Identifying sleepers in Fantasy Football is a huge part of playing the game but is easier said than done. A sleeper for me is a player whose value now is lower than the potential value can be later for Fantasy Football. Values can often change in Dynasty Fantasy Football and timing is key. Finding players whose values are lower now, trading/picking up those players, and rostering the player by the time the value increases is a great process to give you an edge in your league.
In this article, I will give you three tight end sleepers in Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues, whose value now is much lower than their value could be in the 2024 season and beyond. If you are looking to add a tight end to your roster for a lower cost, I would suggest grabbing one of these guys who will later be beneficial in rostering for Fantasy Football.
4 Dynasty Fantasy Football TE Sleepers
1. Michael Mayer (Raiders)
As a prospect, Michael Mayer was once regarded as the number one tight end out of the 2023 NFL rookie class, above the likes of both Dalton Kincaid and Sam LaPorta. At Notre Dame, Mayer caught 71 passes for 840 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games in 2021. The next season, Mayer finished with 67 receptions for 809 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games. This production led to the Raiders selecting Mayer with the fourth pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Mayer opened up his rookie campaign behind veteran Austin Hooper on the depth chart but eventually started playing above 50% of the snaps come Week 4. Although Mayer did not have the same sort of rookie impact as LaPorta did, we did see some positive Fantasy Football flashes:
- Week 6: Five receptions (six targets) for 75 yards. 12.5 Fantasy Points. TE5
- Week 10: Three receptions (five targets) for 19 yards and a touchdown. 10.9 Fantasy Points. TE9
- Week 15: Four receptions (five targets) for 39 yards and a touchdown. 13.9 Fantasy Points. TE8
- #12 for the position in yards per target (7.6)
- #9 for the position in yards per reception (11.3)
Projecting forward for Mayer, he should continue to build on his starting tight end role for the Raiders. This can certainly mean more volume, which Mayer is used to based on his Notre Dame profile. The Raiders are also a prime candidate to upgrade at the quarterback position, which should be a bump to the pass-catchers. Mayer has the DNA of a complete tight end, and can take a big leap for Fantasy Football in his sophomore season and beyond.
2. Noah Fant (Free Agent)
Across the last two seasons in Seattle, Noah Fant has been extremely irrelevant for Fantasy Football. Averaging 4.3 (#36) and 7.2 (#23) Fantasy points per game has made Fant a player to leave on your waiver wires. This was not always the case though for Fant when he was back on the Broncos:
- 2020 (sophomore season): 93 targets. 62 receptions. 673 receiving yards. 10 Fantasy PPG (#11)
- 2021 (third season): 90 targets. 68 receptions. 670 receiving yards. 9.9 Fantasy PPG (#12)
Fant was once a top 12 Fantasy tight end in back-to-back seasons where he had extremely close statistical marks across the board. Between Denver and Seattle, there were very different demands on Fant’s role and the way he was utilized in the two offenses. Many people forget that Fant was a former 1st round draft selection in 2019 out of Iowa.
Fant is an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2024, which will likely mean a fresh start for the 26-year-old somewhere else. A fresh start could mean Fant’s usage in the passing game going back up to what it once was in Denver. The down two seasons in Seattle have masked what Fant has done earlier in his career, which truly has created a window where you could likely add Fant for nothing or a small trade cost.
3. Cade Otton (Buccaneers)
2023 was Cade Otton’s sophomore season, and he had a handful of Fantasy Football flashes during the regular season:
- Week 2: Six receptions (six targets) for 41 yards. 10.1 Fantasy Points. TE11
- Week 9: Six receptions (nine targets) for 70 yards and two touchdowns. 23 Fantasy Points. TE3
- Week 11: Four receptions (five targets) for 49 yards. 8.9 Fantasy Points. TE12
Otton ran the second most routes in 2023 and ranked first in snap share (95.9%) for the position. Otton’s role was very evident through these two numbers in Tampa Bay, and his role was even larger in the NFL Playoffs:
- Wild Card: Eight receptions (11 targets) for 89 yards
- Divisional: Five receptions (eight targets) for 65 yards and a touchdown
In the two biggest games of the year for Tampa Bay, Otton was a huge piece of the offense. Otton climbed statistically from year one to two in all categories and can continue to trend in the upward direction come 2024.
4. Greg Dulcich (Broncos)
2023 was a year spent injured for Greg Dulcich, who has had trouble staying on the field through two seasons in the NFL. Dulcich opened up his rookie campaign in 2022 missing the first five weeks of football, but truly flashed for Fantasy Football after suiting up:
- Week 6: Two receptions (three targets) for 44 yards and a touchdown. 10.4 Fantasy Points. TE11
- Week 7: Six receptions (nine targets) for 51 yards. 11.1 Fantasy Points. TE7
- Week 8: Four receptions (five targets) for 87 yards. 8.7 Fantasy Points. TE9
- Week 13: Six receptions (eight targets) for 85 yards. 14.5 Fantasy Points. TE2
- Week 16: Four receptions (eight targets) for 39 yards and a touchdown. 13.9 Fantasy Points. TE7
That is a lot of very relevant Fantasy weeks as a rookie, back in 2022. The hope is that Dulcich stays on the field and avoids injuries moving forward. The Broncos should take steps forward as an offense in Sean Payton’s second season come 2024, and Dulcich can certainly be a big part of that.
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