As we wrap up our fantasy football rankings articles for the preseason, the Seahawks are prominently featured at two positions. Last season, kicker Jason Myers and the Seahawks defense/special teams **finished first** at their respective fantasy positions.

We share our 2026 rankings for tight ends, defense/special teams units and kickers for the 2026 fantasy football drafts. Additional strategic analysis is included for defense/special teams units and kickers. The tight end rankings lean to Point Per Reception (PPR) formats.

For those who have drafted early, these rankings can serve as guide to players to potentially trade for TE, or pick up off waivers at D/ST and kickers. Also, consult my full guide for the first two rounds for any upcoming drafts.

Fantasy Football Rankings for 2026: Tight Ends

1.      Trey McBride, Cardinals (**Average Draft Position of 23.9**) overall: He is the prime target in the passing game for Arizona. McBride has caught 110-plus passes and finished over 1,100 yards in each of the past two seasons.

2.      Brock Bowers, Raiders (ADP of19.9): Bowers is the first TE off the board in many drafts. McBride and Bowers are both excellent selections as the top player at the position. The Las Vegas offense should improve under Klint Kubiak.

3.      Colston Loveland, Bears (41.0): There is much excitement surrounding Loveland this year. He will work in an ascending offense, and the second-year TE has already drawn comparisons to George Kittle.

4.      Tyler Warren, Colts (52.5): Another second-year riser, Warren might deliver a true breakout season in 2026.

5.      Kyle Pitts Sr., Falcons (78.4): Coming off the best season of his career. with 88 receptions.

6.      Tucker Kraft, Packers (74.3): He is still on the road back from a knee injury, but Kraft can help you more as the season progresses.

7.      Dallas Goedert, Eagles (112.7): Goedert is a good value at the current ADP after catching a career-high 11 TD passes last year.

8.      George Kittle, 49ers (97.8): Can still be one of the best when healthy and available.

9.      Harold Fannin Jr., Browns (81.0): Played well down the stretch last season, with four fantasy TE1 finishes in the last five weeks.

10.  Sam LaPorta, Lions (77.9): Could regain his better form again this season under a new offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing, as noted by FantasyPros.

11.  Travis Kelce, Chiefs (106.2): Still will be a featured target for Patrick Mahomes, especially on key passing downs.

12.  Isaiah Likely, Giants (114.3): The ex-Raven is a recommended value target. He can bust out in 2026 as a true starter for his team for the first time.

13.  Mark Andrews, Ravens (124.8): Preseason reports on Andrews have been positive, and he could regain much of his better form in 2026.

14.  Terrance Ferguson, Rams (166.4): My absolute favorite value play at TE, Ferguson is set for a breakthrough season as the Rams consistently feature their TEs.

15.  Dalton Kincaid, Bills (112.4): Very efficient, and works in one of the league's best offenses.

16.  Chigoziem "Chig" Okonkwo, Commanders: The move to Washington could lead his best season yet.

17.  AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks: He has exceeded expectations so far in his career, and the ranking here pinpoints him as a comfortable fantasy TE2 pick.

18.  Hunter Henry, Patriots: Re-emerged as a frequent TD threat last year.

19.  Brenton Strange, Jaguars: Works in a passing game that is stacked with quality WRs, but Strange can make important catches when they matter.

20.  Greg Dulcich, Dolphins: He might function as a frequent target for Malik Willis.

Fantasy Football Rankings for 2026: Defenses/Special Teams

An approach to drafting fantasy defenses and special teams that many fantasy leaguers don't take is to prioritize units with friendlier/better early-season schedules. At most, there could be two to three defenses that fantasy players can be starter-worthy almost every week. Most fantasy players stream their units from week to week based on the offense the defense will face.

So it is best in most cases, unless you draft the Seahawks or Texans, to focus on streaming defenses right from Week 1. In my rankings below, I do rate the defensive/special teams units overall for the season, but the best ones to draft for early schedules are in italics with their matchups. If I don't draft a top two defense this year, the units that have favorable early schedules will be moved up on my draft queue over the defense that is better for the longer term.

The Seahawks finished as the No. 1 defense in fantasy football last season (179.0 points), outdistancing the third-place Jaguars by 35 points.  It is very hard for a defensive unit to repeat as the No.1 scoring unit in fantasy football. But the Seahawks are returning 10 of 11 starters and have a good shot to finish as a top 5 unit this season, if not better.

The defense boasts the same ferocious defensive line, Ernest Jones IV is one of the most active linebackers in the NFL, and the secondary features prime playmakers such as Devon Witherspoon, Nick Emmanwori and Julian Love.

In 2026, the Seahawks led the NFL in points allowed per game, at a 17.2 per game rate. Points per game is obviously a central stat when drafting defenses.

Sacks and turnovers drive additional points for defenses in fantasy football, and the Seahawks tied for fourth in the NFC with 47 sacks, as Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II and Uchenna Nwosu all tied for the team lead with seven sacks. DeMarcus Lawrence, a tremendous addition in 2025, totaled six sacks. Don't expect this unit to slow down in 2026.

Last season, the Seahawks ranked third in total takeaways in the NFC with 25. They ranked second in the NFC with 18 interceptions. Jones tied for the NFL lead among linebackers, with five.

Special teams are also factored into the rankings here as the special teas factor. Rashid Shaheed's electrifying presence as a returner is another reason the Seahawks' defense is ranked as a top 2 unit.

There are also no projected highly explosive offenses on the Seahawks’ schedule for the first three weeks, which is a factor for all the teams with better early schedules highlighted below. Even if a team has potentially advantageous and not outright great matchups in the early weeks, they appear in italics:

1.      Houston Texans

2.      Seattle Seahawks – Early Season Schedule: Patriots, Cardinals Commanders

3.      Los Angeles Rams

4.      Denver Broncos

5.      Los Angeles Chargers – Early Season Schedule: Cardinals, Raiders

6.      Minnesota Vikings

7.      Jacksonville Jaguars – Early Season Schedule: Browns in Week 1

8.      New England Patriots

9.      Baltimore Ravens - – Early Season Schedule: Colts, Saints

10. Philadelphia Eagles – Early Season Schedule: Commanders, Titans

11.  Detroit Lions

12.  Pittsburgh Steelers – Early Season Schedule: Falcons in Week 1

13.  San Francisco 49ers – Early Season Schedule: Dolphins and Cardinals in Weeks 2 and 3

14.  Green Bay Packers - – Early Season Schedule: Jets and Falcons in Weeks 2 and 3. Week 1 vs. the Vikings is a divisional matchup, which can potentially be lower-scoring.

15.  Buffalo Bills

16.  Cleveland Browns

17.  New Orleans Saints

18.  Kansas City Chiefs - – Early Season Schedule: Colts, Dolphins, Raiders in Weeks 2 to 4.

19.  New York Giants

20.  Tennessee Titans-– Early Season Schedule: Jets in Week 1

Other Early-Season Schedules that may be worth consideration; Atlanta vs. the Steelers and Panthers in Weeks 1-2, Carolina vs. the Falcons and Browns in Weeks 2 and 3, Las Vegas vs. Miami in Week 1, and Jets vs. Titans in Week 1.

Fantasy Football Rankings for 2026: Kickers

Two major reasons why the Seahawks won Super Bowl 61 were the performance of the defense, and a stellar regular season and playoff run from Jason Myers, who finished as the No. 1 kicker in fantasy football. His 202 fantasy points put him ahead of other elite fantasy kickers such as Brandon Aubrey, Ka'imi Fairbairn and Cameron Dicker.

If you don't land one of those top 4 kickers, then keep a consistent eye on trends at the position throughout the season. Occasionally, some lower ranked kickers in the preseason may emerge during the regular season and outperform the guy you drafted.

I will be monitoring Green Bay rookie Trey Smack. Any time a team spends an actual draft pick on a kicker, you must take notice as a fantasy player and consider that NFL Draft status to be an endorsement from a team's decision-makers.

Just don't simply draft a name you know or lean to only kickers on top offenses. Many touchdowns from an offense can sometimes lead to less field goal attempts.

Kickers often don't perform as well as they did in the previous season, so don't take a "set-it-and-forget it " approach to the position. In some weeks, a strong kicker performance can save your team from a loss.

1.      Brandon Aubrey, Cowboys

2.      Cameron Dicker, Chargers

3.      Jason Myers, Seahawks

4.      Ka'imi Fairbairn, Texans

5.      Cam Little, Jaguars

6.      Tyler Loop, Ravens

7.      Harrison Mevis, Rams

8.      Andy Borregales, Patriots

9.      Jake Bates, Lions

10. Chase McLaughlin, Buccaneers

11.  Will Reichard, Vikings

12.  Eddy Pineiro, 49ers

13. Will Lutz, Broncos

14. Trey Smack, Packers

15. Chris Boswell. Steelers

16.  Cairo Santos, Bears

17. Daniel Carlson, Saints

18.  Evan McPherson, Bengals

19.  Harrison Butker, Chiefs

20.  Jake Elliott Eagles

Recent Fantasy Football Draft Results

I am sharing the results from one of my most important league drafts from the final week of August. The league annually features an impressive mix of some of the best fantasy football players and professional analysts in the nation and lasts for 20 rounds. This is a full PPR 12-team league with six points awarded for a TD pass and two flex players allowed in a lineup.

I drafted from the No. 1 overall slot, and picks are listed by round. I am featuring the draft results here as a quick method of showing which players I recommend as potential targets. Notice that some rookies can be taken later on as good value picks, The rookies are italicized.

1.      Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions

2.      Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals

3.      DeVonta Smith, WR, Eagles

4.      Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders

5.      Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jaguars

6.      Drake Maye, QB, Patriots

7.      Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings

8.       Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Commanders

9.      Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs (can consider him as a second flex starter)

10.  Rachaad White, RB, Commanders

11.  Caleb Douglas, WR, Dolphins

12.  Kaelon Black, RB, 49ers

13.  Jalen Nailor, WR, Raiders

14.  Tyler Shough, QB, Saints

15.  Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks (He could be worthy of flex consideration later in the season)

16.  Seahawks defense (pushed them up the board a bit to ensure I landed the unit)

17. Malachi Fields, WR, Giants

18. Nicholas Singleton, RB, Titans

19. Chris Bell, WR, Dolphins

20. Rams Team Kicker

Scott Engel's *2026 Fantasy Football rankings are available at RotoBaller.com.* Scott is a member of the inaugural class of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's (FSWA) Hall of Fame. He has been the official Fantasy Football writer for *Seahawks.com* since 2012 and has contributed to game coverages and special projects such as the *Top 50 Seahawks of All Time*. Scott is a Senior Writer at *RotoBaller.com* and a host on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. His work has regularly appeared at *CBSSports.com*, *ESPN.com* and The Athletic.