Who are the 2026 dynasty TE sleepers to target?

AJ Barner, Brenton Strange, Gunnar Helm, Greg Dulcich, and Oronde Gadsden II. All five sit outside NextDyne’s TE Dynasty Value Score top 10. Barner is the closest to priced (19th) with a top-11 2026 projection. Gadsden is the extreme: 49 catches for 664 yards as a rookie, DVS currently 0 because our depth chart lists him TE3 in a three-tight-end Chargers room.

Why isn't this list ranked by Dynasty Value Score?

DVS measures trade value right now from production, age, draft capital, and the 2026 projection. A tight end whose job is still settling — or whose depth label is burying last year’s targets — often does not have that score yet. This list is about the gap, not the current rank.

Why include Oronde Gadsden if his Dynasty Value Score is 0?

Because the zero is the depth chart, not the tape. Gadsden ran a 9.0-yard average depth of target and +1.35 yards after catch over expected on 69 targets in 2025. Our board currently lists him TE3 behind Charlie Kolar and David Njoku, and that TE3 haircut drives the score to 0. The Chargers’ own unofficial chart still lists all three as co-starters.

Should I buy these tight ends now or wait for Week 1?

TE1 prices jump the first time a 60-target pace shows up in the box score. If you believe the role — Seattle’s starter, Jacksonville’s 12-game sample, Miami’s vacated targets, or Gadsden’s pass-game job in a committee — the cheapest window is before snaps confirm it.

Rankings

5 Breakout Dynasty TEs to Target in 2026

Four of these five sit outside NextDyne’s TE DVS top 20. Barner is 19th. Gadsden is the one our board currently treats like he does not exist.

By Kenny Flermoen · August 26, 2026

The three second-year tight ends from our 2026 dynasty sleepers intro — Harold Fannin Jr., Colston Loveland, and Tucker Kraft — are already in the TE DVS top 10. The next names are the ones still sitting outside that priced tier with a real job, a real 2025 sample, or a depth-chart label that is doing too much work. Same idea as the WR sleeper board: this is not a Dynasty Value Score ranking. For the current trade board, see Top 20 TE Dynasty Value.

1. AJ Barner — Seattle Seahawks

AJ Barner is listed SEA TE1 and is the only name here with a top-11 2026 Engine projection: 8.2 half-PPR PPG, 19th in TE DVS at 3,180. Last year he caught 52 passes for 519 yards and six scores on 68 targets in 17 games. Next Gen Stats had him at +0.78 yards after catch over expected — the only plus mark among the TE1s on this list with a 2025 NGS row. Average depth of target was 4.5 yards. He lives close to the line of scrimmage and still produced. New coordinator Brian Fleury comes from a 49ers tight-end staff; Elijah Arroyo is the TE2 to watch, not a reason to wait on Barner at this price.

2. Brenton Strange — Jacksonville Jaguars

In 12 games last year, Brenton Strange went 46-540-3 on 60 targets — about 7.9 half-PPR points per game. That is the best trailing rate on this list. DVS still has him 23rd (2,470). The Engine is more cautious than the 12-game pace (6.8 PPG, 21st) because the sample stopped at 12. He is JAX TE1 with a 6.9-yard average depth of target, so the production was not all dump-offs next to Brian Thomas Jr.. A full season at even 80 percent of that rate is a TE1. The board is still pricing the missed games.

3. Gunnar Helm — Tennessee Titans

Gunnar Helm played all 16 games as a rookie: 44 catches, 357 yards, two touchdowns on 55 targets. Catch rate was 80 percent. Yards after catch over expected was minus 0.81 — he is a volume tight end, not a YAC tight end. Tennessee still lists him TE1, and DVS has him 34th at 1,497 with a 6.6 PPG overlay. That is a full-season starter priced like a stash. Cam Ward is a year into the job with new weapons; Helm does not need a breakout from Ward to be useful. He needs the targets he already earned.

4. Greg Dulcich — Miami Dolphins

Miami re-signed Greg Dulcich after a nine-game run of 26-335-1 on 33 targets. He is listed TE1. Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, and Darren Waller are gone; Malik Willis is the quarterback and Malik Washington is the other leftover pass catcher. DVS 740 (41st) against a 6.1 PPG overlay is the ranking-gap talking. There is no 2025 NGS receiving row. Pro Football Reference still logged 199 yards after the catch on 26 receptions and a 0 percent drop rate. Nine games is thin. The opportunity is not.

5. Oronde Gadsden II — Los Angeles Chargers

Oronde Gadsden II caught 49 passes for 664 yards and three scores on 69 targets in 15 games as a fifth-round rookie — 13.6 yards per catch, 9.0-yard average depth of target, +1.35 YAC over expected. Our board currently lists him LAC TE3 behind Charlie Kolar and David Njoku, which is why Dynasty Value Score is 0 and the 2026 overlay is 0.9 half-PPR PPG. That is the TE3 haircut talking, not last year’s usage. The Chargers’ unofficial August 24 depth chart still listed Kolar, Gadsden, and Njoku as co-starters. Kolar is a blocker (15 targets last year). Njoku is the veteran on a one-year deal. Gadsden is the one who actually ran downfield. Buy the pass-catching job the linear chart is burying.

A word on how to read this list

A ranking-gap screen also flags Charlie Kolar and Tommy Tremble as TE1s with DVS in the 400s–700s. Overlay has them at 2.7 and 4.3 PPG. Those are blocking or stash labels, not breakout cases, so they are not here. Barner is the process bet. Strange is the per-game bet. Helm is the full-season floor. Dulcich is vacated targets on a thin sample. Gadsden is the board being wrong about a committee. Treat all five as buys against the current score, not as locked TE1s.

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FAQ

Who are the 2026 dynasty TE sleepers to target?: AJ Barner, Brenton Strange, Gunnar Helm, Greg Dulcich, and Oronde Gadsden II. All five sit outside NextDyne’s TE Dynasty Value Score top 10. Barner is the closest to priced (19th) with a top-11 2026 projection. Gadsden is the extreme: 49 catches for 664 yards as a rookie, DVS currently 0 because our depth chart lists him TE3 in a three-tight-end Chargers room.
Why isn't this list ranked by Dynasty Value Score?: DVS measures trade value right now from production, age, draft capital, and the 2026 projection. A tight end whose job is still settling — or whose depth label is burying last year’s targets — often does not have that score yet. This list is about the gap, not the current rank.
Why include Oronde Gadsden if his Dynasty Value Score is 0?: Because the zero is the depth chart, not the tape. Gadsden ran a 9.0-yard average depth of target and +1.35 yards after catch over expected on 69 targets in 2025. Our board currently lists him TE3 behind Charlie Kolar and David Njoku, and that TE3 haircut drives the score to 0. The Chargers’ own unofficial chart still lists all three as co-starters.
Should I buy these tight ends now or wait for Week 1?: TE1 prices jump the first time a 60-target pace shows up in the box score. If you believe the role — Seattle’s starter, Jacksonville’s 12-game sample, Miami’s vacated targets, or Gadsden’s pass-game job in a committee — the cheapest window is before snaps confirm it.

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