For NFL fans, the fourth Sunday in October isn't just another weekend of the season. Since its accidental inception in 2018, National Tight Ends Day has become a day of celebration for the position.
Last year, tight ends represented their position on the holiday by scoring 12 touchdowns. The record for any week since 2000 is 22 touchdowns, set in Week 1 of 2015. Tight ends across the league recorded a total of 108 receptions on the holiday in 2025. They caught 178 passes the previous season, which is the most on a single day in the Super Bowl era, according to ESPN Research.
We asked our analysts to give their favorite tight end plays for Sunday. Here's what they found.
Best bets
George Kittle receiving yards OVER 69.5 (-110)
Matt Bowen: With Mike Evans expected to miss Sunday's game versus the Falcons, Kittle should play a key role in Kyle Shanahan's passing script. Kittle had 69 yards receiving in the 49ers' Monday night win over the Commanders, and he has topped the 70-yard mark in three of six games played. Let's take the former Hawkeye to hit the over in Atlanta.
Dallas Goedert receiving yards OVER 39.5 (-112)
Bowen: Quarterback Tanner McKee looked Goedert's way eight times in his first start, and the tight end caught six for 61 yards. That gives us something concrete with the quarterback change. Dallas allows tight ends to catch nearly 84% of their targets, so this is a good matchup for McKee to keep using Goedert.
AJ Barner anytime TD (+260)
Liz Loza: Barner is second on the Seahawks in routes run behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He ranks eighth at the position in route participation (76.5%). An obvious contributor in the red area of the field, Barner has drawn six high-value targets over his last four games. With fellow tight end Elijah Arroyo (shoulder) sidelined, Barner's volume figures to hold. The 24-year-old draws a plus matchup against a Chiefs defense that has invited the second-most looks to opposing ends while allowing four scores to the position in five outings.
Tyler Higbee receiving yards OVER 38.5 (-114)
Eric Moody: Higbee should see more targets with Davante Adams sidelined by a hamstring injury. Before being held to 22 receiving yards against the Cardinals in Week 6, Higbee had three straight games with at least six targets and 62 receiving yards. Now he faces a Raiders defense that has allowed 53.8 receiving yards per game to tight ends.
Tight end props
Note: Odds by DraftKings
and subject to change.