We're in the middle of August, which means Fantasy drafts are starting to happen for real. With that in mind, we can study the CBS Sports Average Draft Position data since it's now a good representation of what's happening in your drafts.
Some of the picks make a lot of sense. Others, well, I'd love to play in some of these leagues.
Let's go through each position and find some good value picks, some players who are being drafted too soon and predict which players might rise -- and fall -- over the next several weeks. I love breaking down the ADP, and we'll do it each week prior to Week 1.
Knowing the ADP is a good guide to help you on Draft Day, but don't follow it verbatim. Instead, use rankings and tiers from your favorite Fantasy analyst. That's the best way to build your team.
Tight ends
What stands out?
1. Who should be TE1?
Trey McBride (27.2) and Brock Bowers (27.6) are going back-to-back in ADP, but I would rather have Bowers this season. There's a higher ceiling for Bowers in 2026.
He had an amazing rookie campaign in 2024 with 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns on 153 targets. But injuries -- he suffered a knee injury in Week 1 that lingered all season -- poor quarterback play and a struggling offense limited his production in 2025 to 64 catches for 680 yards and seven touchdowns on 86 targets in 12 games. If Bowers stays healthy, he could be a candidate for Fantasy MVP this year, and he should be drafted in Round 2.
In 2025, McBride dominated the field at his position with 126 catches for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns on 169 targets. He scored more than 100 PPR points then the next highest-scoring tight end and averaged 18.6 PPR points per game, which was nearly four points better than No. 2. I'm expecting McBride to regress slightly with his production due to Drew Petzing being gone as offensive coordinator, Marvin Harrison Jr. being healthy and the Cardinals run game improving. I would still draft McBride in early Round 3, but he should be selected after Bowers.
2. Who should be TE5?
The top four tight ends are McBride, Bowers, Colston Loveland (46.7) and Warren (55.9), and those should be the first four guys drafted at the position in most leagues. But the No. 5 tight end could be one of three players, including Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts and Tucker Kraft.
The CBS ADP has the order as LaPorta (70.4), Pitts (71.1) and Kraft (76.3). I agree with LaPorta at No. 5, and I'm excited to see him in Petzing's offense. LaPorta averaged 14.1 PPR points per game as a rookie in 2023, and he could get back to that level of production this season.
I like Kraft at No. 6, and I'm glad he's healthy after suffering a torn ACL in Week 9 last year. Before getting hurt, Kraft scored at least 12.3 PPR points in four of seven games, with six touchdowns over that span.
Pitts is my TE7, and I'm excited to see him in Kevin Stefanski's offense. Pitts rebounded in 2025 after three down seasons in a row when he averaged a career-best 12.4 PPR points per game. He was No. 2 in targets among tight ends with 118, and that number could go up this year.
3. Is Dallas Goedert overpriced?
Goedert is the No. 9 tight end at 87.4, and that's too expensive for me. He's going ahead of George Kittle (93.2), Isaiah Likely (98.3) and Travis Kelce (103.1), and I'd rather have that trio instead of Goedert.
I like Goedert as a No. 1 Fantasy tight end, and he's worth drafting around pick No. 100. But there's more upside for Likely, Kelce and Kittle, in that order, if all three are healthy.
I don't want to reach for Goedert in Round 8. The only way that would change is if DeVonta Smith (hamstring) or Makai Lemon (hamstring) were expected to miss extended time during the season, but both should be ready for Week 1.
