Biggest Tight End Training Camp Battles For 2026 Fantasy Football

We have spent YEARS studying the tight end position. And that research is constantly compiled and updated in our article What Makes an Elite Tight End? We look at everything from talent to scheme to opportunity to finalize our fantasy football rankings. But, before we even get to any of that, we have to make sure that our guy is actually going to be the top pass-catching tight end on his team. We need them to win their training camp TE battle for fantasy football upside. That’s the first hurdle. 

And that’s what we need to keep our eye on in the early part of this offseason. As our NFL 2026 Offseason Schedule Tracker shows, OTAs have already begun for some teams. We are getting reports from beat writers on who is going through drills first and who looks good doing it. The meaningful tight end training camp battles are shaping up for fantasy football, and we’ll be keeping our eye on it all summer. 

Biggest TE Camp Battles For Fantasy Football

So, today, we are going to highlight a few of those battles and the key names you need to know. We have already ranked these guys in our 2026 Fantasy Alarm Best Ball Cheat Sheet if you want to know who we are betting on. But teams go through training camp for a reason, and we will constantly be updating those rankings as we get more information on who looks good. For now, let’s take a look at the key tight end training camp battles so we know exactly what to keep an eye on this NFL offseason.

Miami Dolphins Tight End Training Camp Battle

The Miami Dolphins are clearly doing a “bridge year”. I mean, they have more dead cap than active spending, largely thanks to the Tua Tagovailoa contract. So there are a lot of holes on the roster right now that they are just going to have to paper over. But they still have to play the games, and the ball still has to go somewhere. So there is an opportunity to be had in fantasy football.

As far as incumbent veterans, they have Greg Dulcich, Ben Sims, and Cole Turner. They also brought in rookies Will Kacmarek (third round) and Traore Seydou (fifth round). On top of that, they do have some money coming in on June 2 from the release of Bradley Chubb. Much of that will be needed to sign their top rookies. New GM Jon-Eric Sullivan poured cold water on the idea that they will make a major splash, but did say that some holes would be filled. And some former Dolphins are still floating out there, like Jonnu Smith and Darren Waller. So this competition is about as wide open as it gets in the NFL.

Why This Matters for Fantasy Football

Bobby Slowik, like Mike McDaniel, is from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. And that system has been pretty friendly to tight ends, especially with the fullback usage, which takes a WR3 out of the game at times and consolidates the snaps and targets among the top few pass-catchers. Not to mention, the Dolphins have arguably the worst group of wide receivers in the entire league. So there is a chance one of these tight ends can crack lineups in fantasy football if things break just right. There are some best ball drafts where every tight end named in this Dolphins section goes undrafted. That means there are potential advantages to be had via our 2026 Fantasy Alarm Best Ball Cheat Sheet.

Los Angeles Chargers Tight End Training Camp Battle

We knew the Los Angeles Chargers were serious about Mike McDaniel’s scheme when they brought in fullback Alec Ingold. That was confirmed when they brought in blocking tight end Charlie Kolar as well. It seems like Kolar was locked and loaded for an inline role, while second-year tight end Oronde Gadsden would skew more towards passing downs. But then they threw a serious wrench into our plans by signing David Njoku.

If it were just Njoku and Gadsden, it would be easy to look at a setup like the Browns had with David Njoku in line and Harold Fannin as the “move” tight end. But Kolar getting paid big money to be that inline tight end now seemingly pits Njoku head to head with Gadsden for pass-catching duties. It could just end up being a rotation, but if one of them can run away with that job, it could be a prolific one for fantasy football. 

Why This Matters for Fantasy Football

A number of teams in the league are embracing the usage of a fullback and multiple tight end sets. That is often good news for the pass-catching tight end as it limits the offense to two and sometimes even one wide receiver sets. That highly consolidates the snaps and targets among only a few guys. On top of that, Mike McDaniel has had a tight end run ~70% of his routes from a WR spot in each of the last two years (Darren Waller and Jonnu Smith). That, along with playing with Justin Herbert, makes the top pass-catching TE spot for the Chargers a dangerous one. As our 2026 Offseason Schedule tracker shows, the Los Angeles Chargers begin OTAs this week - so the battle begins now. 

Los Angeles Rams TE Training Camp Battle

Sean McVay was the flag-bearer for 11 personnel for many years. In 2021, he actually had an RB/WR/TE play more than 90% of the snaps on 55 occasions. Last year, that number was only four. In one of the biggest shifts we’ve seen for a coach, he is now running 12 and even 13 personnel at a rate among the highest in the league. Which means more opportunities for tight ends. Last year, they even had a game where three different tight ends all played more than 70% of the snaps. 

And the depth chart is now loaded with names. You have the incumbent veteran, Tyler Higbee, back for another season. Colby Parkinson has been a reliable inline option. Davis Allen was actually second on the team with 665 snaps. Terrance Ferguson was running high aDot routes in a pass-catching capacity. And, if that wasn’t enough, they drafted rookie Max Klare in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Why This Matters for Fantasy Football

This huge change in personnel usage means more snaps for tight ends, which also could limit the snaps for the WR3, giving the top pass-catching TE a path towards being the third target on the team. And, if anything were to happen to Puka Nacua or Davante Adams, that could mean BIG upside for the player that. Having multiple guys, especially young ones, has suppressed their value in both early best ball and in dynasty leagues - our dynasty fantasy football rankings let you know who we are betting on. 

Seattle Seahawks Tight End Training Camp Battle

Not every training camp battle is built equally. Sometimes you have two guys on equal ground squaring off. Other times, you have a veteran trying to hold off a younger player. In this case, it’s two young(ish) players, and we kind of know what the basics of the roles are for each player. And the battle coming up here this offseason and into the season is more about how the snaps/touches are allocated.

Last year, AJ Barner was the starting tight end and primarily played in-line (only 15% of routes run from a WR spot). Eric Saubert came in for jumbo sets as the blocking tight end. Rookie Elijah Arroyo came in sporadically for pass downs as the “move” tight end. In Week 14, Arroyo got hurt and wasn’t activated again until the Super Bowl. The question this year is where Arroyo can grow his role in Year 2, or will he fall even further on the back burner behind Barner?

Why This Matters for Fantasy Football

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a target hog. But after him, you have an aging Cooper Kupp and a couple of field-stretching flankers in Rashid Shaheed and Tory Horton. That leaves some room for a tight end to potentially carve out a decent target share in that mix. It would be great if they would just lean on one guy as they did with Barner down the stretch, but the use of Arroyo in a hybrid WR/TE role could put a damper on that. And who knows - if Arroyo takes a big step, maybe he could be the one with the upside in fantasy. Check our 2026 Fantasy Alarm Best Ball Cheat Sheet to see where we’re willing to take stabs on the two.

New York Jets Tight End Training Camp Battle

The New York has invested heavily at the tight end position in recent NFL Drafts. In the 2025 NFL Draft, they selected Mason Taylor with a second-round pick. Then, in the 2026 NFL Draft, they used a first-round pick on Kenyon Sadiq.  And that has set them up for an upcoming Jets tight end training camp battle.

Mason Taylor profiles more as your prototypical inline tight end. That’s how he was used at LSU, and it’s primarily how he was used last year. Kenyon Sadiq doesn’t have as much size, but he’s an athletic specimen, recording arguably the best tight end combine since Vernon Davis. The Jets are hoping his unique build could be a matchup nightmare for opponents, no matter where he lines up. 

Why This Matters for Fantasy Football

We’ve seen this before. The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Michael Mayer in the second round. Then, the very next year, they drafted Brock Bowers in the first. Seems safe to say that the Jets are hoping for similar results. But, as we know all too well, rookies can completely bust at the next level. Whoever the primary catching tight end for the Jets is will have an opportunity, as, after Garrett Wilson, the next best option in the pass game is also a rookie in Omar Cooper Jr. In fact, that could lead to a showdown between the two rookies for targets over the next four years, which is reflected in our 2026 Dynasty Rookie Rankings.