Fantasy football has always been a strategical game that too often leaves you searching and scrambling for any advantage you can find. You look for sleepers. You look for players that are maybe, just maybe on the cusp of breaking out. You talk yourself into players based on potential and hope, often looking over better options that have been there before.
These days, everyone has the perfect fantasy football strategy. Zero running back is the only way to draft. No, wait; Zero wide receiver is the way to go. Don’t forget about the quarterbacks and tight ends. Do you over-draft a difference maker like Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce in the first two rounds or build your depth at RB/WR while taking advantage of the depth at QB/TE?
Truthfully, there is no right or wrong answer here. Every strategy works if you pick the right players. Zero-RB works if you hit on a couple late round running backs. The same idea goes for zero-WR. The only wrong answer is drafting a kicker or defense before the final 3-4 rounds. Don’t be that guy.
My ideal strategy is to draft three running backs and three wide receivers in the first six rounds, barring Kelce, Zach Ertz or George Kittle falling into my lap at a value. I believe in building depth at the core positions rather than reaching for mid-tier options just to fill out your starting lineup. This strategy often leads to me drafting tight ends in the 10th round and beyond.
Here are six late-round tight end options with the potential to outplay their ADP’s.
Austin Hooper (ATL)
The Atlanta Falcons tight end might be one of the better values in fantasy football this season. Austin Hooper finished last season as the sixth highest scoring tight end, but he’s currently being drafted as the 11th TE off the board in standard leagues according to FantasyPros.
I absolutely love O.J. Howard, Evan Engram, and Hunter Henry this season, but I cannot justify picking them in the fifth or sixth rounds when Hooper is consistently available in the later rounds of fantasy drafts.
The Falcons have spent a considerable amount of capital on improving a lackluster offensive line. They signed two veteran guards (James Carpenter and Jamon Brown) while also drafting two offensive linemen in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft (Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary).
This emphasis on improving the offensive line is significant as Matt Ryan was the seventh most pressured quarterback in the NFL last season according to Pro Football Focus. A cleaner pocket for Ryan likely leads to a better running game and more opportunities in the red zone for the Falcons offense.
Mark Andrews (BAL)
Even after finishing last season with the fifth most yards by a rookie tight end in the last decade, Mark Andrews continues to be overlooked in some fantasy football circles. There are legit reasons to doubt Andrews – Baltimore’s run-first offense, target share with new additions, etc. – but it’s still hard to justify an ADP of 208 on FantasyPros. As the 24th ranked TE in PPR leagues, Andrews is basically free.
Last season, Andrews finished with over 500 yards despite only averaging three targets per game. His average of 16.24 yards per reception was second among tight ends, behind only O.J. Howard. Andrews showed big-play ability while playing a majority of his snaps in the slot. He played 213 of his 442 offensive snaps in the slot, with another 163 of his snaps in-line according to PFF.
In the Baltimore Ravens’ playoff loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Andrews saw a season-high 20 snaps in the slot leading to a season-high seven targets. While Hayden Hurst‘s return from injury likely cuts into Andrews’ snaps, it could open up more opportunities in the slot with Hurst more of an in-line tight end.
Chris Herndon (NYJ)
Despite only catching a handful of passes in the first five games of the season, Chris Herndon finished his rookie season with over 500 receiving yards along with four touchdowns. From Week 6 on, Herndon averaged 9.4 PPR fantasy points per game as Sam Darnold‘s confidence and chemistry with the tight end grew with each week.
Although a possible two-game suspension slightly diminishes Herndon’s value, he’s still likely to see an increase in snaps and targets from last season, making him a potential value at his current ADP. Herndon finished last season as the 15th highest scoring tight end despite only playing in 63% of the New York Jets offensive snaps.
Dallas Goedert (PHI)
Let me stop you. I understand the hesitation. I know they have the great Zach Ertz in front of him and there’s a very slim chance the Philadelphia Eagles offense can support two fantasy-relevant tight ends.
That being said, you can do a lot worse than Goedert at his current ADP. He finished last season as the #19 tight end despite only seeing 48% of the offensive snaps, and he’s currently being drafted in the Jack Doyle/Tyler Eifert/Irv Smith Jr. range. I’ll bank on Goedert and his potential for TE1 status all day over those guys.
While Goedert might not reach his full potential until Ertz leaves town or faces an unfortunate injury, he certainly deserves more playing time and targets this season. Look for the Eagles to utilize more 12-personnel (two TE) sets to get both Goedert and Ertz on the field at the same time.
T.J. Hockenson (DET) / Noah Fant (DEN)
Rookie tight ends are usually a tough sell in fantasy redraft leagues, as the position is often one of the slowest to develop in the NFL. Tight ends just don’t come into the league and set the world on fire. Even with that precedent, there’s no denying the former Iowa Hawkeyes teammates are both extremely talented players in prime positions for early playing time.
T.J. Hockenson, the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, became only the fourth tight end drafted in the top 10 over the past 20 years along with Eric Ebron, Vernon Davis, and Kellen Winslow. Hockenson displays a rare combination of strength and speed, using his power to overpower defenders in the running game while using his speed to blow by linebackers and safeties through the air. Hockenson is expected to start from day one with Jesse James, Isaac Nauta, and Michael Roberts, as his only competition for playing time.
Noah Fant – drafted 20th overall by the Denver Broncos – is more of your slot/pass-catching tight end that needs to improve his blocking skills to take the next step. While I see Fant as more of a 2-3 year projection, it wouldn’t completely surprise me if he became fantasy football relevant as early as this season. After all, fantasy football doesn’t care about a player’s blocking ability. If used correctly in the slot, Fant will be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses with his blazing speed, setting him apart from his competition in Denver.