Soppe’s Fantasy Football Tight End Sleepers: Mike Gesicki, Isaiah Likely, and Others All Underrated Options

The definition of “fantasy football sleepers” has evolved with time. Years ago, they were players who the general public had never heard of, let alone considered as a legitimate fantasy asset.

A good tight end can be the difference between a playoff run and a series of unfortunate fantasy football events. Here’s a look at some tight end options that you could take later on in your fantasy drafts that could make that difference.

Fantasy Football Sleepers | Tight Ends

Cincinnati Bengals: Mike Gesicki, TE

At the very end of drafts, you’re betting on a profile more than anything.

Mike Gesicki is on this third team in as many years, but he might finally be put in a position to matter in deep fantasy leagues. He’s caught just 61 passes for 608 yards over the past two seasons — numbers that came in the first season of the Tyreek Hill era with the Miami Dolphins and another in an inept New England Patriots environment.

Gesicki has been used as a blocker on just 28.8% of his career offensive snaps, making him a receiver masked as a tight end. With a skill set like that, I’m happy to bet on an elite pocket passer in Joe Burrow.

Gone from Cincinnati’s offense is a short-yardage specialist in Tyler Boyd, and he’s been replaced by a splash playmaker in rookie Jermaine Burton (18.0 yards per catch during his collegiate career). That opens up a role that might not come with significant upside but should offer a nice floor for those patch-working together the position late in drafts.

Baltimore Ravens: Isaiah Likely, TE

If I’m waiting to address the tight end position, my first option has to come with top-10 upside. In taking over for Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely scored five times in five games to close the 2023 regular season, making a 25+ yard catch in each of those contests.

The athletic profile is elite for this position at the professional level. The upside is no longer a secret if given the TE1 role, but counting on Andrews missing significant time like he did last season isn’t wise (seven missed games in 2023 after missing five games through his first five seasons).

However, I don’t think Likely needs an injury to matter.

One of Isaiah Likely's most iconic plays from 2023 was this 15-yard TD catch vs the Texans in the Divisional round. The catch capped a 12-play, 93-yard drive early in the 4th Q, and showed the trust that Lamar Jackson has in the talented "backup" TE.
#Ravens #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/2wSibV7Hx6

— All 22 Films (@All_22_NFL_Cuts) May 6, 2024

For his career, Likely has earned a target on 18.7% of his routes run with Andrews on the field compared to 17.8% without him. That’s a small sample, but it is some proof of concept and Todd Monken is the type of offensive coordinator who I’m comfortable betting on when it comes to creativity.

Zay Flowers is the clear-cut WR1 on Baltimore’s offense and should build on a rookie season that saw him flash at points. After him, this receiver room is awfully thin. Rashod Bateman is the owner of the second-highest drop rate among qualified receivers since he entered the league while ranking in the 30th percentile in yards per route over that stretch.

MORE: Try PFN’s “Who Should I Draft?” Tool

If not Bateman, Nelson Agholor is next on Baltimore’s depth chart, but his résumé isn’t much more impressive. Last season, 73 receivers had at least as many catches as Agholor, and all of them earned a target on a higher percentage of their routes (13%, NFL WR average: 21.3%).

Monken can be an offensive artist. He can create something beautiful, but he needs the proper tools to make it work.

I think, next to Flowers and Andrews, Likely’s versatility gives this da Vinci the best chance at constructing a 2024 Mona Lisa and thus carries enough fantasy upside to stash as your draft concludes.

Houston Texans: Dalton Schultz, TE

Since 2021, Dalton Schultz has averaged more PPR fantasy points per target than T.J. Hockenson and Njoku — tight ends with a much higher profile in fantasy football. Schultz had six games during the regular season with a 20+ yard catch and had such a play in both playoff contests, proving that being tied to a C.J. Stroud-led offense can elevate his stock.

The concern, of course, is the target count, and I’m not here to tell you that it’s going to be pretty. The opportunity count is going to be low, and you’ll be relying on efficiency/touchdowns. That, however, is likely going to be the case on any tight end in a punt-TE build.

Schultz comes with contingent value that far exceeds the other tight ends in his range.

Talent, opportunity, and environment. In the late rounds, if you can get a player who checks two of those boxes, you take it. Schultz does, and he’s one injury away from being very interesting in an offense that is the betting favorite to lead the league in passing scores.