Fantasy Football: Dalton Kincaid headlines breakout candidates at TE position for 2025

Yahoo

4 days ago

With the NFL season approaching and fantasy football drafts in full swing, there's never been a better time to determine which players could be this year's breakout stars.
It seems easy in hindsight, but identifying young talent on the verge of making a major leap is often what propels fantasy managers to championships.
Over the next week, I'll highlight my favorite breakout candidates at every key fantasy position. Today, we're taking a look at tight ends.Dalton Kincaid, Bills
2025 Fantasy Projection
Receptions
Receiving Yards
Receiving TDs
Dalton Kincaid
71
787
5
After Joe Brady took over as the Bills' offensive coordinator and the team moved on from having a target-hog No. 1 receiver in Stefon Diggs, their offense has been content to spread the ball around. Last year, WR Khalil Shakir was the only player on the roster to top 80 targets, but the results are hard to argue with since Buffalo has had one of the league's best offenses under Brady and Josh Allen is coming off his first MVP award.
This is worth noting because fantasy managers searching for the next breakout tight end should be looking for someone who has a chance to be a top-2 target in their offense. As Andrew Cooper of Fantasy Alarm has pointed out in the past, the vast majority of fantasy TE1 performances come from players who fit that criteria.
That brings us back to Kincaid, who finished second on the Bills in targets a year ago with 75 — despite battling through shoulder and knee injuries that cost him four games and limited him in several other outings. Through the first nine weeks of the season, before suffering the PCL sprain that sent him to the sidelines for a month, Kincaid was on pace for 102 targets. The 100-target mark was only reached by four tight ends last year — Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Travis Kelce and Jonnu Smith. Not bad company to keep.
It's also not the first time Kincaid finished second in targets on the team. If we go back to his rookie campaign the year before, he posted 91 targets but also had a slow ramp up in the opening month and missed a game due to injury. However, over the final 12 weeks, Kincaid was the TE11 in fantasy points per contest and ended up with 73 catches for 673 yards and two scores.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
One could argue that if he had stayed healthy last season, he would have outproduced those stats and perhaps even broken out already. Even with the injury issues, there were a number of close calls in 2024 where Kincaid was open and Allen simply missed him for big plays. If some of those connections hit, people would be talking about Kincaid right now.
So while fantasy managers may feel burned by the unrealized potential of the former first-round tight end, I'm here to tell you that Kincaid still has a path to being a fantasy star. If the 25-year-old stays healthy and finds the end zone at a more normal clip, he'll be someone you want in your lineup every week.
TE11 (Low-end TE1 with a path to top-seven production)
Tucker Kraft, Packers
2025 Fantasy Projection
Receptions
Receiving Yards
Receiving TDs
Tucker Kraft
62
803
8
Whether Kraft belongs on this list is debatable after he had 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns last season. That was enough to make him the TE12 in fppg, but I see an even higher finish coming in 2025. Kraft showcased outstanding abilities with the ball in his hands (led all TEs in yards after catch per reception), while establishing himself as the Packers' clear starter at the position.
If you're worried about the return of Luke Musgrave, who missed time due to injuries or the arrival of first-round wideout Matthew Golden, don't be. Jordan Love is on record saying Kraft's usage is a focus for the team this offseason. Green Bay is another offense that likes to spread the ball around, so expect Kraft to be among the team leaders in targets again.
TE12 (Low-end TE with a path to top-seven production)
Colston Loveland, Bears
2025 Fantasy Projection
Receptions
Receiving Yards
Receiving TDs
Colston Loveland
64
741
5
While we could discuss Baltimore Ravens TE Isaiah Likely in this space, his true breakout continues to be impeded by Mark Andrews. And with the way rookie tight ends have performed in recent years, it feels odd not to address the impact they will have on the fantasy landscape this season. Loveland is an explosive pass-catching weapon with top-10 draft capital who the Bears prioritized under the new Ben Johnson regime. While it might be too much to expect the kind of debut campaign that Sam LaPorta had with Johnson in Detroit, Loveland will be a key part of an ascending Bears' offense.
TE10 (Low-end TE1 whose ceiling will only be limited by target competition in Chicago)
Tyler Warren, Colts
2025 Fantasy Projection
Receptions
Receiving Yards
Receiving TDs
Carries
Rushing Yards
Rushing TDs
Tyler Warren
58
665
4
9
36
1
The Colts' recent history of deploying a tight end by committee will come to an end now that Warren was selected 14th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 23-year-old is an impressive all-around prospect, who posted an outrageous final college season stat line of 104 catches, 1,233 receiving yards, eight receiving touchdowns, 26 carries, 218 rushing yards and four rushing scores. Many beat writers mentioned how often Warren was getting the ball in OTAs, another sign the team plans to make the most of his skills in Year 1.
TE13 (Borderline low-end TE1 with a chance to rise quickly if Colts feature him)