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Craig's tight end sleepers and draft values for 2025 fantasy football. His top TE undervalued draft targets and breakout candidates, including Dalton Kincaid and more.
The 2025 NFL Draft made football fans and fantasy footballers think about tight ends again. With two taken in the first round and another three in the second round, the fantasy future looks bright again at the position.
Tight ends are always undervalued in fantasy football. While they do not provide the fantasy bang receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks do, I am sure Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, San Francisco’s George Kittle, Baltimore’s Mark Andrews, and many other tight-end stalwarts have helped win titles for many fantasy football managers in recent years.
It is never too early in the offseason to start thinking about the upcoming fantasy football season. So, which tight ends are sleepers and undervalued heading into the 2025 season? Here is my take!
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2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers and Undervalued Draft Targets – TE
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
2024 was supposed to be Kincaid’s year. After a rookie campaign that saw him rack up 73 receptions for 673 yards, he was in prime position to be Josh Allen’s go-to guy. Buffalo traded away top target Stefon Diggs and “replaced” him with a plethora of rookies and retreads. Kincaid looked poised to be a top-10 fantasy tight end, if not push his way into the upper echelon at the position.
Instead, Kincaid plodded through last season like he was a block-first tight end who was the fourth or fifth option in the passing attack. His 44-448-2 line made him one of the most disappointing tight ends in fantasy football. He and his franchise quarterback could not connect, whether it was on a 20-yard seam route or a two-yard dump-off in the flat.
Dalton Kincaid 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
BREAKING OUT 🔜 pic.twitter.com/ESR6965Z8R
— BillsMuse (@BillsMusee) May 20, 2025
There is no way that Allen and Kincaid will misfire as badly and as often as they did last season. It is just not possible with two players as talented as they are. Kincaid also battled with collarbone and knee injuries throughout the season, which slowed him down and stunted his stats.
A healthy Kincaid who gets on the same page as Allen will undoubtedly be a top-10 fantasy tight end. Buffalo failed again to add an impact receiver (Joshua Palmer?), so Kincaid has nobody new standing in his way of targets and touchdowns. Look for him to rebound big time in 2025! Draft him, use him, and enjoy him!
Mason Taylor, New York Jets
While Chicago’s Colston Loveland and Indianapolis’ Tyler Warren received most of the notoriety because they were drafted in the first round in April, Taylor could turn out to be just as valuable fantasy-wise, and possibly become the most productive rookie tight end in fantasy football in 2025.
Taylor certainly has the right DNA to be a Pro Bowl player. His dad is Jason Taylor, a longtime pass-rush demigod of the Miami Dolphins. The younger Taylor has the above-average athleticism of his father and should be a well-rounded tight end in the NFL. He can block well enough to stay on the field for all downs, and he has sure hands and enough speed to run all the routes.
I know what you are thinking. Quarterback Justin Fields makes pass-catchers’ fantasy values plummet, not skyrocket. Run-first quarterbacks with sketchy accuracy usually do. Yet, DJ Moore had 1,364 receiving yards in 2023 when Fields was the main man throwing to him in Chicago. Bears tight end Cole Kmet racked up a line of 73-719-6 with Fields as his QB that same season. Fields will be able to get Taylor the ball, no worries. It is easier to throw to a tight end than a wide receiver. Period.
The Jets receiving corps is Garrett Wilson and a cloud of uncertainty, so if Taylor can make veteran Tyler Conklin expendable at tight end and garner a starter’s share of the playing time, he will see a solid share of targets and post decent fantasy numbers in his rookie season. Taylor might be ranked 20-25 at the position on draft lists in August, but I believe he will end up with a higher ranking once the 2025 season concludes.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville purged its injury-prone potpourri of pass-catchers during the offseason. Christian Kirk was traded to the Houston Texans. Tight end Evan Engram was released. So was multimillion-dollar disappointment Gabe Davis. Now, the Jaguars receiving corps is a two-man, top-heavy tandem of super sophomore Brian Thomas Jr. and the multidimensional Travis Hunter, the second pick in April’s draft.
Someone has to catch the paltry passes not thrown Thomas and Hunter’s way, though. QB Trevor Lawrence already has chemistry with second-year tight end Brenton Strange after he filled in admirably for Engram when the veteran missed half the season due to injury. The Penn State product posted a 40-411-2 line during his rookie year and proved he could handle the workload of a starting tight end in the NFL.
Watching @BrentonStrange highlights just to feel something 🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/yEJbsiL4sK
— SleeperJaguars (@SleeperJaguars) May 12, 2025
Strange failed to score a touchdown over the final dozen games of the season, so he needs to improve his nose for the end zone. But that can come in time. Chicago’s Kmet had a touchdown-less season in 2021 but then bounced back with 17 scores over the past three years.
Strange should find plenty of room to roam in secondaries with Thomas and Hunter distracting defenders this season. With those two speedsters opening up the underneath and seam routes for Strange, Jacksonville’s top tight end could supply fantasy managers with 600-750 yards and six touchdowns as a high-end TE2 or a low-end TE1. That is not bad for a guy ranked right now in the 20s at the position in most fantasy circles.
Other Fantasy Football Tight End Sleepers/Great Values Heading Into 2025
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh’s burly reception machine has been hampered by injuries and subpar quarterback play the past couple of seasons. But if the Steelers finally sign Aaron Rodgers, then Freiermuth’s fantasy stock rises. His team added DK Metcalf but traded George Pickens, so Freiermuth is still arguably the second-best option in the passing attack.
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans’ jack-of-all-trades was a candidate to be released this offseason. Instead, he may become more important and valuable than ever in the wake of Derek Carr’s sudden retirement and the lack of veteran signal-callers on the Saints roster. Hill’s touch total might be higher than ever in 2025 as long as he sticks around and stays healthy.
Noah Gray, Kansas City Chiefs
Gray outperformed incumbent Travis Kelce on many occasions during the 2024 season and could have been a top-15 fantasy tight end if Kelce had retired. Kelce surprised us all by returning to add to his Hall of Fame stats, though. While that might make some fantasy managers shy away from Gray, do not be shocked to see him get even more targets and scoring chances in 2025 and post a career year.
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