TE tiers for 2025 Fantasy Football rankings: Brock Bowers slides despite historic rookie season

In 2023, Puka Nacua set the rookie receptions record by hauling in 105 targets, one more than Jaylen Waddle in 2021 and making him the third rookie all-time to catch 100 passes. Malik Nabers topped Nacua last year by tallying 108 receptions, but he does not hold the rookie receptions record. That belongs to Brock Bowers, who caught 112 passes for the Raiders in 2024, 36 more than any rookie tight end ever. As a rookie, Bowers had the third-most receptions of any tight end in a season ever. 

And yet, Bowers is not my top tight end for 2025. That honor belongs to Trey McBride, who had one fewer reception in one fewer game last year. The Arizona tight end did not score his first touchdown until Week 17, which was unbelievably frustrating for his Fantasy managers, but he managed double-digit targets in six of his last seven games as he emerged as the No. 1 weapon in an offense that looks much the same this year as it did last year. By contrast, Bowers has a new head coach, new offensive coordinator and new quarterback that provides more uncertainty than I'm comfortable with taking him in the second round. In fact, there's even another tight end I think is a better pick, especially at the relative cost.

We're getting you ready for your 2025 Fantasy Football drafts by sharing our positional tiers, including the tight ends below, to help you build your rankings and determine when those tier breaks will occur in each draft. Using tiered rankings should give you the best chance for a successful draft by scooping up the best values throughout the proceedings and knowing the likelihood of similarly valued players at positions you skip in a round make it back to your next pick.

Who else is ranked above Brock Bowers? And where are the drops in tier later in the draft that you'll want to avoid? ... Join SportsLine here to see SportsLine expert R.J. White's Fantasy football rankings!