We all know the names Gonzalez, Witten and Gates, and you can make a case for putting Clark in this elite group as well. But these 4 will require a third or fourth round pick. How can you recruit a solid, consistent producer in Tight End and wait until you get good value on him? In our Fantasy Football Sleepers series, we take care of the tight ends below.
sleeper #1
Chase Coffman caught 90 balls for nearly 1,000 yards last year as a senior for Missouri. Those are huge numbers for any TE in college football, and going to Cincinnati means he can immediately contribute for a team without a strong TE offense. Carson Palmer is healthy after getting hurt last season, and the Bengals have the fifth-easiest schedule for tight ends. His offensive line isn’t the best, and his backfield isn’t what you’d call stellar, so he looks for a lot of shooting and some red zone targets. He went for 53 catches, 590 yards and 5 touchdowns. This is a guy you can draft extremely late, possibly late round, and get mid-round value.
sleeper #2
With a healthy Darren McFadden back at RB, and his inability to throw the ball downfield, Oakland will be able to pass the ball to Zach Miller in Red Zone situations where the line will stack up to stop the run. Miller had just one TD last year, but has averaged 600 yards and 50 receptions over the past 2 seasons. His production in the Red Zone should improve to 5-6 TDs this year, as Oakland faces the league’s easiest schedule for tight ends. You know they’re going to be way behind this year, and their defensive backfield will give them several shortstop situations, with CB Nnamdi Asomugha and others getting the ball to D. For these two reasons, I think short-to-mid passing will be a staple this year. for them, and an area for Miller to shine.
If you’re looking for 900 yards and 8 TDs from your TE, you should pick one of the 3-4 elite players in round 3 or 4. And if you’re comfortable drafting less than 100% Dallas Clark or Antonio Gates, be my guest. . But I really hate spending that kind of money on a TE when you can only lose 2 fantasy points per game taking someone in round 8 or later. You more than make up the difference to RB, WR, or QB differential by using that 3rd round pick in one of these 3 skill positions.