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Craig Rondinone takes a look at five risky fantasy football tight ends who are worth gambling on in 2024. He analyzes why these TEs could be great buys this season.
Do you like to gamble? If so, 2024 might be the year to step away from the poker table, play some fantasy football, and take a flyer on a risky tight end or two.
Maybe this article is not for you, though. Maybe you do not want to gamble on your fantasy tight end. Maybe you prefer to draft the best tight end in the history of fantasy football, Kansas City hero and Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Maybe you want to hang your helmet on Detroit’s Sam LaPorta, the No. 1 TE on many fantasy draft boards, especially in dynasty leagues.
But if you like using your high-round draft picks on running backs, wide receivers, and quarterbacks and plan on focusing on tight end in the middle-to-late rounds, this is the column for you! Who are five risky tight ends worth gambling on in fantasy football in 2024? Here is my take.
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Five Risky Fantasy Football Tight End Buys Worth Gambling On In 2024
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Hill has arguably been a top-12 fantasy tight end the past two seasons while qualifying at the position, even though his most important snaps come when he is playing as a pseudo-quarterback. But Hill has always been featured as a major part of the same Sean Payton-like offense since he entered the NFL. The risk now is that New Orleans has a new offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, who might not use Hill in the same way as he has been used in the past.
Taysom Hill touchdown! First receiving touchdown of the year! #BYUFootball | #Saints pic.twitter.com/HZI6BVVqh9
— Cougs in the Pros 🤙🏼 (@BYUpros) November 5, 2023
Hill is worth the risk, though, because Kubiak seems intent on continuing to utilize his special skill set. In fact, it sounds like Kubiak might ask even more of Hill as there have been murmurs that Hill has been spotted practicing this offseason at fullback, which would be a new wrinkle for him. Look for Hill to have another year racking up rushing, receiving, and passing yards along with touchdowns as the NFL’s most dangerous triple threat. As long as he still qualifies as a tight end in your league, feel free to draft him and enjoy him possibly being a top-10 TE in 2024.
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins
Smith is coming off the best season of his career as he set personal bests across the board with the Atlanta Falcons last year when he piled up 50 catches (on 70 targets) for 582 yards. He has had an up-and-down career, however, which is why I label him a risk. Smith was a fantasy hero with the Tennessee Titans in 2020 when he scored eight touchdowns, but he became a fantasy zero with the New England Patriots when he only accounted for 55 receptions and one TD in two years on the team.
Fantasy managers might be worried that Smith will be lost in the shuffle in Miami because wonderful wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will take all the targets, but he has no competition for targets at tight end (Durham Smythe?). The Dolphins brought him in to have an extra playmaker in their passing attack. I have faith that offensive mastermind Mike McDaniel will know how to incorporate Smith’s talents into the system. While his numbers have a ceiling due to Hill and Waddle, do not be surprised if Smith supplies 700 yards and 6-8 TDs.
Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks
Fant was the Seattle centerpiece of the ill-fated Russell Wilson blockbuster trade that the Seahawks and the Denver Broncos completed a couple of years ago. Instead of being treated like an integral part of the passing attack, though, Fant had to resign himself to being one-third of a tight-end trio. He had the worst year of his NFL career in 2023 when he had a career-low 32 receptions for 414 yards and went without a touchdown.
Even though Fant has failed to live up to the lofty potential of being a former first-round pick, Seattle re-signed him to a multimillion-dollar deal in the offseason. The Seahawks also did not bring back the other two tight ends (Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson) who cut into his playing time and targets. This means Fant should be on the field for more snaps and get more opportunities than he has the past couple seasons. 600-750 yards and six scores is a likely scenario for Fant in 2024.
Seahawks TE Noah Fant:
-Signed 2-year, $21M extension with $11.5M guaranteed
-SEA let Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson leave in free agency
-Trails only Kelce, Kittle, Goedert in yards per target over the past two seasons
-Still only 26 years old
-Early fantasy ADP: Round 16+— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) June 22, 2024
Ja'Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
Not only did Carolina not have a tight end with more than 200 receiving yards in 2023, but the Panthers have not had a TE break the 200-yard mark in a season since Fox color commentator Greg Olsen did it way back in 2019! Ian Thomas is more of a blocker than a pass-catcher. Tommy Tremble scores the occasional TD, but he does not deliver much on a consistent basis. And the Panthers have just not done a good job in recent years getting the most out of their tight ends.
In comes Sanders after being drafted by the Panthers in the fourth round in April. Rookie tight ends are normally avoided by fantasy managers, especially if they were not selected in the first or second round. In this case, however, Sanders will be afforded every opportunity to be Carolina’s prime pass-catching tight end and develop chemistry with franchise quarterback Bryce Young. Sanders is a definite get in dynasty leagues where fantasy managers can hang onto him as he improves in the coming years, but this season I could see him being a TE who gets 500 yards and four touchdowns.
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
Talk about a risk! Dulcich has missed 22 of the 34 games he could have suited up for in his first two seasons due to constant problems with his hamstrings and feet. He has the skills of a wide receiver and averaged 41 receiving yards per game when he was healthy for 10 games during his rookie campaign, so there is fantasy upside here if he can JUST STAY ON THE FIELD!!!!
Denver only had 36 receptions out of its entire tight-end troupe in 2023, and the Broncos did nothing to upgrade the position this offseason. Dulcich is a better athlete and pass-catcher than veteran Adam Trautman or undrafted second-year man Lucas Krull. He could have 50-60 receptions for 600-800 yards if he can remain injury-free and head honcho Sean Payton crafts pass plays for him on a consistent basis. Take a late-round flyer on him and hopefully Dulcich’s personal trainer keeps his hamstrings straight and he can blossom into a solid fantasy TE2.
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