This article will provide you with potential starters at a position where they can be hard to find outside the top tier. Understanding the offensive scheme, target opportunity, or versatility and talent of the player may provide an edge.
What Makes a Sleeper Tight End?
A tight end can emerge as a sleeper in three ways.
- Scheme - When an offense simply emphasizes the tight end.
- Opportunity - When there aren't many other viable receiving (either at tight end, wide receiver, or both positions) options on the team.
- Versatility - When a player has many talents and finds himself on the field in various ways.
We will find six possible sleeper tight ends and reference our current ADP while identifying the reason why the player should be considered a sleeper: scheme, opportunity, or versatility.
Sleeper Tight Ends: Known Entities
Let's start with three players who, while they are known names, are still being drafted after the top-12 tight ends.
Scheme: Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh – TE15
Arthur Smith is Pittsburgh's new offensive coordinator. George Pickens figures to lead the offense in targets. The unknown for the second target leader in Pittsburgh presents value with Freiermuth. Through three seasons, Freiermuth has averaged 5.1 targets per game. He now has a coordinator interested in scheming to the tight end position. Last season, Smith's tight ends accumulated 174 targets. Whether the quarterback is Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, I am not concerned about who is under center.
Opportunity: Hunter Henry, New England – TE18
The questions surrounding the New England wide receiver room may leave an opportunity for Henry to be a top target. He will not blow you away with his speed, but he is a reliable target. In 2023, he finished as a TE1 in 36% of games played while averaging 4.4 targets per game. Current rumblings indicate Jacoby Brissett may be the starting quarterback. It has been noted that there is a strong connection between the two over the middle of the field. If rookie Drake Maye takes under center, there still may be security with Henry and the rookie quarterback. New England had the third-most touchdowns to tight ends last season. There is an opportunity for Henry to succeed in 2024.
Versatility: Taysom Hill, New Orleans – TE19
Hill has finished as a TE1 in back-to-back seasons. Looking at his scoring distribution, he has 11 rushing touchdowns, four receiving touchdowns, and three passing touchdowns accounted for. He is a versatile weapon, and his skill set is being exploited within the structure of the offense. Head coach Dennis Allen noted Hill will be doing "a lot of stuff" in the offense. He will be running routes aligned all over the field, taking hand-offs, and lining up under center. If your league provider allows Hill to be started as a tight end, he's a great sleeper in any scoring system.
Sleeper Tight Ends: Going Deep
Here are three tight ends considered as deep sleepers and are very much off the radar. In smaller leagues, you should keep your eye on these tight ends. In larger leagues, they very well could be worth a late-round pick.
Opportunity: Colby Parkinson, LA Rams – TE33
Tyler Higbee tore his ACL during the NFL playoffs and will not be ready for the start of the season. The Rams gave Parkinson $15.5M guaranteed this offseason after four years in Seattle. In the last two seasons, he found a secure role totaling 68 targets, 50 receptions, 569 yards, and four touchdowns. Now, Parkinson finds himself with the presumed starting role while Higbee is out. Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp figure to lead the team in targets, but there is an opportunity for Parkinson to find moderate volume. Higbee averaged four targets playing alongside the wide receiver duo in 2023.
Opportunity: Zach Ertz, Washington – TE35
Recent rookie tight end success has made Ben Sinnott a late-round target. I am zagging and believe Ertz will be the tight end for Washington to target. Early rumblings from camp have included positive reviews surrounding Ertz from head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Ben Sinnott may emerge in the second half, or Ertz may retain the starter role and serve as a mentor. We have seen this formerly with Philadelphia (Dallas Goedert) and Arizona (Trey McBride). Ertz and Kingsbury were paired up with Arizona in 2022. Ertz averaged 6.9 targets through 10 games (quad injury), pacing out to 117.3 targets. The familiarity and opportunity are evident.
Opportunity: Johnny Mundt, Minnesota – Undrafted
T.J. Hockenson tore his ACL in Week 15 last season. Mundt started the final two games and saw 13 targets and secured nine receptions, tacking on one touchdown. Major shoutout to our own Zareh Kantzabedian, who reminded me about him. Minnesota re-signed Mundt, added additional depth at the position with Robert Tonyan Jr, and converted N'Keal Harry to tight end.
Every Johnny Mundt target during the two weeks that T.J. Hockenson was injured last season. pic.twitter.com/GbtxDATSby
— Zareh Kantzabedian (@ZKantzFF) July 5, 2024
Mundt may not have the season-long relevancy. However, he does have the opportunity to help you win weeks immediately with the anticipation that Hockenson misses the start of the season. Typically, the earliest a player may return from an ACL injury is nine months, which would be in Week 12 for Hockenson.
