Can Anyone Beat Out Brock Bowers for the TE1 Spot?

The overall TE1 in fantasy football looks very different now than it did a few seasons ago. For years, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce seemed inevitable to claim the top spot, averaging anywhere from 17.0 to 20.0 PPR points per game. Now it feels like anywhere from 14.0 to 17.0 points per game can earn the title with a lot more candidates capable of doing so.

Let’s talk about who’s in the mix to be the overall fantasy TE1 in 2025.

Follow along with the rest of the series: QB | RB | WR

Fantasy TE1 Candidates in 2025

Tier 1: The Favorites

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Brock Bowers will be the top tight end off of the board in almost every 2025 fantasy draft. His 1,194 receiving yards are the most ever by a rookie tight end. Bowers’ 112 receptions are an NFL record for a rookie at any position. That was with starts from quarterbacks Gardner Minshew (9), Aidan O’Connell (7) and even Desmond Ridder (1). The Raiders traded for and extended Geno Smith this offseason. That’s an obvious upgrade.

Las Vegas also hired Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator and Pete Carroll as head coach. Upgrades all around for Bowers and the Raiders. Bowers’ 22.3% target share ranks second among tight ends last season. Although they drafted rookie Jack Bech, the rest of the Raiders receivers don’t pose much of a threat to Bowers’ high-volume role.

Only Trey McBride (25.7%) had a higher target share than Bowers among tight ends last season. McBride finished as the TE3 with 15.4 points per game and 230.3 total points, the third highest. The elephant in the room is his lack of scoring. McBride caught just two touchdowns despite logging 147 targets. (He rushed for another score and recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown as well.)

McBride earned a four-year, $76 million contract this offseason. The Cardinals also emphasized defense in the draft using six of their seven picks on that side of the ball. That leaves McBride in a fantastic position again to lead Arizona in targets.

Last year’s overall TE1 in non-PPR leagues, George Kittle, just got paid as well. His four-year, $76.4 million extension makes him the highest-paid tight end in the league just ahead of McBride. Kittle was extremely efficient in 2024. His 1,106 receiving yards ranks third behind McBride (1,146) and Bowers (1,194). However, Kittle did so just over 30 fewer receptions and 50 fewer targets. To no surprise, Kittle’s 2.5 yards per route run led the position.

Kittle has finished as a top-six fantasy tight end in each of the last four seasons. That includes a top-three finish in three of the last four. Heading into 2025, the 49ers traded Deebo Samuel, paid Brock Purdy and have Brandon Aiyuk returning from a season-ending knee injury. Kittle should remain a focal point of this offense. Barring an injury, Kittle is the safest pick at the position with another overall TE1 finish very much in play. Realistically, you could draft any of the above three tight ends in any order and it shouldn’t cause much of a debate.

Tier 2: The Contenders

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Evan Engram, Denver Broncos

Sam LaPorta took a slight step back in 2024 after a stellar rookie season the year prior. He caught 26 fewer passes for 163 fewer yards and three fewer touchdowns on 37 less targets. It’s no coincidence that Jameson Williams played a career-high 15 games in 2024 after just 18 games total in two seasons prior. After a slow start and 3.25 targets per game in his first eight games, LaPorta got more involved, averaging 7.1 targets per game over his last eight. He and the Lions have a new offensive coordinator in 2025. That plus being one of many mouths to feed in Detroit makes it tough to consider LaPorta a favorite to be the overall TE1.

T.J. Hockenson did not make his 2024 season debut until early November following a season-ending ACL injury in December 2023. He still managed to be one of just 11 tight ends to average more than six targets per game last season. That’s after leading the position with 8.5 targets per game in 2023. Since hiring head coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings have ranked third, sixth and 17^th (last season) in pass attempts per game. The Vikings will have their third different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons, with J.J. McCarthy expected to get the nod this year. Hockenson should be a reliable target for McCarthy after both enter training camp fully healthy this season.

The last time we saw Mark Andrews, he quite literally fumbled away a playoff game against the Bills. After surviving trade rumors this offseason, Andrews remains with the Ravens. Unfortunately, he has seen his targets per game drop from 9.1 in 2021 to 7.5 in 2022, 6.4 in 2023 and just 4.1 per game in 2024. Andrews did have a near season-ending ankle injury in November of 2023 that required surgery and was also involved in a car accident last August. Even if Andrews’ role returns to what it once was, the Ravens are one of the run-heaviest teams making it hard to achieve overall TE1 on lesser volume than his peers.

Travis Kelce is likely entering his final season. His 2024 campaign yielded his lowest yardage total (823) since 2015 and his fewest receiving touchdowns (3) of his career (not counting his 2013 rookie year when he only played a single snap on special teams). Still, Kelce (20.7%) is one of just three tight ends to command a target share of 20.0% or higher. He will have Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown and others to battle for targets but will undoubtedly remain a reliable option for Patrick Mahomes. Kelce will be the cheapest he’s been in fantasy football drafts since Mahomes was drafted and could end up being a bargain at cost. Kelce has claimed the overall TE1 honor in five of the last seven seasons. Does he have one more in him?

Denver was dead last in points per game in 2022, then rose to 20^th with the arrival of head coach Sean Payton in 2023 and again to 10^th last season with quarterback Bo Nix. Evan Engram has three separate seasons with over 100 targets. Courtland Sutton led the Broncos with 135 targets last year. The next closest was RB Javonte Williams (70), then WR Devaughn Vele (53). Payton should find creative ways to get Engram the ball, especially in the red zone. It wouldn’t be that shocking if he’s Bo Nix’s top target in 2025. If so, he’s a lock to be a top-five fantasy tight end and could end up as the overall TE1 depending on the success of others.

Tier 3: The Underdogs

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins

Despite starting eight different quarterbacks over the last three seasons, David Njoku has managed to finish as a top-10 fantasy tight end in each of them. He managed a TE4 finish in PPG, though in just 11 games last season. Njoku has a wide range of outcomes in 2025. There is just far too much uncertainty on the Browns’ offense.

The Browns’ Week 1 starting quarterback could be any of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett or rookies Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders. All four of these guys could start at least one game this season! That could mean a high-volume of targets for Njoku. He will compete for targets with Cedric Tillman, Jerry Jeudy and Diontae Johnson at wide receiver. Additionally, Browns first-time NFL offensive coordinator Tommy Rees was Cleveland’s tight end coach last season.

Jonnu Smith has to compete with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane and others in the Miami Dolphins’ passing game. His 2024 season, at 29 years old on his fourth team in eight seasons, is also a strong outlier among his career stats. Smith set career-highs in targets (111), receptions (88), yards (884) and touchdowns (8) last season. The year prior, with the Falcons, was Smith’s only other season with over 500 yards receiving (582) and set his previous career-high of 50 receptions.

A league-winning stretch last season from Smith is likely still fresh in many fantasy managers’ minds. His 130.1 PPR points in Weeks 11-17 ranked first among the position. Smith’s 18.6 points per game during this stretch rank second behind just Trey McBride (19.0) among tight ends that played more than two games.

Smith is one of just four tight ends to log over 500 yards after the catch in 2024. Of those four tight ends, ranks second in yards after the catch per reception (5.8) behind only Kittle’s 6.7. It’s worth noting Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel spent five years with the 49ers, the first five seasons of Kittle’s career. If he continues to find creative ways to use Smith like Kittle, especially in the red zone, he could at least end up in the top five if not the top tight end.