Tyler Warren vs Tucker Kraft

“Tyler Warren ’s rookie season and Alec Pierce ’s contract are reasons to believe that the Colts’ offense can continue to get better around Taylor, making his job much easier.”

“This is simply a, “the drop-off from Tyler Warren to Tucker Kraft isn’t going to be as big as you think (and I have Kraft higher, for what it’s worth), and that makes Warren a bad value” sentiment.”

“The Colts passing game operated by committee throughout the year, with each of Alec Pierce, Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs filling a specific role within the offense.”

“He continued building around a young receiver corps, adding Emeka Egbuka and later Jameson Williams , and locked down his tight end room early with Tyler Warren , calling him a long-term dynasty asset worth building around even with quarterback uncertainty in Indianapolis.”

“Tyler Warren picked up a small bump but stayed in place at fourth, standing fairly alone in that spot: not close enough to catch third, but comfortably ahead of Tucker Kraft , who settled in as the TE5.”

“Tyler Warren should continue to ascend.”

“While Daniel Jones appears healthy heading into 2026, I expect to see more of Warren taking snaps at quarterback, as he did at Penn State. Warren offers unique upside that has received little discussion this offseason.”

“The Colts offense took a big step forward in 2025, and they will need to rely even more on Tyler Warren to keep that momentum going. Warren had an outstanding rookie year after leading the Colts in targets last season. The departure of Michael Pittman (PIT) will lead to even more looks for Warren's second season.”

“Warren had a strong rookie season, catching 76 of 112 targets for 817 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown. Warren played 84% of the snaps as a rookie, running a route on 83.6% of the team's dropbacks.”

“Tyler Warren has a clear chance to finish as the overall TE1 in 2026. He's the returning member of Indy's receiving corps most likely to handle those middle-of-the-field opportunities that previously belonged to Michael Pittman. Warren saw the second-most targets inside the 10-yard line among all tight ends last season (11), yet he finished with only four spikes.”

“Among the second-tier tight ends, Tyler Warren generated some of the strongest endorsements. He was named a must-draft target thanks to expectations for increased volume and a larger offensive role. The belief is that Warren still has room to grow and could push toward the elite tier if his opportunity expands.”

“I'm not confident enough that Loveland will emerge as the former to draft him multiple rounds ahead of other upside young tight ends like the aforementioned Warren, Harold Fannin Jr. or Tucker Kraft.”

“Players Trey McBride, Jake Ferguson, Tucker Kraft, and AJ Barner all made significant jumps in their second season over the past three years.”

“Last year, Tucker Kraft averaged the second most fantasy points per game at 12.7”

“With only Tucker Kraft , Jayden Reed , and second-year receiver Matthew Golden , opportunities should be endless”

“Tucker Kraft is a personal favorite of mine. Before his ACL tear last season, he was dominating the tight end position. In the eighth round in a league where the FLEX position can be used for a tight end, a duo of Warren and Kraft could be excellent.”

“If Green Bay slowly eases him in, I wouldn’t be shocked, but Kraft could easily be a monster value at the tight end position in 2026 if he comes roaring back at 100% earlier than we anticipate.”

“Last year, before losing the rest of his season to a torn ACL (Week 9), Tucker Kraft was the TE1 in fantasy points per game. In Weeks 1-8, among 33 qualifying tight ends, Kraft ranked seventh in target share (18.3%), first in receiving yards per game (67), second in yards per route run (2.71), seventh in first-read share (21.6%), and second in first downs per route run (0.121, per Fantasy Points Data). Kraft was also a YAC gawd, leading all tight ends in yards after the catch per reception and missed tackles forced per reception.”

“It should be noted, though, that Watson only had 8 targets last season in the two games both he and Tucker Kraft played, so it’s not a clean copy-and-paste to 2026.”

“But Tucker Kraft is an elite talent who is getting unduly pushed down, and his value compared to Warren’s value makes Warren a less interesting click, for me.”

“At the time of his injury, Kraft ranked ninth in catches, third in yards, and second in touchdowns, with a 30/469/6 line. He did this while having a bye week, and his 67 yards per game led the position.”

“Tucker Kraft is an elite tight end in the NFL and produced exceptionally well last year before his ACL injury in November. The latest reports are that he is likely to start training camp on the PUP, but that everyone plans for him to be back in week one without any sort of restrictions.”

“Thankfully, Tucker Kraft expects to play in Week 1 without limitation after suffering a torn ACL last year. He was the TE1 on a points-per-game basis over the first eight weeks of last season, averaging 16.2 PPR fantasy points per contest, the same average as Trey McBride .”

“Tucker Kraft is coming back from an ACL tear and small meniscus tear that ended his 2025 season after eight games and torpedoed what was shaping up to be a monster season.”