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The long wait is almost over! Fantasy football is back, and in just a few short weeks, the 2024 NFL season will begin. Hope and optimism are in the air as every fantasy football manager believes this could be their year.
One notoriously underrated position is the tight end slot. While tight ends are rarely among the top scorers, having a dependable TE can make all the difference in close matchups. For savvy managers looking to gain an edge, these are the top 5 fantasy football sleepers at tight end in 2024.
Fantasy Football Tight End Sleepers
1) Pat Freiermuth (Steelers)
It feels like Pat Freiermuth is perpetually on the verge of a breakout season. But injuries and poor quarterback play have limited the Pittsburgh Steelers tight end during his three-year career. Last season was particularly disappointing, as Freiermuth totaled 308 yards in nine games — a meager 25.7 yards per contest.
Could everything fall into place for Freiermuth in 2024? The fourth-year tight end finally has a competent QB in Russell Wilson and less competition for targets now that Diontae Johnson is in Carolina. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is also fond of using his tight ends in the passing game. Atlanta Falcons tight ends Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith combined for 103 catches or 1,289 yards in 2023 with some of the worst quarterback play in the league.
Freiermuth is the Steelers' only receiving threat in the passing game, which gives him a chance to thrive in 2024.
2) Chigoziem Okonkwo (Titans)
Of that next level of tight ends — guys who are not clear TE1 contenders in fantasy football to begin the year — Chigoziem Okonkwo might have the highest floor. The Tennessee Titans tight end had at least three catches in 13 of 17 games last season, and his 77 targets and 54 receptions were each second on the team.
The additions of wideouts Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd will help Okonkwo draw less attention from opposing secondaries. Plus, #7 overall pick JC Latham and free agent Llyod Cushenberry III should shore up an offensive line that ranked near the bottom of the league with 64 sacks allowed in 2023.
Chigoziem Okonkwo made a solid jump from year one to year two in the NFL. If he can make a similar jump in year three and become more of a red zone threat (just six red zone targets and one touchdown in 2023), he will enter the TE1 conversation.
3) Isaiah Likely (Ravens)
We rarely talk about handcuffing a tight end, but Isaiah Likely is not your average backup tight end. Likely had 21 catches for 322 yards and five touchdowns over the last six games of the regular season (13.9 fantasy points per game) and added another score in the playoffs. If you can spare a late-round pick, save a spot on your roster for Isaiah Likely.
4) David Njoku (Browns)
The season we have been waiting for from David Njoku finally came last year. Njoku finished with a career-best 81 catches for 882 yards and six touchdowns. Those marks were top-six among tight ends and helped the Cleveland Browns man finish as the TE6 in fantasy football.
Yet many projections have Njoku as a fringe top-ten tight end this year. The addition of Jerry Jeudy will eat into his target share, but Njoku led the Browns in catches last year despite Amari Cooper recording more than 1,200 receiving yards. Until proven otherwise, David Njoku remains the go-to option in this Cleveland offense.
5) Dalton Kincaid (Bills)
With Stefon Diggs now with the Houston Texans, who is the top pass-catcher for the Buffalo Bills.? Diggs easily led the team with 160 targets but received far less of the ball in the second half of the season, averaging 4.8 catches for 48.3 yards from Week 9 onward. The Bills' number-two pass-catcher on the year (in terms of targets and catches) was Dalton Kincaid, who finished with 73 catches for 673 yards. From Week 9 on, Kincaid averaged 4.8 catches per game for 46.1 yards — nearly identical to Diggs' stat line.
The Bills also lost receiver Gabe Davis, leaving Kincaid with double the number of targets of any returning wideout or tight end for the Bills. Dalton Kincaid ended the year as TE11 in fantasy football and has top-five potential in 2024.
