Evan Engram has had a couple of strong years but has mostly been a middling tight end option in fantasy football. His best seasons have come when his offenses haven’t had anyone else to throw to. With only Courtland Sutton soaking up targets, could Engram return strong TE1 value in his first year with the Denver Broncos?
Evan Engram Fantasy Outlook
After bursting onto the scene as the extremely rare (at the time) rookie tight end who was a fantasy force in 2017, Engram’s career with the Giants didn’t quite take off as it looked poised to do. His second and third seasons were mired by injury. After that, the Giants gave up on him being a focal point of their offense, resulting in two dismal years in 2020 and 2021.
In 2022, Engram revived his career with the Jaguars, but at 10.4 fantasy points per game, he was nothing more than replacement level, despite his TE7 finish.
However, in 2023, Engram exploded. In the best season of his career, he set career highs in targets (143), receptions (114), yards (963), and fantasy points per game (13.6).
Curiously, in 2024, Engram somehow managed to earn an even bigger target share: 25.1%. While injuries reared their ugly head again, he was only averaging 9.9 PPG when he was lost for the season.
With the Jaguars revamping their franchise, building around Brian Thomas Jr., adding Travis Hunter, and a new coaching staff, they moved on from Engram. He quickly found a new home in Denver.
This is about as good of a landing spot as Engram could’ve asked for. Similarly to when he joined the Jaguars, there’s not much in the way of target competition.
.@MatthewBerryTMR thinks Evan Engram could EAT in Sean Payton’s offense. 🍽️
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— Rotoworld Football (@rotoworld_fb) March 15, 2025
The Broncos have Courtland Sutton entrenched as the top target-earner. Behind him, though, it’s been the running backs.
While Sean Payton’s teams have always targeted the running back position at a high rate, there remains an abundance of targets up for grabs. As much as fantasy managers may want a lot of them to go to Marvin Mims Jr., the Broncos do not seem to view him as anywhere near a full-time player. The door is open for Engram to be second on this team in targets behind Sutton.
It will be hard for Engram to do any better than the astounding 33.2% targets per route run rate he had last year. But there is the potential for Engram to be more efficient. Bo Nix is, by far, the most talented quarterback Engram has ever caught passes from.
Even if Engram is merely a safety blanket, he should be able to volume his way to TE1 numbers.
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With all that said, that doesn’t necessarily make Engram someone for fantasy managers to target. He comes with a TE8 average draft position (ADP). My general outlook on tight ends is nothing revolutionary. Either pay up for an elite difference-maker or punt/stream the position.
Most years, only a handful of tight ends provide a meaningful edge over the standard 10 PPG you can get from back-end TE1s and streamers. If you think Engram can get back to 13+ PPGx, then there may be merit to drafting him. I fully intend to be one of the last teams to draft a tight end in every league this season. Therefore, despite ranking him as my TE6, I don’t anticipate targeting Engram in drafts.
Mason LeBeau‘s Evan Engram Fantasy Projection
“Joker” memes aside, this situation sets up really nicely for Evan Engram. From the football side of it, I don’t see a reason that Engram’s talent, matched with his role in this Denver offense, should fail. He does turn 31 at the start of the season, so that Father Time may catch up to him after an injury-shortened 2024, but at a thin position, I think he’s well worth the risk.
His floor is what’s appealing; his 143 target, 114 reception, 2023 season gives him a level of weekly quality that’s rare for the position. Even on that workload, he didn’t cross 1,000 yards and had just four touchdowns, so don’t expect him to take off. However, in HC Sean Payton’s offense, he should have plenty of opportunities.
Engram wasn’t slowing down much last year either. In his eight full games played, he was on pace for 98 receptions, and likely would’ve scored more than the one touchdown. The Jaguars’ offense did need to rely on him to an extent, which the Broncos won’t, but he still stands to see a reliable amount of work. Sean Payton loves a versatile tight end, and last year’s group, headlined by Adam Trautman, only mustered up just over 450 yards between four of them.
Payton’s aggressiveness in signing Engram tells me he’s in for a great season, provided he stays healthy. At TE9, you can be one of the last teams in your drafts to grab the position and still come out with a solid player. In this case, I’d pair him with a higher upside option like Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts or Indianapolis rookie Tyler Warren for a long-term outlook.
