Tight End Sleepers

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There was a time when a fantasy player could find unknown players ready to explode. These unrecognized players were dubbed "sleepers" because the rest of your leaguemates were not yet awake to them.

Related: See Quarterback Sleepers here >>>
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And we also got our fantasy stats out of the next day's newspaper. Yes, fantasy games used to be scored over a period of days.

Things change.

Today, the stats are instant, and everyone knows about everyone. As such, the definition of a sleeper has evolved. To be clear, we define sleepers as players who we think will perform better than most expect and be undervalued at their average draft position.

Our staff recently gathered to offer up their sleepers. Here they are.

Tight End Sleepers from Phil Alexander

Luke Musgrave, Green Bay

Musgrave is going overlooked because "there are too many mouths to feed" in Green Bay. While the Packers are overflowing with young talent in their pass-catching corps, you can look past the tired narrative. There isn't another player on the roster who is physically capable of creating mismatches the way Musgrave can with his blend of size, athleticism, and route running. Tucker Kraft is a fine young tight end in his own right and appears ready to return after missing OTAs with a torn pectoral, but expect him to get relegated to two tight-end sets. When Musgrave was healthy in Weeks 1-11 last year, he averaged a 70.3% snap share compared to 31.2% for Kraft. If Jordan Love's passing efficiency resembles the second half of last season, Musgrave will break out.

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore

If we can believe Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, we might see more two-tight-end groupings featuring Likely and Mark Andrews on the field at the same time this year. Whether or not Monken's plan comes to fruition and whether Likely could parlay such an arrangement into stand-alone fantasy value is up for debate. But that's not the point. Likely ranked as the TE4 in the six games Andrews missed with an ankle injury in 2023. If Andrews misses games again, Likely will immediately slot in as a weekly top-5 tight-end fantasy option. Any time you can carry potential like that on your bench, do it for as long as possible. The payoff could tilt the outcome of your league.

Noah Fant, Seattle

Fant is an all-time athlete at the tight end position, but many consider him a bust after five non-descript NFL seasons. It might be hard to remember, but Fant posted low-end TE1 numbers in his last two seasons in Denver. After getting traded to Seattle in the Russell Wilson deal, Fant's progress stalled in 2022 because the Seahawks rarely played him on more than 60% of the offensive snaps. With Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly now playing elsewhere and Fant re-signed to a two-year, 21-million-dollar contract, we will see him in a full-time role for the first time since 2021. It helps that incoming Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb featured his tight ends at the University of Washington. Per PFF's Nic Bodiford, Washington tight ends totaled the seventh-most first-read targets (131) via the 25th-highest deep-target rate (12.2%) during Grubb's tenure.

Tight End Sleepers from Jason Wood

Noah Fant, Seattle

Colby Parkinson is gone. Will Dissly is gone. And new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is a big believer in throwing down the middle. That sounds like a recipe for a fantasy resurgence. Fant is an above-average athlete, but his fantasy relevance was hamstrung by a Seahawks offensive philosophy that made regular use of three or four tight ends in every game script. He should set a new personal record for snap count, routes run, and, by proxy, receptions and touchdowns.

Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati

Entering his seventh season, most have forgotten that Gesicki had 73 catches and 780 yards just three seasons ago before being relegated by injuries and a failed move to New England. He's healthy and finds himself on a Bengals team with a gaping void at tight end, and the coaches have said repeatedly he'll be a key part of the passing attack. It won't take much for him to be an every-week option, but he's being treated as a non-factor even in leagues that draft and hold two tight ends per roster.

Taysom Hill, New Orleans

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler was recently in Saints camp and detailed how New Orleans is committed more than ever to the Taysom Hill experience, with plans to play him regularly at five positions: receiver, tight end, tailback, fullback, and quarterback. It appears the already-impactful gadget player will have even more opportunities to make plays in 2024, making him an easy pick as your TE2 at the later rounds of your draft. 

Tight End Sleepers from Bob Harris

Tyler Conklin, NY Jets

Conklin turned the third-most targets on the Jets (83) into the third-most catches (61) and second-most yards (621) in 2023 -- while catching passes from four quarterbacks. If he maintains a similar role with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback all season, fantasy managers could wind up with a reasonably priced TE2, delivering low-end TE1 totals.

Hunter Henry, New England

Beyond Rhamondre Stevenson, there aren't any viable front-line fantasy options in this offense. Henry is the only other Patriot on my radar. The veteran tight end has 35 catches and at least 400 yards in all but one of his eight seasons. The Patriots need trustworthy targets as they sort out their quarterback situation. Henry, with a TE18 price tag, can serve in that capacity—especially given his history of success in the red zone.

Taysom Hill, New Orleans

In terms of volume, Hill is coming off a career season. He received 114 touches -- the most of his seven seasons -- that led to 692 yards (also a career best). He had 33 receptions for 291 yards and two touchdowns. That broad skill set has been a plus for the Saints through the years, and new coordinator Klint Kubiak will leverage that. But for fantasy managers, opportunities at the goal line make him most appealing. According to ESPN.com's Tristan Cockroft, in the past two seasons, neither of which featured him making a start at quarterback, he had a combined 20 rushing attempts plus targets, resulting in eight touchdowns, in goal-to-go situations. Travis Kelce (26 and 11) was the only tight end with more of either.