Finding a dynasty veteran sleeper for dynasty formats is the equivalent of finding dinosaur fossils. They just might not exist anymore.
Tight end is a much-maligned position in fantasy football. There’s the Travis Kelce tier, and then there’s everybody else. Last season proved that players like Mark Andrews, George Kittle and T.J. Hockenson are truly in a second class behind Kelce, who could be the game’s last truly great tight end.
But those who know me know I love a good challenge. So I set out on a quest to find some sleeper veteran tight ends who you might be able to acquire cheaply. Here’s who I found:
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Dynasty Veteran Sleepers at Tight End (2023 Fantasy Football)
A veteran tight end as a player who is 26 or older.
Darren Waller (TE – NYG)
Darren Waller’s changing teams at 30 after he was traded from Las Vegas to New York. While there isn’t a ton of precedent for aging pass catchers on a new team, I actually think Waller could be a good buy-low candidate for fantasy teams desperate for help at tight end.
It feels like forever ago, but Waller finished as the TE2 in 2020. Are his best years behind him? Probably. But I don’t think he’s finished and could thrive as a high-volume target over the middle for Daniel Jones. I also trust Giants coach Brian Daboll to find ways to get Waller the ball. I don’t think a top-six finish is out of the question whatsoever if Waller has anything left.
Evan Engram (TE – JAX)
Right below Waller in our Expert Consensus Dynasty Rankings is Evan Engram, who enjoyed a career resurgence last season in Jacksonville. Engram caught 73-of-98 targets for 766 yards and four touchdowns, which was good enough to finish as the TE6.
I’m somewhat surprised to see Engram ranked as the TE12 by our experts. Doug Pederson’s system is predicated on using the tight end, and Trevor Lawrence should only take another step forward. I get Calvin Ridley is there, along with Christian Kirk. But in a scheme that values the tight end, I don’t see why Engram can’t repeat last year’s production, if not exceed it. I also don’t mind that Engram could have more to prove if he doesn’t get a long-term extension worked out this offseason.
Engram presents value in 2023 and could be a nice long-term option if the Jaguars extend him.
Juwan Johnson (TE – NO)
There really aren’t many other tight ends who meet the age requirement out there. But we might be forgetting that Juwan Johnson caught seven touchdowns a season ago and finished as the TE11. The problem is he only caught 42 passes, and regression could be coming in the touchdown department. But the Saints upgraded to Derek Carr at QB. We’ve seen how reliant Carr can be on his tight end, especially when forced to dump the ball off under duress.
Yes, the Swiss army knife Taysom Hill is there, but at this point, he’s more of a threat to Carr and the running backs than he is as an actual pass-catcher. Keep in mind Hill caught just nine balls in 2022. Johnson is the true starting tight end and could be worth taking a cheap flyer on in a trade.
Tyler Conklin (TE – NYJ)
I understand we’re scraping the barrel here, but I want to throw Tyler Conklin out as a player who could benefit from having Aaron Rodgers at QB. Conklin finished as the TE16 a year ago and actually saw 87 targets. He caught only 53 of them for 552 yards and three touchdowns, but that could be more because of the quarterback play than anything else.
We’ve seen Rodgers make tight ends like Robert Tonyan and Jermichael Finley fantasy relevant. While the Jets have a stud receiver in Garrett Wilson, the rest of the depth chart is littered with some questions, as Allen Lazard, Corey Davis and Mecole Hardman are more ancillary weapons. At a position that’s thin on real talent, Conklin could finish as a TE1 if he develops a rapport with his new QB.
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