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Craig Rondinone looks at which players are sleepers and draft targets at the tight end position early on in 2024 for dynasty fantasy football.
When you play in a dynasty fantasy football league, you do not just plan for the upcoming season, you plan for the next five seasons, too.
There is more to take into consideration when formulating which players you want to target in a dynasty league compared to a standard league. You have to put a huge emphasis on age and the upward mobility of the player’s fantasy value, because you might hitch your wagon to someone you draft for the next 5-10 years depending on your league’s rules and regulations. You are not looking for one-year wonders. You are searching for year-to-year wunderkinds.
There is a bumper crop of young, up-and-coming tight ends in the NFL right now. These are the guys you want on your dynasty roster. These tight ends are not one-season rentals. They could be the backbone of your dynasty squad for years to come. So, who are the dynasty sleepers heading into the 2024 season at the tight end position? Here is my list!
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2024 Dynasty Sleepers – Tight End
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Freiermuth was a fantasy monster during his rookie season when he became a touchdown machine, racking up six touchdowns over a scintillating seven-game span back in 2021. He followed that up with a solid sophomore season where he had 63 receptions for 732 yards and stamped himself as a top-10 fantasy tight end.
But 2023 was a nightmare of epic proportions fantasy-wise for Pittsburgh’s burly-bodied pass-catcher. Limited to a dozen games due to injury and limited even more due to below-average quarterbacks, Freiermuth only mustered 32 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns. He was probably dropped or at least demoted to a TE2 on my fantasy squads and enters this upcoming season far from the sure thing he looked like he would be coming out of college.
Freiermuth should have a new lease on fantasy life in 2024. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith might have done no fantasy favors for Kyle Pitts during his time running the Atlanta Falcons, but he worked wonders for Jonnu Smith and revitalized the veteran tight end’s career.
If Pittsburgh upgrades its quarterback, or Kenny Pickett turns into the franchise signal-caller the Steelers thought they drafted, Freiermuth’s numbers should return to his 2021-2022 levels. A 65-750-8 line might be in his future for 2024, and being only 25 years old means his best years are yet to come.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Okonkwo suffered through a sophomore slump of sorts after a solid rookie season in 2022 that had fantasy managers assuming he was ready to become a tight end who could supply 700-800 yards. Instead, he started the 2023 season with 10 straight games where he failed to have a 40-yard outing.
The good news was that Okonkwo ended the season strong, averaging 46 yards per game over his final seven contests as he turned into Tennessee’s No. 2 option on pass plays behind wideout extraordinaire DeAndre Hopkins. Unless the Titans find some proven help at the wide receiver position, Okonkwo looks on paper like he could have the second- or third-most targets on the team in 2024.
Tennessee will upgrade its skill-position players now that new head honcho Brian Callahan has taken over the team. Longtime tailback Derrick Henry will probably be replaced with a younger, faster back, and the receiving corps needs additions since recent draft picks have not panned out.
Callahan, who never had a problem drawing up plays for his tight ends during his coordinator days in Cincinnati, will utilize Okonkwo’s skill set. Okonkwo will be a sleeper with tremendous upside for 2024 and beyond if Callahan turns him into the difference maker he has the talent to be.
Jelani Woods, Indianapolis Colts
2023 was a wasted year instead of a super sophomore season for Woods. After a solid rookie campaign where Woods posted a 25-312-1 line, he was primed to be Indianapolis’ top pass-catching tight end and was possibly going to be the No. 2 target in the passing attack behind WR Michael Pittman Jr.
Instead, Woods suffered a serious hamstring injury during the preseason that forced him to go on injured reserve, then suffered a setback that made him unavailable for the entire season. Fantasy managers drafted him thinking he could post a 50-600-6 line, but he gave them more doughnuts than Dunkin’ and Krispy Kreme combined.
Woods should be 100 percent and ready to reclaim his role in 2024, though. We have seen that he has the ability to stretch the field down the seams and make game-breaking plays that other tight ends cannot. He also has more pass-catching ability than other tight ends on Indy’s roster like Kylen Granson and Will Mallory.
And if Pittman takes his talents elsewhere, then Woods moves up the target totem pole. All these things make Woods a deep sleeper for dynasty leagues. His physical gifts for a tight end cannot be overlooked.
That being said… if the Colts don’t take a TE, this could still happen with Jelani Woods or Kylen Granson. They’re just not as agile as Bowers. pic.twitter.com/u5fhdDYDu8
— Colts Fan Steven (@ocean_sandz) February 29, 2024
Davis Allen, Los Angeles Rams
I doubt Allen’s name was on many (if any) cheat sheets before last season started, and he was probably not picked up in any fantasy leagues during the first half of play. The fifth-round rookie out of Clemson was not expected to be a huge part of the Rams offense since head coach Sean McVay normally draws up his pass plays for his receivers and not his tight ends, and because veteran Tyler Higbee was entrenched as L.A.’s top tight end.
When Higbee missed a couple games during the regular season, though, Allen stepped in and made some plays, including having four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown versus the Baltimore Ravens in December. While he did not make fantasy managers think he was the next coming of Rob Gronkowski, he showed he can fill in admirably and can catch passes and turn them into touchdowns when thrown to.
Allen might be the Rams' top tight end entering the 2024 season, however. Higbee suffered a torn ACL on a borderline dirty hit during the playoffs and will likely miss a couple games to start the season. This opens the door to tight end targets for Allen unless the Rams add a better option in the offseason.
Allen does not project to be a Travis Kelce fantasy dominator type, but if he gets playing time and targets, he could supplant the high-priced Higbee and become the Rams' No. 1 tight end for years to come. Buy low on Allen and he could provide cheap stats as your TE2 in the future.
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