Fantasy football sleepers at tight end are frequently fool’s gold. The 2023 season was a treasure trove for late-round speculators at tight end, though. Fortunately, gamers in best ball don’t have to guess when a cheap tight end will post a useful fantasy score. Thus, even if a fantasy football sleeper doesn’t fully blossom, ping-ponging touchdowns and moderately productive lines between three cheap selections is a viable strategy.

Still, hitting on a breakout at the position can drastically improve a team. Tight ends who are young, athletic, project to have a sizable route participation, are in a projected high-scoring offense or check all four boxes are the most enticing dart throws as fantasy football sleepers.

The following three tight ends have an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 150 or later at Underdog Fantasy and DraftKings, and they’re enticing picks. Here are our top three fantasy football tight end sleepers to target in drafts.

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Fantasy Football Tight End Sleepers

Luke Musgrave (GB – TE): 150.1 Underdog ADP | 151.21 DraftKings ADP

Sam LaPorta had a historic rookie season for a tight end, and Dalton Kincaid flashed his potential in his first professional campaign. Yet, another tight end picked within the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft also had an encouraging rookie season, albeit interrupted by an injury.

Luke Musgrave was 17th in Pro Football Focus’s (PFF) receiving grade (69.6) and 17th in yards per route run (1.41 Y/RR) among 36 tight ends targeted at least 40 times (including the postseason). He was sandwiched between David Njoku (70.5) and Isaiah Likely (68.9) in PFF’s receiving grade and between Kyle Pitts (1.43 Y/RR) and Likely (1.35 Y/RR) for yards per route run.

Musgrave was also tied for the 14th-deepest Average Depth of Target (7.4-yard aDOT). Despite the moderately deep average depth of target, Musgrave was also tied for 12th in yards after the catch per reception (5.1 YAC/REC), making him one of only four tight ends inside the top 12 in that category with over a 7.0-yard aDOT. Per Fantasy Life, Musgrave was also tied for 16th in targets per route run rate (18 TPRR%) with Pitts, George Kittle, Jonnu Smith, Tyler Conklin and Chigoziem Okonkwo among 40 tight ends with at least 250 routes in 2023.

Musgrave had a decent foundation in his rookie season. He also has a tantalizing athletic profile.

Luke Musgrave is a TE prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.77 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 26 out of 1091 TE from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/VwODIVWRu0 #RAS pic.twitter.com/BI6VpcHTSG

– Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 2, 2023

Fellow rookie Tucker Kraft also had a rock-solid rookie campaign for the Packers. Nonetheless, Kraft had surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle he suffered while bench pressing in early May, which could allow Musgrave to distance himself from Kraft as Green Bay’s top tight end.

However, there’s also room for Musgrave and Kraft to co-exist. According to Sumer Sports, the Packers had the third-highest 12-personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) rate (31.6%) in 2023, markedly higher than the league average (19.2%). Green Bay was also tied for 11th in Expected Points Added per pass attempt (0.12 EPA/Pass) out of 12 personnel. The Packers have a talented group of wideouts who could tilt the balance to a higher percentage of 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers). Still, Green Bay’s effectiveness in 12 personnel might prevent the scales from tilting too much toward three wideouts.

After a decent rookie season, Musgrave has room to grow and flourish in his sophomore campaign.

Colby Parkinson (LAR – TE): 211.3 Underdog ADP | 227.10 DraftKings ADP

Sadly, Tyler Higbee tore his ACL and MCL in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. He’ll almost certainly miss most or all of the regular season while recovering from surgery. The Rams responded to his injury by making a substantial financial commitment to Colby Parkinson in free agency.

According to Spotrac, Parkinson’s three-year contract for $22.5 million was the highest-value contract a tight end received in free agency this offseason. His $15.5 million in guarantees was the most expensive, and his $7.5 million annual average value (AAV) was second only to Noah Fant‘s $10.5 million AAV. Moreover, Parkinson’s is the 14th-most valuable contract and 16th in AAV among all tight ends. It was a significant commitment.

As a result, Parkinson should be atop LA’s depth chart. The Rams have leaned heavily on one tight end in recent seasons rather than splitting playing time. According to Fantasy Life, Higbee was tied for 10th in route participation (70%) among tight ends with at least 250 routes in 2023, 19th in route participation (69%) in 2022 and eighth in route participation (82%) in 2021. Working backward from 2023 during those three years, Higbee had a 14 TPRR%, 23 TPRR% and 17 TPRR%.

Absorbing that role would make Parkinson an ideal cheap target as a TE2 for a stud or as part of a three-TE roster. Parkinson also has adequate athleticism, and a change of scenery could make him the latest second-contract breakout at his position – one that often requires patience before the player fully blossoms.

Greg Dulcich (TE – DEN): 215.4 Underdog ADP | 229.48 DraftKings ADP

Last season was a lost campaign for Greg Dulcich. He was injured for most of the season, playing in only two games (Week 1 and Week 6). The second-year pro played only 24 passing snaps, running 20 routes and commanding four targets (20 TPRR%). Thus, it’s unclear how Sean Payton would have used Dulcich within last year’s offense.

Current general manager George Paton used a third-round pick (80th overall) to select Dulcich in the 2022 NFL Draft, and the athletically gifted tight end flashed his potential around injuries as a rookie. Among 32 tight ends targeted at least 40 times in 2022 (including the postseason), Dulcich was 18th in PFF’s receiving grade (67.6), 20th in yards per route run (1.30 Y/RR) and third in average depth of target (12.7-yard aDOT). He trailed only Darren Waller (14.0-yard aDOT) and Pitts (13.7-yard aDOT) in average depth of target.

Dulcich was also eighth in route participation (81%) and tied for 16th in targets per route run rate (17 TPRR%) among 34 tight ends with at least 250 routes in 2022. Obviously, Dulcich didn’t have a dominant rookie season. Still, it was a promising first year attached to professional dunce Nathaniel Hackett and a declining Russell Wilson.

Dulcich, health permitting, could be the next success story for Payton at tight end. During Payton’s career as an offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and head coach, he’s coached Jeremy Shockey, Jason Witten and Jimmy Graham. That trio had monstrous seasons for Payton. Dulcich is unlikely to perform to that lofty level. Nevertheless, less well-regarded tight ends such as an older Ben Watson, Coby Fleener and Jared Cook have had fantasy-friendly seasons in Payton’s offenses. Dulcich is an intriguing dart throw at the end of best ball drafts.

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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.