2025 Rookie TE Review (Fantasy Football)

It’s time to wrap up this brief series of articles summarizing the rookie prospects overviewed by Andy, Mike, and Jason on the podcast. We’ve already covered QBs, RBs, and WRs, so don’t forget to check those articles if you’re getting ready for your Dynasty rookie draft or if you just want to have a better understanding of the players who will be picked later this month during the upcoming NFL Draft. This time, we’ll talk about the three TEs Andy, Mike, and Jason like the most, including a couple of possible first-rounders. 

For a more in-depth look at each prospect, check out our Rookie Profile series, going on until the 2025 NFL Draft. For more on each rookie, check out Andy, Mike, and Jason’s exclusive rookie rankings and production profiles found only in the Dynasty Pass, part of the UDK+ for 2025.

Also, you can watch the full episode covering WRs and TEs on YouTube here: 

Tyler Warren, Penn State

A big, athletic prospect measuring 6’5” and 250 lbs, Tyler Warren is a TE who can really make an impact at the NFL level. He played three different sports, and his basketball tape got him a scholarship at PSU. His 2024 season was insane, catching 104 passes for 1,233 yards and eight TDs. It was a complete college superstar campaign in which 49.6% of his targets resulted in either a first down or a TD. He was making plays all over the field, and the offense was configured around giving him the ball.

He won the 2024 John Mackey Award, a pretty good indicator of fantasy relevance, considering recent winners include Brock Bowers (twice), Trey McBride, Kyle Pitts, Harrison Bryant, T.J. Hockenson, and Mark Andrews. Of course, Pitts and Bryant have not shined as brightly as the others on the list, but Tyler Warren should be on the right side of this group. He already looks like a superstar on film. He is a tough, versatile player who even threw a TD in one game and is a beast in one-on-one coverage. No receiver in CFB had more receiving yards vs man coverage than Tyler Warren. He is a true DAWG.

As always with TEs, the question is: Can he be a difference-maker in his first year as an NFL player? There aren’t a lot of concerns with him besides being a fourth-year breakout. But he immediately turned into the centerpiece of the offense, and he will attract high draft capital for sure. He might even be slightly over-drafted in fantasy after what Brock Bowers and Sam LaPorta did the past two seasons. Can the #1 rookie TE be the #1 fantasy TE for the third straight season? Likely not. He is not the same caliber as Brock Bowers, but he has what it takes to be relevant if he lands on the right offensive scheme.

Colston Loveland, Michigan

Colston Loveland should also be a first-round pick, and there’s a possible universe in which he is even drafted ahead of Tyler Warren. He didn’t have 104 receptions like Warren, but he saw a steady increase in volume over his college career and was targeted on 38% of his routes in 2024, which is the highest targets-per-route-run of any TE prospect over the last decade. 

A lot of analysts are feeling the love for Colston Loveland, with our very own Matthew Betz being very bullish on him. As Jason said during the episode, Loveland is the type of TE who is basically a WR in the way he was being used. A big-bodied WR who is mainly running routes and seldomly blocking- this is great news for fantasy. 

10 minutes of Colston Loveland making plays in 2024#NFLCombine #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/tmF4LsVnDh

— Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT) February 26, 2025

However, now that we’re comparing him to Warren, Loveland is not as much of a DAWG at breaking tackles. He forced only three missed tackles, posting a class-low 5.4% missed tackle rate. That’s not what you’d expect from a 6’6”, 248lbs TE.

Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green

Harold Fannin Jr. is a fun prospect who didn’t have the same level of competition as the other two mentioned in this list. He is a weird player with an interesting background. Fannin Jr. came into college as a zero-star recruit who used to play linebacker and safety, but someone gave him the opportunity at BGSU, and he proved he could also be a DAWG. He had the strongest final-year production profile for a TE EVER: 117 receptions for 1,555 yards and 10 TDs. Fannin Jr. forced a class-high 34 missed tackles and also earned the second-highest run blocking grade by PFF. He also had the highest dominator rating of any prospect over the last decade, with 49% of the team’s passing yards and passing TDs going through him.

He is projected as a second or third-round draft pick, mainly due to his playing for Bowling Green. But he led all FBS in total receiving yards, including some notable performances in matchups against elite opponents, like PSU and Texas A&M.

The Ballers agree that these three TEs have the chance to become weekly fantasy-relevant starters in the NFL. However, there are other very interesting prospects, like Mason Taylor from LSU, who is projected to go very high in the NFL Draft. He is the son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor and might become a starter in the NFL at some point, but his path into fantasy relevance is not as clear right now. However, if you’d like to learn more about him and many other TEs from this Draft class, tune into the Fantasy Footballers Dynasty Podcast and check out the UDK+.