Let’s do better this year.

Isaiah Likely signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the New York Giants this offseason, and the deal puts him out of Mark Andrews' shadow for the first time in his career. He may have let fantasy managers down in 2025, but the faith in Likely has not been lost. If anything, it has been strengthened.

New York is an excellent landing spot for the former Raven. Target competition is thin. Malik Nabers is the top option, but he is still recovering from a serious leg injury that may keep him sidelined for part of the 2026 season. Likely has never maintained consistent fantasy production. He scored 12 or more PPR points just twice last season. But, he has delivered a multitude of huge plays throughout his career, and his WR-esque skill set makes him an intriguing breakout candidate.

New Giants coach John Harbaugh said he is "certain" Likely will take a major leap in 2026. That is about as convincing an endorsement as it gets.

Walter’s Rank: TE13
Walter's Projected Ceiling: TE3

Chig Okonkwo has hovered around 7 PPR points per game throughout his four-year career. On paper, that does not inspire much confidence. However, there is a real case for Okonkwo to break out in 2026.

He is only 26 years old and is now the starting tight end for the Washington Commanders, a team whose only locked-in target competition for Okonkwo is Terry McLaurin. Washington's defense is a weak unit and the team is expected to be down in most of its matchups, which sets up a favorable week-to-week game script for the former Titan. On top of that, Jayden Daniels has a history of peppering his tight ends with targets. The most notable example was 33-year-old Zach Ertz in 2024, who finished 11th in PPR points per game and TE7 overall.

A sizable target share for Okonkwo would not be surprising, and it is something we are expecting. He is one of my favorite TE targets in the later rounds.

Walter's Rank: TE22
Walter's Projected Ceiling: TE11

This one may be cheating a little bit, but it’s my list. Prior to his season-ending knee injury, Tucker Kraft was 4th in PPR points per game and 2nd in TE touchdown rate. In his eight games, Kraft finished inside the top 10 four times. The breakout is easy to diagnose here.

Heading into 2026, the Green Bay Packers are without Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs, which leaves ample vacated targets for Kraft to scoop up. His weekly ceiling is top-tier, and his floor is also safe, assuming he stays healthy. The WalterPicks Projections Team is immensely confident in him, projecting him ahead of Harold Fannin Jr. and Tyler Warren. The fantasy community is also anticipating an excellent year from Kraft, as he is currently going as the 6th TE off the board on Sleeper.

Walter's Rank: TE4
Walter's Projected Ceiling: TE1

The team surrounding Kenyon Sadiq is less than ideal, but his athletic profile and draft capital alone make him a real breakout candidate.

He ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any TE prospect in combine history. I also had him ranked as the top blocking TE in this class in our Rookie Guide, which means he will see the field early and often. The New York Jets will be down in almost all their games, which sets up game scripts conducive to Sadiq seeing a consistently above-average target share.

The former Duck ranks as our TE20, but his weekly ranking consistently ends up ahead of that based on matchup. If he scores 5 to 7 touchdowns, we will come back to this article next year and say we were right about this breakout.

Walter’s Rank: TE20
Walter's Projected Ceiling: TE8