was the eighth tight end selected and ranked as my TE9 overall in the class.

9. Gunnar Helm, Titans

Projected Round: Undrafted

Some might argue Gunnar Helm should be ranked above Evans. I won't die on either hill, but the glimpses felt fewer and further between for the former Texas Longhorns tight end.

Helm managed just 1.61 YPRR in one of the country's better passing offenses. There's no doubt he was buried behind high-profile transfers Isaiah Bond and Matthew Golden, who became a first-round pick, in the pecking order. That's largely why he had just a 14.7% target share.

With 60 receptions in 2024, Helm was still fifth in all of FBS at the position, which is why I imagine he's more of a household name than even some guys I have ranked above him. I just see major warts in his profile, including an ugly 4.84-second 40-yard dash and 43.5 run-blocking grade at PFF. That grade is easily worst of these nine prospects.

Chigoziem Okonkwo enters a make-it-or-break-it season after not doing much with 70-plus targets in consecutive years. I think the Tennessee Titans will upgrade tight end in the 2026 draft, but Helm might have a chance to be the answer if his fervent supporters are correct.

10. Thomas Fidone II, Giants

Projected Round: Undrafted

Seven other tight ends were drafted after these first nine. My favorite among them is Thomas Fidone II after Jalin Conyers went undrafted and isn't likely to make the Dolphins' opening roster.

At the very least, Fidone's athleticism is intriguing. He produced an outstanding relative athleticism score (RAS) at the combine, and the tape reveals a unique mover for the position. He set a career-high in targets (47) and receiving yards (373) with freshman QB Dylan Raiola, and just being with the Nebraska Cornhuskers' prehistoric offense is going to produce a red flag for production.

The New York Giants haven't gotten much from previous draft picks Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger, and they added nothing in their wide receiver room. It's more likely that Johnson or newcomer Greg Dulcich add a pass-catching element from the tight end position to the G-Men's offense, but don't be surprised if Fidone steals a random touchdown or two during his rookie season.

Which futures stand out to you this offseason? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL betting odds to see the full menu of options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.