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It's time to begin 2024 fantasy football draft preparation, and whether you're a brand new player or an experienced fantasy manager, the tight end position is always difficult to navigate. In recent years, more fantasy-friendly tight ends have emerged, so you don't always have to spend up for the top studs like Travis Kelce, Sam LaPorta, and Mark Andrews. Instead, you can wait until the middle rounds to find your every-week starter.
In this article, we'll dive into three mid-round tight end sleepers for you to consider drafting this season. Our editors have hand-picked these specific NFL players for your draft prep enjoyment. Normally only available to Premium subscribers, the outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2024 Draft Kit.
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George Kittle, 49ers - Fantasy Football Outlook
George Kittle quietly put together a very nice 2023 season. Despite seeing just 5.6 targets per game, he finished as the TE5, averaging 10.7 half PPR points per game. He did so on elite efficiency, averaging career-highs in yards per target (11.3) and yards per catch (15.7). Per PlayerProfiler, Kittle led all tight ends in yards per route run (2.3), was 2nd in average target distance (9.5), and 3rd in yards after the catch (5.4 per target).
Purdy. Kittle. Touchdown. The 49er Faithful loves it. @gkittle46
📺: #DALvsSF on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/gzzkvIRUdj pic.twitter.com/IiXVHQai0t— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2023
Kittle isn't the most consistent producer at the tight end spot, but he consistently produces spike weeks. Last season, he had seven games of 16+ PPR points. In comparison, the overall TE1 Sam LaPorta had six games of 16+ PPR points, while TE2 Travis Kelce had just four. With a 91% snap share and 95.3% route participation in 2023, Kittle's opportunity doesn't appear to be tailing off in the slightest. Consider him a mid-range TE1 for the 2024 season with weekly top-3 upside at the position.
- Adam Koffler, RotoBaller
Evan Engram, Jaguars - Fantasy Football Outlook
Evan Engram's 2017 rookie season with the New York Giants was noteworthy, but injuries hindered what he could do moving forward. Over the last two years, Engram has been the primary tight end in the Jacksonville Jaguars offense. He seems to be over the "injury-prone" designation he had been given over his career. The athletic tight end played in every game last season and has only missed two across the past four seasons. He only brought in four scores last season, something to improve in 2024. Engram ran a route on 97.2% of the Jaguars' passing plays and was heavily targeted by Trevor Lawrence.
Although his scoring numbers were low, he had a career season as he was targeted 143 times, catching 114 passes for 963 yards. Calvin Ridley was brought in to be Jacksonville's WR1 but struggled. Christian Kirk (groin) was an essential target in the offense last season but couldn't stay healthy. Zay Jones was also plagued by injury.
The 2024 roster will look different as Jones was released when Jacksonville selected Brian Thomas Jr. in the 2024 NFL Draft. Jones is currently a Cardinal, while Ridley is now a Titan. Engram's target share of 23.8% in 2023 is sustainable for 2024, especially with the roster moves. Lawrence needs to improve in the passing game, and Engram needs to score more. Engram finished 2023 as the TE2 in PPR leagues and TE6 in standard leagues, making him more valuable in PPR than standard.
- Kacey Kasem, RotoBaller
Jake Ferguson, Cowboys - Fantasy Football Outlook
After a relatively slow start to the 2023 season, Jake Ferguson flashed some serious potential in the second half of the season. From Week 8 on, he was the TE7, averaging 11.9 PPR points per game. His route participation increased from 66% before the Cowboys' Week 7 Bye, to 86% after the Bye. For comparison's sake, Travis Kelce also had an 86% route participation rate last season. We know Ferguson is going to be utilized as a pass-catching tight end, as evidenced by his utilization in just his second season. In fact, he was 2nd on the team in targets with 102 behind CeeDee Lamb.
In the Wild Card game that mattered most for the Cowboys, Ferguson racked up 10 receptions for 93 yards and three touchdowns on 12 targets. He's earned Dak Prescott's trust, and that's imperative for his success going forward. Those three touchdowns don't show up in the fantasy football stat sheet for Ferguson since they happened in the playoffs, but that's indicative of his role on this team.
Prescott to Ferguson and the Cowboys take the lead with 4:37 to go!#SEAvsDAL on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/YcXzMZb8jY pic.twitter.com/7kgIjgQ6AN— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2023
In fact, he led all tight ends with 25 red zone targets in 2023. Sam LaPorta, who had 16 red zone targets last season, ended up scoring five more touchdowns than Ferguson. If the Cowboys' 3rd-year tight earns a few more targets and finds paydirt a few more times in 2024, we could be looking at a Top-5 finish at the position.
- Adam Koffler, RotoBaller
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