Tight end can be one of the most difficult positions to navigate in fantasy football, especially when some of the biggest names at the position are returning from significant injuries. Health, recovery timelines and opportunity can create major differences between a player's name value and his actual fantasy value. Here are two tight ends we're avoiding and two we're targeting heading into the 2026 fantasy football season.

Tight Ends to Avoid

Tucker Kraft (Green Bay Packers)

Tucker Kraft has been activated from the PUP list and has said he expects to have no limitations, but we're not ready to buy into a full return just yet.

Kraft suffered a torn ACL in early November 2025, putting him less than a year removed from the injury as the new season begins. While being activated from PUP is certainly encouraging, clearance to play doesn't necessarily mean a player has returned to 100% capacity.

At SICScore.com, we expect Kraft to need some time early in the season to regain his conditioning, confidence and explosiveness. He could continue improving as the season progresses, but a true return to his pre-injury form may not come until late in the year or even 2027.

That makes Kraft difficult to trust at his current draft price. There are healthier options at tight end who carry considerably less uncertainty entering Week 1.

George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers)

George Kittle is another big-name tight end we're approaching cautiously because of the severity and timing of his injury.

Kittle suffered a torn Achilles on January 11, leaving him less than eight months removed from the injury entering the regular season. Reports indicate he is ahead of schedule and could be available for Week 1, but we have reservations about how close he'll actually be to full capacity.

Kittle's situation is particularly interesting because his responsibilities extend well beyond catching passes. He's one of the NFL's premier blocking tight ends, meaning he'll need to demonstrate that he can consistently handle the physical demands of both blocking and receiving before we consider him completely back.

Even if Kittle plays immediately, San Francisco could ease him into the receiving game early in the season rather than asking him to handle his normal workload.

At his current draft capital, we'd rather invest elsewhere. There are wide receivers, running backs and healthier tight ends available in that range who should provide more consistent early-season production without Kittle's substantial injury uncertainty.

Tight Ends to Target

Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions)

Sam LaPorta is one of our favorite bounce-back candidates at tight end.

LaPorta enters 2026 following surgery to repair a fully herniated spinal disc that ended his 2025 campaign. The injury developed from the cumulative effects of repeated hits before fully herniating around Week 10 against Washington. He underwent surgery in November and spent the remainder of the season on injured reserve.

Despite appearing in only nine games, LaPorta finished with 40 receptions for 489 yards and three touchdowns.

The outlook is considerably different entering 2026. LaPorta has been fully cleared for training camp, giving him an opportunity to enter the regular season without the limitations that affected him last year.

Detroit also enters the season with one of the NFL's easiest schedules, creating an excellent environment for a bounce-back campaign. LaPorta has already demonstrated that he can produce among the elite players at his position, and with his health restored, we expect him to climb right back up the fantasy tight end rankings.

Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints)

Juwan Johnson is one of the more intriguing value options at tight end because of what's happening around him in New Orleans.

Rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is expected to miss more than two months because of a recurring hamstring injury, creating a significant hole in a Saints receiving corps that was counting heavily on the rookie this season.

Outside of Chris Olave, there aren't many established receiving options competing for targets. Devaughn Vele is in the mix, but Tyson's absence creates an opportunity for Johnson to take on an even larger role in the passing game.

Johnson has also quietly developed into an extremely consistent contributor. He has surpassed 500 receiving yards with at least three touchdowns in three of the past four seasons and is coming off a career-best 889 receiving yards in 2025.

That combination of proven production and increased opportunity makes Johnson an appealing target, particularly for fantasy managers who wait on tight end. He doesn't carry the draft cost of the elite names at the position, but his path to another productive season—and potentially another career year—is clear.

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