Unlike other positions in fantasy football, you can find tight end sleepers relatively early in the TE rankings. Because of the lack of elite talent at the position and the inconsistent, touchdown-centric production of most tight ends, pretty much any player outside of the top eight could be breakout player. Still, there are certain players who have more upside than others, and grabbing them in the late rounds is definitely sound draft strategy.
The tight ends for the 2018 season are once again a top-heavy group, but that’s okay. If you miss out on the top options, you can wait around a lot longer in normal drafts, load up on other positions, and stream sleepers for most of the season. That’s why these sleepers are arguably the most important in fantasy. At least a few of them will almost certainly be treated as starters in standard leagues.
In the late rounds of the draft, these are guys you want to consider. Whether they’re former backups becoming starters, young guys who are ready to make the leap, or handcuffs who can step up for short periods, these TEs deserve to be known and should be on your radar.
2018 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
2018 Fantasy Football Tight End Sleepers
George Kittle, 49ers
Kittle had a very good rookie season despite playing just six games with the talented Jimmy Garoppolo. Before that, he had to endure starters such as Brian Hoyer and CJ Beathard. During the season, Kittle quietly saw 16 red-zone targets but only scored twice. Now healthy and with the possibility of working with Garoppolo for a full season, Kittle’s upside is high. He could emerge as one of fantasy's new upper-tier TEs, especially considering his ability to produce yards after the catch (271, sixth best among TEs last year).
PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Top 200
Trey Burton, Bears
Burton spent the first three years of his career buried as a backup for the Eagles. He saw a little action in 2016, but he moved into the primary backup role in 2017. He did well in place of an injured Zach Ertz last year, and that prompted the Bears to sign Burton to a big-time deal in the offseason. Burton should become one of Mitchell Trubisky’s top weapons, and he will get a chance to prove that he deserves more than the seven red-zone targets he got in 2017. Last year, Chicago targeted its TEs 14 times in the red zone last year, which produced four TDs. Considering that Burton put up decent numbers as a backup, there’s a good chance that he will be able to improve upon his success as a full-time starter in the upcoming season.
Ricky Seals-Jones, Cardinals
Seals-Jones really came on toward the end of his rookie year with the Cardinals. Despite playing just under 12 percent of his team’s offensive snaps, Seals-Jones totaled 12 catches for 201 yards and a couple of scores. The former wide receiver did well transitioning to the tight end position, and he is favored to start there for the Cardinals in the upcoming season. Had Seals-Jones qualified for the yards-per-reception leader board, he would have ranked tops among tight ends and sixth in the league with 16.8 yards per catch. He’s a vertical playmaker with good size and seems like a perfect fit as a receiving tight end. Seals-Jones could be facing a possible suspension for an offseason arrest, but he shouldn't miss more than a game.
David Njoku, Browns
Njoku led the Browns in red-zone targets last season with 10 and scored once despite playing most of the year with DeShone Kizer, the league’s worst red-zone quarterback (six interceptions inside the 20). With either Baker Mayfield or Tyrod Taylor starting, Njoku should have a better chance to be productive in the red zone, as both of those quarterbacks have been lauded for their accuracy and ball placement. That fact, coupled with Njoku’s 6-4 size and insane athletic ability, should help the 2017 first-round pick improve on what was a decent performance in his rookie season.
SLEEPERS:
8 QBs | 16 RBs | 19 WRs | 9 TEs | 6 D/STs | One from each team
O.J. Howard, Buccaneers
Howard, the No. 19 overall pick from the 2017 draft, put forth some strong efforts during his rookie season. He had one massive 98-yard, two-TD performance against the Bills and scored a touchdown in three of the final five games of his season. Howard will try to edge Cameron Brate out of the starting spot for the Buccaneers, and thanks to his big-play ability (16.6 yards per catch as a rookie), Howard may end up taking over sooner than some are anticipating. Howard is more of a sleeper this year than he was last year, as he could be a more consistent player for the Buccaneers offense.
Luke Willson, Lions
Willson was a backup tight end for the Seahawks for the past five seasons, but now in Detroit, he figures to be the top tight end in an offense that has typically been very TE friendly (Eric Ebron saw at least 70 targets in each of the past three seasons). Willson isn’t a game breaker, but he has a career catch percentage of 65 and caught all four of his red-zone targets last year for two touchdowns. Matthew Stafford may trust Willson more than he trusted the drop-prone Ebron, so Willson has the potential to become a red-zone threat. He can be had for cheap and could develop into a low-end starter or high-end backup.
Virgil Green, Chargers
Green spent the first seven years of his career with the Broncos before defecting to the Chargers during the 2017 offseason. Following the season-ending knee injury to Hunter Henry, Green finds himself on top of the tight end depth chart. While Green has mostly served as a blocking tight end during his NFL career, he has some receiving chops and averaged 13.6 yards per catch last season, the second-best mark of his career. Philip Rivers always likes targeting his tight ends in the red zone (Henry and Antonio Gates combined for 25 targets last season), so Green will be able to take on a good chunk of those. Unless the Chargers elect to re-sign Gates, Green has a chance to be the team’s No. 1 tight end, giving him some upside.
DRAFT STRATEGY AND RANKINGS TIERS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST
Mike Gesicki, Dolphins
Gesicki was considered to be one of the best receiving tight ends in the 2017 NFL Draft. He came off the board to the Dolphins, and they don’t have a logical starter at the position. Considering that Gesicki posted a career-best nine touchdowns in his final season at Penn State and tested well at the Combine, he's at least mildly interesting in fantasy circles. He'll have to develop a rapport with Ryan Tannehill, and be able to block well enough to be a three-down player, but Gesicki has the potential to perform better than most rookie tight ends.
Dallas Goedert, Eagles
The Eagles are a team that likes to use their tight ends frequently. Last year, both Zach Ertz and Trey Burton were solid fantasy options. This year, second-round pick Dallas Goedert could have a chance to take over for Burton and be a high-quality backup. In his final year at South Dakota State, Goedert totaled 1,111 yards and seven scores on just 72 catches. The previous year, he fared even better, grabbing 92 passes for 1,293 yards and 11 touchdowns. Goedert has the potential to be both a downfield threat and a red-zone playmaker. It’s just a matter of whether he’ll be ready to produce this season. If nothing else, consider him a handcuff to Ertz.
