Top 10 College Fantasy Football TEs for 2026
Top 10 college fantasy football TEs for 2026, and the buy case for each
Tight end is a tricky position in College Fantasy Football, especially in a salary cap model. The premium TEs in the game are projected to score roughly half the number of points as the premium RBs and WRs, yet the premium TEs still cost you a pretty penny. So why would you spend money on them in a salary cap format?It’s simple (kinda): in a format where everyone has access to the same player pool and same opening budget, where you get the edge is the small differences in your roster. Maybe your found a great sleeper for your flex or WR3 spot.. Or maybe your TE scores points more per week than anyone else in your league?
I can’t choose your strategy for you, and there’s certainly an argument both ways. This post is for if you’re considering one of these top guys as a difference maker.
1. Trey’Dez Green, LSU — $9.5M
Seven touchdowns last year set the LSU single-season record for a tight end, and he did it in 11 games at 6’7". He averaged a career-high 13.1 yards per catch with 176 yards after contact.
Buy case: Kiffin said in spring he wants Green more involved, and Ole Miss tight ends produced in that scheme — Dae’Quan Wright went 39/635/5 last season and he does not possess some of the freak-level qualities of Green. Sam Leavitt is throwing it, and he’s a bit of a gunslinger. I’m expecting a ton of volume and redzone targets for Green. Highest ceiling at the position by a wide margin and the only guy here who can win you a week by himself.
2. Jamari Johnson, Oregon — $8.5M
32 catches for 510 yards and three scores as the number two behind Kenyon Sadiq, who himself went 51/560/8.
Buy case: Sadiq is gone and that production does not evaporate, it transfers. Dante Moore is back, Oregon tight ends have been a staple in this passing game for years, and Johnson steps into the red zone role. He caught a pass in each of Oregon’s final 14 games and saved two of his three touchdowns for the playoff. Safest path to volume in the Oregon offense plus scores.
3. Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech — $8.0M
55 catches for 624 yards and five touchdowns on a 16.1 percent target share, third on the team.
Buy case: Caleb Douglas and Reggie Virgil are both gone, making Carter the top returning receiving option on the roster. He forced 23 missed tackles, most of any tight end in the country, and Hammond being named starter resolves the one real question hanging over the projection.
4. DJ Vonnahme, Iowa — $7.5M
Entered 2025 as Iowa’s fifth-string tight end, took over after Ostrenga’s injury and led the team with 29 catches, 434 yards and three scores. Nineteen of those grabs came over the final five games.
Buy case: He closed with 146 yards in the bowl, second-most by a tight end in program history, and returns as the clear starter in Iowa’s tight end pipeline with a full offseason as the guy. The late-season usage is the real signal, not the season total.
5. Dylan Wade, UCF — $7.0M
43 catches, 523 yards, five touchdowns, with 33 of those catches over the final seven games — all while UCF rotated between Tayven Jackson and Jacurri Brown at quarterback.
Buy case: Alonza Barnett arrives from JMU and his running ability should pull linebackers up and open the middle. Best quarterback situation he has had. At $7.0M and 3.3 percent owned, one of the cleanest values on the board.
6. Garrett Oakley, Kansas State — $7.0M
38 catches, 389 yards, six touchdowns, and he owns the Kansas State career record for tight end scores.
Buy case: New head coach Collin Klein’s staff has a track record of featuring the tight end.
The catch: He missed the final game with an undisclosed injury that lingered into the offseason and limited him in spring, and he is carrying a QUES tag right now. Same price as Wade with a health question. I would want the tag cleared first.
7. Patrick Overmyer, Houston — $6.5M
27 catches, 344 yards, five receiving touchdowns at UTSA plus a rushing score.
Buy case: He transferred into the void left by Tanner Koziol, who caught 74 passes for 727 yards and six touchdowns last season, in a Willie Fritz offense that has consistently featured the tight end heavily. Conner Weigman is back. You are buying a vacated 74-catch role at a bottom-tier price.
8. Dorian Thomas, Cal — $6.5M
56 catches for 560 yards and four scores at New Mexico — third-most receptions nationally at the position and first-team All-Mountain West.
Buy case: Proven high-volume role in a Cal offense with stated ambitions to be explosive.
The catch: He shares the room with returning tight end Mason Mini, and Cal also added Ian Strong and Chase Hendricks. At 1.1 percent owned he is the differential of the group.
9. Benjamin Brahmer, Penn State — $6.5M
37 catches, 446 yards, six touchdowns, Second Team All-Big 12 and a Mackey semifinalist.
Buy case: He followed Matt Campbell and OC Taylor Mouser from Ames to State College, reuniting the exact trio that made him a focal point. At 6’7" he lines up inline, in the slot or split wide, and the staff has been explicit that is the point. Scheme continuity in a new conference. Already 14.3 percent owned, so the edge is mostly priced in.
10. Luke Reynolds, Virginia Tech — $6.0M
Was the nation's top tight end recruit, then caught 26 passes for 257 yards buried in Penn State's three-tight-end rotation in 2025. RotoWire
Buy case: Cheapest name on this list, and the only one whose price reflects a role he no longer has. He followed James Franklin to Virginia Tech alongside quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, into an offense under playcaller Ty Howle with a track record of featuring the tight end in the redzone. Existing QB chemistry plus a clear runway plus redzone usage is the exact combination you want at the less-proven, but cheaper part of the board. The recruiting profile always promised a breakout, the change of scenery might be what finally allows it.
Bottom line
Green and Johnson both have a ton of upside, but to pay that price means you are betting they will be the biggest piece of their team’s respective offense. That’s not meant to sound discouraging, both have a great argument to actually do so, but that’s the price you’re paying.
If you’re not sold on that happening, look a bit cheaper. Personally, I’m between Brahmer and Wade but leaning Brahmer and pocketing the extra $0.5M and using it elsewhere.
And don’t be afraid to look outside this list. There’s plenty of value in other players outside this list and this format rewards those who find it first.
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For additional insights, make sure to check out some of our other analysis pieces ahead of the 2026 CFB Fantasy season:
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