The tight end position has changed over the past few years in fantasy football. Not long ago it was one guy at the top and the rest were all fairly interchangeable. Now we have a solid group of 5 or so at the top who are weekly set-it-and-forget-it starters. If you do not have one of those guys, you fall into one of two categories. One is you drafted a few mid-tier guys and are looking for the right tight end streamer each week. The second is you completely neglected the position and are looking for a tight end sleeper week to week. We are here to help you with both of those categories. We give you three tight-end streamers and sleepers each week of the NFL season.
For the purposes of this article, we will consider a player a Streamer if they are started in under 70% of Fantrax leagues and a Sleeper if they are started in under 40% of Fantrax leagues.
Tight End Streamers
Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles: 54% start
You need to monitor Dallas Goedert heading into Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. He is dealing with an oblique injury that has held him out of most of the preseason. If he plays, Goedert is the perfect tight end streamer for fantasy football. Last year, in the 14 games he played, he saw over five targets in all but five games. He played on 75% or more snaps in every game except the season finally where he was taken out to rest for the playoffs. The Packers were a bottom-10 team in terms of giving up points to the tight end last season so it’s a nice matchup for Geodert.
Cade Otton- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 24% started
It’s tough to find tight end streamers who fall between the 70-40% start rate. Cade Otton should be in that range every week. Otton lacks the true game-breaking upside of the top names but he is as solid and consistent as they come. Ray Kuhn labeled him as late round lotto ticket draft pick earlier this month He played in 90% or more of the team’s snaps in every game last year. He is the third pass-catching option on the team behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Washington Commanders are a team in flux and while they were good at containing tight end last season they have had turnover and their starting two-line backers don’t grade well by pff.com in coverage. Cade Otton might end up in the tight end streamers and sleepers article every week.
Taysom Hill- New Orleans Saints: 22% started
This all comes down to usage. Taysom Hill carries tight end and quarterback designation on Fantrax. The Saints continue to use him in multiple ways. He doesn’t catch the ball a ton but his rushing ability and the ability to throw touchdowns make him an almost must-start. The issue with Taysom is always inconsistency. He has weeks where he does absolutely nothing. Despite being in the division with his Week 1 opponent the Carolina Panthers he hasn’t played a ton of games against them. You have to go back to 2021 to find a massive game against the Panthers but this is a new year.
Tight End Sleepers
Zach Ertz- Arizona Cardinals: 15% started
I know all offseason people have been banging the drum for rookie Ben Sinnott. At the end of the day, it’s always been Zach Ertz’s job to lose. Let’s face it the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were not great at covering tight ends last season. They were the fourth worst last season. Yes, they can be better this year but they aren’t going to jump from bottom four to top four. Given the Commanders don’t have many other pass-catching weapons there is reason to believe that Zach Ertz can be second on his team in targets for this game and probably many games this season. When you are looking for tight end sleepers you have to love someone who has proven it, even if he is on the older side and has a solid opportunity with very little competition in front of him.
Greg Dulcich- Denver Broncos: 8% started
I didn’t love that Greg Dulcich was rotating in with the twos in the preseason. I’m willing to chalk that up to giving him time with Bo Nix who ended up being named the starter. I was lower on Dulcich when I saw how well Tim Patrick was playing. With Patrick being released and now signing with the Detroit Lions it opens up so much more room for Dulcich. The issue with Week 1 is the matchup. The Seattle Seahawks have a great secondary and probably one of the best group of linebackers in terms of coverage. As a tight end sleeper, I’m willing to place a small bet on Dulcich outperforming what people expect of him. Currently, in all Fantrax leagues, he is the 35th most started tight end. I expect him to finish well above that even with the tough matchup. The talent has always been there yet injuries have kept him off the field. With a new coach and an exciting rookie quarterback, all signs are pointing toward Dulcich being a solid play this week.
Hunter Henry- New England Patriots: 23% started
The shocking news that the New England Patriots are going to start veteran Jacoby Brissett over rookie Drake Maye is great news for tight end Hunter Henry. Brissett may not have the arm strength he used to so field stretching routes to Tyquan Thornton and Demario Douglas won’t be happening. Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker are rookies and therefore need time to adjust to the NFL. That leaves plenty of room for Henry to be the guy. He has shown flashes in the past. Henry had five games last season where he scored over 10 fantasy points. The eight-year-old vet needs a touchdown to hit those numbers but as a tight end sleeper, you have to like him this week. The Cincinnati Bengals gave up the third most points to tight ends last season and should be in the bottom third this year as well. With Mike Gesicki no longer pushing him for snaps Hunter Henry has all the opportunity. The Patriots are projected to be a low-scoring team but I think Henry can see over five targets and provide value if you are looking for a sneaky tight end sleeper for your fantasy football team.
Check out the rest of our Week 1 Sleepers and Streamers!
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