The tight end position is arguably the most interesting in fantasy football. Everyone has a preference on how to handle the position. This year my approach is simple; pay the price for Travis Kelce or be the last one to draft a tight end.
Now, no strategy is hard and fast. Furthermore, I would be foolish to pass on Mark Andrews, T.J. Hockenson, Darren Waller, Kyle Pitts, or George Kittle if they slip far enough past their ADP and become a steal. However, there is so much depth at the tight end position this year that fantasy players should be fine with being the last team to draft one.
Most articles mention Chigoziem Okonkwo, Greg Dulcich, and Cole Kmet as sleepers. However, let’s look a little deeper.
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Deep Sleeper Tight End Targets
Redraft League Targets
Juwan Johnson (TE – NO) | ADP 164.8, TE19
The former wide receiver turned tight end had only 13 receptions in 2021. Yet, Johnson had four receiving touchdowns that year. More importantly, his role increased last season, totaling 43 receptions for 508 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, all career-highs. Furthermore, Johnson led the team in receiving touchdowns while finishing top three in receiving yards and targets. Chris Olave will be the No. 1 pass catcher on this offense, but the options behind him are unpredictable.
Michael Thomas has missed 80% of games over the past three years and still isn’t healthy. Rashid Shaheed was an undrafted free agent last year, and A.T. Perry is a sixth-round rookie. While the Saints signed Foster Moreau this offseason, the veteran won’t cut into Johnson’s target share. More importantly, the emerging star finished behind only Travis Kelce and George Kittle in receiving touchdowns among tight ends last year. After ending the 2022 season as the TE7, Johnson shouldn’t have an ADP this late. He has top-five upside this season.
Sam LaPorta (TE – DET) | ADP 167.6, TE20
Last year, Amon-Ra St. Brown led the Lions in receptions (106), targets (146), receiving yards (1,161), and touchdowns (six). The star receiver also finished last season top 11 in receptions, targets, and receiving yards. More importantly, St. Brown had more than twice as many targets as any other Detroit player, seeing 76 more than D’Andre Swift (70). Yet, the Lions didn’t do much in free agency to address their heavy dependency on the star receiver.
Instead, Detroit used two of their top three draft picks on Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta. Gibbs has gotten plenty of hype, as he will replace Swift’s role in the backfield. However, LaPorta is a sneaky under-the-radar fantasy pick. The former Iowa star had a productive college career despite playing with awful quarterbacks, totaling 153 receptions for 1,786 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Lions had nine receiving touchdowns from tight ends not named T.J. Hockenson in 2022. The rookie could quickly become Jared Goff‘s No. 2 pass catcher and go-to target in the red zone.
Jelani Woods (TE – IND) | ADP 212.5, TE32
Dynasty fantasy football players understand not to expect much from their rookie tight ends, especially those on limited passing offenses. Yet, Woods led all rookie tight ends in receiving touchdowns last season (three). More importantly, the former Virginia standout finished second on the team in receiving touchdowns, catching only one fewer than star wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and Woods had 101 fewer targets than the former USC star. The Colts also made coaching staff changes this offseason that should help the young tight end.
Indianapolis brought back tight ends coach Tom Manning, who was with the Colts in 2018. That year, Eric Ebron was the TE4, averaging 11.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he had 13 receiving touchdowns, the second-most in the NFL. The team also hired Shane Steichen this offseason, and Dallas Goedert averaged 5.4 targets and 9.3 fantasy points per game over the past two years in Philadelphia with Steichen as the offensive coordinator. Meanwhile, Woods was the star of the Colts’ minicamp. No one should be surprised if he has a sophomore season breakout.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
