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Five fantasy football tight end draft sleepers and value picks and to target in the middle rounds. These TEs are undervalued and are fantasy football studs.
Once you reach the middle rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft high-upside players that can provide a great return on value. You can afford to take some risks on a variety of different players, including forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even skilled players with potential playing time concerns.
It's essential to have at least a handful of these players at each position heading into your fantasy football drafts, no matter the format. Here are more mid-round tight ends for you to consider drafting this season.
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Dallas Goedert, Eagles, Fantasy Football Outlook
Goedert finally did not have to share time and targets with former tight end teammate Zach Ertz in 2021, and he proved he can be a fantasy force when he is Philadelphia's top tight end. He set a career-high with 830 receiving yards and helped his fantasy managers when they needed him most at the end of the year by racking up 21 receptions for 339 yards and two touchdowns over his last four games of the season.
Goedert's fantasy value was not damaged with scrambler Jalen Hurts as his quarterback, and he became the Eagles' No. 2 option in its passing attack behind rookie playmaker DeVonta Smith. While Goedert has no competition behind him on the depth chart, he now has to contend with newly-acquired A.J. Brown taking targets away from him.
The addition of Brown does not bode well for Goedert's target totals, especially since he is in a run-first offense with Hurts at the helm. It is easy to pencil Goedert in for 60 catches, 800 yards and six-to-eight touchdowns, but it is hard to fathom him doing more than that if there are not more pass plays called.
Expect Goedert to be a solid fantasy contributor once again as a TE1. Just don't expect him to have a Mark Andrews-like season in 2022.
George Kittle, 49ers, Fantasy Football Outlook
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle remains one of the more expensive players at his position entering his sixth season. The 28-year-old is consistently regarded as one of the best players in football at any position, but his fantasy production has been somewhat erratic considering his draft capital.
Kittle led all tight ends last year with a 92.7% snap share, yet somehow only managed eight red-zone targets. This disconnect may not be a fluke, as his elite blocking skills may favor his usage in the run game when the offense approaches the end zone.
With an ADP settling in around 47 as the TE4, just behind Atlanta Falcons Kyle Pitts and ahead of Las Vegas Raiders Darren Waller, his relative ranking among tight ends seems fair. Still, his overall ADP could be a bit high considering the question marks around the offense and his inconsistent role in the passing game.
With Trey Lance likely to take the reins at quarterback, Kittle's scoring opportunities could face even more significant challenges due to increased RPOs. It could be worth addressing other positions in the middle rounds of drafts and seeking value at tight end late as opposed to selecting Kittle.
Mike Gesicki, Dolphins, Fantasy Football Outlook
Mike Gesicki gets better every year, and 2021 was no exception. Miami's starting tight end set career-highs with 73 receptions, 112 targets, and 780 receiving yards. Even though rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle topped the team with 140 targets, Gesicki was easily the No. 2 option in the Tua Tagovailoa-led passing attack thanks to a lack of depth and playmakers in the Dolphins receiving corps.
That will not be the case in 2022, though. Ownership ponied up multimillions to bring Tyreek Hill and his fleet feet to South Beach and added underrated slot receiver Cedric Wilson from Dallas for even more millions. Now Gesicki has to settle for the target scraps left over after Waddle, Hill, and Wilson get their looks.
The Dolphins also signed pass-catching running back Chase Edmonds, who caught 43 passes last season and could also slice into Gesicki's numbers. You have to wonder how easy it will be for Gesicki to continue his trend of improving every season when he has all this competition for Tagovailoa's passes.
Gesicki is a physical specimen who could catch 60 passes for 800 yards if everything breaks right for him, but he will not be able to get much more with the Hill-Waddle-Wilson trio at WR. And do not expect Gesicki to score double-digit touchdowns, either. He has only scored 13 times in his four-year career. Gesicki is a low-end TE1 whose fantasy value will revolve around his target total.
Dawson Knox, Bills, Fantasy Football Outlook
Knox was one of the biggest breakouts at the tight end position in 2021, if not the biggest. He went from being a touchdown-dependent pass catcher who was lucky to average 30 receiving yards per game to being a dominant red-zone fantasy force who set career-highs across the board and helped his fantasy managers in multiple categories.
Knox's nine touchdowns tied him for tops among tight ends as he became Josh Allen's favorite weapon whenever the high-powered Bills closed in on the end zone. While his reception and yardage numbers have increased, they are still not at a level where Knox can be mentioned in the same breath as top tight ends like Kansas City's Travis Kelce or Baltimore's Mark Andrews.
The problem for Knox is that he will be hard-pressed to gain targets with top target Stefon Diggs and emerging star Gabriel Davis as Allen's wonderful wideouts.
He could score double-digit touchdowns in 2022 and be the centerpiece of Buffalo's offense inside the 10-yard-line, but fantasy managers should not expect more than 60 catches and 700 yards from him unless Diggs gets hurt and/or Knox takes another humongous step in his development. Draft Knox as a TE1 and enjoy his touchdown total.
Darren Waller, Raiders, Fantasy Football Outlook
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller has always been Derek Carr's No. 1 option in the passing game in his first three seasons as a starter. He's averaged 8.4 targets per game across 46 fully healthy games. But 2022 will be different. Not only did the Raiders trade for one of the best receivers in the league in Davante Adams, but they also have an ascending homegrown talent in Hunter Renfrow.
Last season, Waller, Adams, and Renfrow combined to average nearly 27 targets per game. Luckily for all three guys, the Raiders did throw the ball almost 37 times per game last season. There's a new coaching staff this season with Josh McDaniels at the helm, but the Raiders are still likely to be throwing a lot, given the high-powered offenses in the AFC West. The target funnel is sure to be narrow, with the following best-receiving options being Demarcus Robinson and Keelan Cole Sr.
Still, we should expect some regression from all three of the top pass-catchers, including Waller. By default, Waller isn't going to average 8.4 targets (and 1.5 red-zone targets) per game like he has the last two seasons, but he still shouldn't have any trouble producing as a mid-range TE1.
In 2021, we discussed Waller competing with Travis Kelce for the overall TE1 spot. In 2022, Kelce, Mark Andrews, Kyle Pitts, George Kittle, and maybe even Dalton Schultz could all realistically finish higher than Waller.
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