The immediate success of guys like Brock Bowers and Sam LaPorta has slightly skewed the perception of fantasy football managers. Those guys are still the exception, not the rule. Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange sat behind Evan Engram for two years and now gets his shot at the starting role. A third-year breakout would not at all be uncommon. Is there late-round sleeper appeal here?
Should You Draft Brenton Strange in Fantasy?
Strange is not about to become the next great fantasy tight end. We’re looking for replacement-level production, and I think Strange can manage that. His posting around 10 fantasy points per game would be a massive success. It’s certainly feasible.
Last season, Strange averaged 5.4 PPG as the Jaguars’ TE2 behind Evan Engram. We never cheer for injuries. However, Engram missing half the season gave us a pretty nice sample size of Strange in the TE1 role.
What we got was a player who averaged 5.0 targets and 34.4 receiving yards per game. He posted 8.6 PPG in eight games with Engram sidelined. That’s pretty close to startable back-end TE1 numbers.
Things are different this year, though. Even if we pencil in Strange as third in the target hierarchy, competing with Travis Hunter alongside Brian Thomas Jr. is much more of a challenge than the backup-level pass-catchers the Jaguars were deploying last season with the rookie.
At the same time, there’s reason to believe Strange can overcome the increased target competition. The Jaguars could need to score points to keep up in games. With a defense checking in at No. 31 in PFSN’s Defense+ metric, they may be throwing more than they want to.
Last season, the Jaguars only had a 64% pass rate when trailing by seven-plus points, the 12th lowest in the league. Even when losing, they ran more than they should have.
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We could be in store for more volume and better play calling from Liam Coen, a brilliant young offensive mind. Under new leadership, the Jaguars should be better offensively. This could be a case of a rising tide lifting all ships. Hopefully, it comes with improved play from Trevor Lawrence, who can best be described as a low-end NFL starter/high-end backup quality talent after his first four years in the league.
Lawrence will probably never live up to the expectations of a No. 1 overall pick and the hype surrounding him. Still, if he can emerge into an above-average starter, that would go a long way toward elevating his pass catchers, including his new starting tight end.
“My favorite thing about this offense is that they ask me to do everything.” #Jaguars TE Brenton Strange says he likes that this offense will showcase his versatile skillset.
He also notes “there’s a different type of discipline” in taking a bigger leadership role this year. pic.twitter.com/MceGMVAH5T
— Alessandra Pontbriand (@APontbriandTV) June 10, 2025
Strange carries an average draft position (ADP) of TE23. If you punt the tight end position, you can take your pick of any player ranked outside the top 15. I have Strange ranked as my TE16, but there’s not much separating those mid TE2s. There’s usually not much separating the players who finish from TE8 to TE18. Strange is as good a bet as any of them. You can easily replace him on the waiver wire if he doesn’t work out.
Dan Fornek’s Brenton Strange Fantasy Projection
Brenton Strange was surprisingly drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft despite being a modest producer as a pass catcher at Penn State (70 receptions for 755 yards and 11 touchdowns in 37 games). Strange was buried behind Evan Engram as a rookie, and it didn’t look like much would change in his second season. However, an injury to Engram allowed Strange to play, and he flashed throughout his second season, even if the production wasn’t consistent enough for fantasy football.
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Strange finished as the TE33 (5.4 PPG) but caught 40 of 53 targets for 411 yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars decided to let Engram leave in free agency, opening a larger role for Strange in the offense and the opportunity to provide scoring for fantasy managers. Strange will be on the field as a blocker, which will naturally lead to opportunities as a pass catcher. However, earning targets over Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, and Dyami Brown won’t be an easy task.
It is easy to be optimistic about Jacksonville’s offense with Liam Coen as the head coach, but Strange is a player who will need to prove he can consistently make an impact in the passing game as a receiver. He has plenty of upside, but drafting him in fantasy drafts could backfire if he’s your team’s only tight end.
