Pigs at the Trough: TEs Going Too Early in Fantasy Drafts
Harold Fannin Jr. — TE
His rookie season was good, not elite. Fannin finished with 72 catches, 731 yards and six TDs on 107 targets. That’s strong production, but his 11.7 fantasy points per game ranked only around the back end of the TE1 range.
His fantasy breakout came after David Njoku was injured. CBS notes that Fannin averaged an outstanding 15.9 PPR points in five games without Njoku or when Njoku left early. That’s encouraging—but it also means we’re extrapolating a relatively small sample into an entire season.
The Browns’ passing offense is still a major concern. Fannin’s 107 targets were impressive, but Cleveland’s quarterback situation remains unsettled. A bad passing offense can support a high-volume tight end, but it makes the touchdown and yardage upside much harder to project.
Cleveland added significant target competition. The Browns spent two top-40 picks on KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. Even with Njoku gone, those additions could prevent Fannin from receiving the enormous target jump many fantasy managers are projecting.
His efficiency wasn’t particularly special. Fannin ranked only 19th among qualified TEs in yards per reception and was charged with five drops. His calling card was volume and ability to earn targets, not overwhelming efficiency.
The market is already pricing in the breakout. Fannin is currently going around TE7, meaning you’re drafting him ahead of established veterans such as George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Dallas Goedert.
There’s a coaching/scheme question. Cleveland used 12 personnel at the league’s highest rate in 2025, while new head coach Todd Monken has historically operated closer to league-average 12-personnel usage. That could alter how often Fannin is on the field as the lone tight end in three-receiver formations
There’s a significant difference between believing Fannin can become a top-five tight end and believing he should be drafted as one. The market is already pricing in considerable growth.
My move: Let somebody else make the bet at that price.
Sam LaPorta — TE
Sam LaPorta is another player whose reputation is running ahead of his recent production. After an outstanding rookie season in which he caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, LaPorta has finished only TE9 and TE7 in fantasy points per game over the past two seasons. The problem is that fantasy managers are still drafting him as though the rookie-year version is waiting to return.
LaPorta’s biggest problem isn’t talent—it’s volume. Over his last 27 games, his target rate puts him in the neighborhood of the TE12-15 range in targets per game, a far cry from the elite-volume tight end you’d expect to justify his current draft price. His role has also become less dominant as Jameson Williams has developed into a larger part of Detroit’s passing attack.
Over the last week, LaPorta’s ADP has risen to TE5 in first half of the sixth round, depending on the source. That’s not an outrageous price, but it assumes a return to a level of involvement we simply haven’t seen consistently since his rookie season. Add in the fact that LaPorta is coming off back surgery and is now dealing with a hip injury that has made his Week 1 availability uncertain, and the margin for error gets even smaller.
LaPorta could certainly bounce back and finish as a high-end TE1. The problem is that fantasy managers are paying for that bounce-back before it happens. At his current price, you’re betting on increased targets, a return to his rookie-year efficiency and good health all at once. That’s a lot of things that have to go right for a player whose recent target volume looks much more like a TE12-15 than a top-five tight end.
My Move: Wait a round or two, grab someone(s) in the neighborhood of Rhamondre Stevenson or Carnell Tate, and then get a proven vet like Kittle or Kelce.