Are Tight Ends Getting More Work?
Yes. Three weeks into 2026, tight ends are getting a bigger slice of the passing game than they did at this point in any of the last five seasons. They're scoring touchdowns at a much higher rate, too.
Every comparison uses Weeks 1–3 of each season, so 2026 is measured against the same stretch of the calendar.
Target share is the highest in six years
Tight ends have drawn 23.3% of all targets this season. From 2021 through 2025, this three-week stretch never got above 21.9%.
This didn't come out of nowhere. Over full seasons, tight end share went from 21.1% in 2021 to 23.9% last year, with most of the jump in 2024 and 2025. In each of those five years, the first three weeks came in a point or two below where the season finished, so 2026 has room to climb.
Show the numbers
| Season | Weeks 1–3 | Full season |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19.8% | 21.1% |
| 2022 | 20.1% | 21.1% |
| 2023 | 19.9% | 21.4% |
| 2024 | 20.0% | 22.4% |
| 2025 | 21.9% | 23.9% |
| 2026 | 23.3% | In progress |
Near the goal line, it's a bigger jump
The closer teams get to the end zone, the more they're looking for the tight end. Inside the 10-yard line, 31.5% of targets have gone to tight ends, up from a previous high of 27%. Tight ends also have 32% of all receiving touchdowns so far. The usual number for this stretch is about 19%.
Air yards are the one measure that hasn't moved. Tight ends are getting their usual share of downfield throws, so the extra targets are short ones. Their catch rate is 72.6%, the best of the six seasons, which fits with that.
Show the numbers
| TE share of | 2026 | 2021–25 low | 2021–25 high |
|---|---|---|---|
| All targets | 23.3% | 19.8% | 21.9% |
| Red-zone targets | 27.3% | 19.5% | 24.7% |
| Targets inside the 10 | 31.5% | 18.2% | 27.0% |
| Receiving yards | 22.7% | 18.0% | 21.3% |
| Receiving touchdowns | 32.3% | 11.0% | 23.2% |
| Air yards | 16.8% | 15.8% | 17.3% |
It's not one big week
Weeks 1 and 3 of this season are the two highest single weeks for tight end target share in the whole six-year sample. Week 2 dipped to 21.9%, which is about where 2025 sat every week.
Show the numbers
| Season | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20.9% | 18.5% | 19.8% |
| 2022 | 19.6% | 21.0% | 19.7% |
| 2023 | 18.6% | 21.1% | 20.0% |
| 2024 | 19.3% | 20.2% | 20.5% |
| 2025 | 22.0% | 21.6% | 22.2% |
| 2026 | 23.8% | 21.9% | 24.3% |
The points are running ahead of the targets
Tight ends are putting up 11.1 half-PPR points per team game, 27% more than the 2021–25 average for these weeks. Targets are only up about 9%. Most of that gap is touchdowns, and touchdown rates usually come back down as the season goes on.
The extra targets are also spread across more players. Each team's top tight end is getting 5.2 targets a game, about the same as in past years. The Saints are a good example: Juwan Johnson has 19 targets and Noah Fant has 12, and between them they have six touchdowns.
Show the numbers
| Season | Targets / team game | Half-PPR / team game | Top TE targets / game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6.7 | 9.7 | 5.0 |
| 2022 | 6.8 | 9.1 | 5.1 |
| 2023 | 6.6 | 8.3 | 5.0 |
| 2024 | 6.0 | 7.1 | 4.4 |
| 2025 | 6.9 | 9.3 | 5.0 |
| 2026 | 7.2 | 11.1 | 5.2 |
What it means for your lineup
- The volume looks real. It's showing up across the league, and it continues a trend from last season. If your tight end is getting targets, that should hold.
- Be careful with touchdown-heavy starts. A tight end whose points are mostly touchdowns is a good bet to cool off, even if his role stays the same.
- Watch the two-TE teams. When a team splits targets between two tight ends, it's harder to count on either one week to week, even if the position as a whole is producing.
- TE flex viability. Tight ends usually don't enter the flex start discussion. If these trends continue, we may have to rethink this approach.
Top tight ends so far
Half-PPR points through Week 3.
| Player | Team | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey McBride | ARI | 34 | 26 | 211 | 2 | 46.1 |
| Travis Kelce | KC | 18 | 14 | 231 | 2 | 42.1 |
| George Kittle | SF | 16 | 12 | 174 | 3 | 41.4 |
| Juwan Johnson | NO | 19 | 15 | 173 | 3 | 40.8 |
| Dalton Kincaid | BUF | 17 | 14 | 263 | 1 | 37.3 |
| Kenyon Sadiq | NYJ | 14 | 12 | 143 | 1 | 32.6 |
| Isaiah Likely | NYG | 23 | 15 | 124 | 2 | 31.9 |
| Harold Fannin Jr. | CLE | 18 | 14 | 126 | 2 | 31.6 |
| Tyler Warren | IND | 22 | 18 | 89 | 2 | 30.4 |
| Dalton Schultz | HOU | 25 | 19 | 205 | 0 | 30.0 |
FINE PRINT
All numbers come from nflverse weekly player stats and play-by-play data, regular season only. 2026 includes every game through Monday night of Week 3.
Half-PPR scoring is half a point per catch, a point per 10 yards, and 6 per touchdown, with the usual passing, rushing and fumble scoring. A player counts as a tight end if nflverse lists him as one. Red-zone and inside-the-10 targets are pass targets from the opponent's 20 and 10-yard lines, not counting two-point tries.
Snap counts and routes run aren't included, so this can't tell you whether teams are putting tight ends on the field more or just throwing to them more when they're out there.
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