Sam LaPorta and Trey McBride were among the 13 most popular players on championship rosters a season ago, adding depth to the position unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory. That increases the value of getting this pick right, and if you don’t want to pay up for the elite, you can uncover gems in the final round.
These fantasy football TE sleepers are atop my list if I decide to build up my roster in other places and/or play in a deeper-than-average league.
Fantasy Football Sleepers | Tight Ends
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
If I’m waiting to address the tight end position, my first option has to come with top-10 upside. In taking over for Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely scored five times in as many games to close the 2023 regular season, making a 25+ yard catch in each of those contests.
The athletic profile is elite. Not elite for this range in fantasy drafts; elite for this position at the professional level.
The upside is no longer a secret if given the TE1 role, but counting on Andrews missing significant time like he did last season isn’t wise (seven missed games in 2023 after missing five games through his first five seasons).
Yet, I don’t think Likely needs an injury to matter.
One of Isaiah Likely's most iconic plays from 2023 was this 15-yard TD catch vs the Texans in the Divisional round. The catch capped a 12-play, 93-yard drive early in the 4th Q, and showed the trust that Lamar Jackson has in the talented "backup" TE.
#Ravens #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/2wSibV7Hx6— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) May 6, 2024
For his career, Likely has earned a target on 18.7% of his routes run with Andrews on the field compared to 17.8% without him. That’s a small sample, but it’s some proof of concept, and Todd Monken is the type of offensive coordinator who I’m comfortable betting on when it comes to creativity.
Zay Flowers is the clearcut WR1 on Baltimore’s offense and should build on a rookie season that saw him flash at points. After him, this receiver room is awfully thin.
Rashod Bateman is the owner of the second-highest drop rate among qualified receivers since he entered the league while ranking in the 30th percentile in yards per route over that stretch.
If not Bateman, Nelson Agholor is next on the depth chart, but his résumé isn’t much more impressive. Last season, 73 receivers had at least as many catches as Agholor and all 73 of them earned a target on a higher percentage of their routes (13%, WR average: 21.3%).
Monken can be an offensive artist. He can create something beautiful, but he needs the proper tools to make it work.
I think, next to Flowers and Andrews, Likely’s versatility gives this da Vinci the best chance at constructing a 2024 Mona Lisa and thus carries enough fantasy upside to stash as your draft concludes.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Aaron Rodgers was hurt in Week 1 last season, putting this Jets team in a tailspin, and Week 18 isn’t included in most fantasy leagues. Did you know that, from Weeks 2-17, only five tight ends had more games with 4+ catches than Tyler Conklin (10) in 2023?
- Evan Engram: 15
- Travis Kelce: 13
- David Njoku: 13
- T.J. Hockenson: 13
- Sam LaPorta: 11
I’m not here to sell you on a 29-year-old Conklin as a breakout star who will decide leagues like some players at the position did last season. But he has hauled in at least 58 passes in three consecutive seasons and is a viable Band-Aid option to support the superteam you’ve built.
There is also some contingent upside to consider. Mike Williams was brought in to be the secondary option next to Garrett Wilson, but he has a checkered health history and tore his ACL last September.
READ MORE: Fantasy Football WR Sleepers 2024
After Williams, the Jets have a rookie in Malachi Corley, an undersized/undrafted Xavier Gipson, and a player in Allen Lazard, who has one season with more than 40 catches on his NFL résumé.
If we believe that New York’s offense is going to be an efficient one that makes routine trips to the red zone, is a spike TD season that difficult to imagine?
If Conklin can score twice a month in addition to sustaining his consistent catch count, why can’t he be a top-15 option at the position, even without tremendous one-week upside?
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
At the very end of drafts — where his ADP stands — you’re betting on a profile more than anything. Mike Gesicki is on his third team in as many years, but he might finally be put in a position to matter in deep fantasy leagues.
Gesicki has caught just 61 passes for 608 yards over the past two seasons — numbers that came in the first season of the Tyreek Hill era with the Miami Dolphins and another in an inept New England Patriots environment.
Gesicki has been used as a blocker on just 28.8% of his career offensive snaps, making him a receiver masked as a tight end. With a skill set like that, I’m happy to bet on an elite pocket passer in Joe Burrow.
Gone from Cincinnati’s offense is a short-yardage specialist in Tyler Boyd. He’s been replaced by a splash player-maker in rookie Jermaine Burton (18.0 yards per catch during his collegiate career). That opens up a role that might not come with significant upside but should offer a nice floor for those patchworking together the position late in fantasy drafts.