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Fantasy football draft sleepers and tight end value picks for 2024 best ball drafts. Mike details why you should target these tight end boom-or-bust options.
Crafting best ball teams is a bit different than selecting a normal redraft team. Rosters are usually much deeper in best ball formats and there is usually no roster management throughout the season. Draft your team and let it ride as the system will put the players with the best stats each week into your starting lineup.
Taking boom-or-bust players isn’t as scary in best ball leagues. The weeks that a player thrives, they will be put into your lineup automatically. In the weeks that they lay an egg, they can be replaced by someone else who performed better.
With all of that in mind, let’s highlight some tight ends to consider selecting during your best ball drafts. All ADP (average draft position) data is via Sleeper.
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Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
ADP: 67, Overall: TE 8
There weren’t many bad games from Engram last season. He finished with 114 receptions for 963 yards and four touchdowns. His receptions and receiving yard totals were the highest marks of his career and he led the Jaguars in targets (143).
Calvin Ridley, who was second on the Jaguars last season with 136 targets, is now a member of the Titans. The Jaguars did add to their wide receiver group by drafting Brian Thomas Jr. and signing Gabe Davis away from the Bills. Davis is more of a deep threat, though, so it would be a surprise to see him match Ridley’s target numbers from last season.
🚨 ONE-HANDED HIGHLIGHT ALERT 🚨
“Evan Engram!!! Don’t show ‘em everything!!” 😮💨😮💨😮💨#Jaguars | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/i9CqGE0VCX
— 1010 XL / 92.5 FM (@1010XL) August 3, 2024
Engram should remain one of the top targets for Trevor Lawrence again this season. While his lack of touchdown upside isn’t exactly appealing in best ball leagues, his massive target share still makes him someone to focus on in drafts.
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
ADP: 88, Overall: TE 11
The Cowboys unleashed Ferguson last season, giving him 102 targets. He didn’t let his opportunities go to waste, finishing with 71 receptions for 761 yards and five touchdowns. His role should remain similar this season with the Cowboys making no significant additions to their skill positions. CeeDee Lamb is elite, but the rest of the receiving options behind him don’t exactly jump off the page.
What you like to see with Ferguson is that he ran a route on 60% of his snaps last season. He came away with just five touchdown receptions, but he was targeted 25 times inside the red zone, so his touchdown total could have been higher. The only player on the team who had more red zone targets than Ferguson last year was Lamb (32). For those not looking to spend an early selection on a tight end, Ferguson is very appealing this late in drafts.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
ADP: 126, Overall: TE 16
The Steelers were a mess at quarterback last season. It’s one of the main reasons why they threw for the fifth-fewest passing yards in the league. Freiermuth was limited to 12 games because of injuries, so his production took even more of a hit. In total, he finished with 32 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns.
Whether it’s Russell Wilson or Justin Fields at quarterback this season, the Steelers are in a better spot at the position. Fields is a running quarterback, but he has shown a propensity for targeting his tight ends. Last season, he helped Cole Kmet accumulate 73 receptions for 719 yards and six touchdowns.
Something we saw a ton of yesterday — Justin Fields throwing to Pat Freiermuth pic.twitter.com/ipWXkCMrQ6
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) July 26, 2024
Outside of George Pickens, the Steelers don’t have much to be excited about at wide receiver. The top options behind him are Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, and rookie Roman Wilson. If Freiermuth can stay healthy, a significant bounce-back season could be in the cards.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
ADP: 240, Overall: TE 29
The Giants have done significant work to improve their offense this season. They bolstered their offensive line with the signings of Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor. They also drafted Malik Nabers, finally giving them a top wide receiver. While they lost Saquon Barkley, they at least signed a competent replacement in Devin Singletary.
The tight end position also changed with Darren Waller retiring. Daniel Bellinger is still in the fold, but he doesn’t present much upside. If the Giants had a lot of faith in him, they wouldn’t have traded for Waller before last season. Don’t be surprised if Johnson immediately has a significant role on the team. He has been getting reps with the first team in training camp and he has size and speed, running a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. For those looking to add depth at tight end with one of their final picks, it’s worth taking a chance on Johnson.
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