Late-Round Tight Ends to Draft in Fantasy Football: Terrance Ferguson, Oronde Gadsden and More

We all love the elite tight ends, but maybe not when it comes to actually paying up for those players. Passing on top-end running backs or wide receivers in the first few rounds is enough to make a fantasy manager swallow hard before hitting the select button on Brock Bowers, Trey McBride or Colston Loveland.

Enter the late-round TE options, of which there are plenty. But which ones should you target? Well, we’ll go into three players who are after pick 100 in ADP. They’re also outside of the top 12 in our fantasy football rankings. These could be second TEs to see if they actually pop during the season.

Which Late-Round TEs to Target in Fantasy Football Drafts?

Mark Andrews | Ravens

Rank: TE14
ADP: 125.7

When I think of Mark Andrews and his potential for the coming season, I think back to when he suffered a significant leg injury on a now-illegal hip-drop tackle back in 2023. One of the most angry players after the play was QB Lamar Jackson, who slammed his helmet to the ground when he saw the severity of the injury.

While this isn’t Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp having breakfast together in 2021, it shows a long-lasting connection between the QB and TE. Now look at the pass catchers for the Ravens. Zay Flowers will be the top target again, and Ja'Kobi Lane has been getting some hype. But outside of those two, who else is Jackson going to throw to?

There are some in the fantasy industry who are saying that Andrews is close to being washed. He’s worth a draft and stash to see if he might have something left. He is 31, and if Jackson is fully ignoring Andrews early, he’s a cut candidate. But if Jackson is again looking at him at even close to a 30% end-zone target rate like last season, those could be valuable looks. We have him slated to draw 75 targets in our fantasy football projections. Could that number be low?

Terrance Ferguson | Rams

Last season could have been a redshirt year for Terrance Ferguson, but instead he gradually became a larger part of the offense. In his last two regular-season games, Ferguson caught 5 balls for 87 yards and 2 scores. His ADOT on the season was a whopping 17.9. Stafford may not have looked often at Ferguson, but when he did they were not dumpoffs.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because at best Ferguson is the No. 3 target in this offense. But when the Rams go to 13 personnel, only one of Puka Nacua or Davante Adams will be on the field. That will make Ferguson the second target on those plays.

He’s young and has dynamic talent on one of the best offenses in the NFL. That’s a dart I want to throw. And not just because I’m a Ram fan.

Oronde Gadsden | Chargers

How we remember that electrifying four-game run when Oronde Gadsden caught 24 of 27 passes for 377 yards and a pair of TDs in the middle of his rookie season. He was one of the players people spent the most FAAB on last season.

After that, he drew only 5+ targets in four of the final eight games of the season. But it’s hard to shake how fluid and easily he made NFL defenders look silly last season. Then let’s remember how new OC Mike McDaniel values speed.

Here’s a player I want to see how his routes run shake out early in the season. There was so much made of how the Chargers added to the TE room. What if those players were brought in to block in 13 personnel? That would free up Gadsden to be the second target on so many plays. If McDaniel can get him into space a few times a game, that could mean some big plays over the course of the season.

Players Mentioned in this Article

MarkAndrews
TEBAL
PPG
6.2
Proj
7.5
OrondeGadsden
TELAC
PPG
7.0
Proj
5.1
TerranceFerguson
TELAR
PPG
3.3
Proj
6.0

Published Sep 5, 2026, 4:00 AM ET