Tyler Warren's Fantasy Value 'Too Optimistic' for One Expert

When the Indianapolis Colts drafted Tyler Warren in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, he was expected to be the savior of a tight end group that was arguably the least prolific in the entire league.

Whether you look at receptions, receiving yards, catch percentage, what have you, the Colts' tight ends were at or near the bottom of the NFL.

Warren had nearly unheard-of production in his final year at Penn State, accounting for 130 catches and carries for well over 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns. He ran circles around anything that any other Colts tight end produced, and he did it in a variety of ways, catching, running, throwing, and even punting once.

When it comes to fantasy football, productive tight ends are hard to find, and with the recent success of young tight ends across the NFL, Warren is already becoming a fantasy darling. Yahoo! Sports fantasy expert Scott Pianowski isn't buying the Warren stock in Year 1, however.

"Tyler Warren was a catch machine his final year at Penn State, securing 101 passes for 1,233 yards," Pianowski began. "And we've seen rookie tight ends make a fantasy splash in each of the last two seasons. But Warren's onboarding with the Colts might be a bumpy one, given the limitations of quarterbacks Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones.

"There's also a crowding issue, as Indianapolis has a number of capable pass-catchers in the wide receiver room," Pianowski continued. "Warren's tight end ADP has risen to TE13 in Yahoo rooms, too optimistic for me."

To Pianowski's point, the Colts do have a crowded group of pass-catchers when you consider wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs. The quarterback play greatly affected the efficiency of the passing game in 2024, but the Colts did have the only trio in the NFL to reach 800 yards each, with Alec Pierce (824), Michael Pittman Jr. (808), and Josh Downs (803) hitting the mark.

However, judging from Warren's high-volume usage during the Colts' spring program in OTAs and minicamp, Warren is likely to vault into those top three spots in the Colts' passing-game hierarchy. He can clean up things short around the line of scrimmage like Downs can, but Warren also gives the Colts a weapon over the middle that they've been desperately needing.

As long as Warren shows up to Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 1 with a pulse, you can consider him a fantasy upgrade for the Colts. Last year, their top fantasy tight end was Mo Alie-Cox, who ranked SIXTIETH in the NFL among tight ends, in what is the most shallow skill position slot in fantasy.