2025 Fantasy Football: 5 Can't Miss Tight End Sleepers

The 2025 fantasy football season is upon us. Preseason has begun and the time to dig in to your draft research is now.

As depth charts start to pan out, we have a strong idea who most teams starting tight ends will be. We all know the top of the fantasy chart tight ends already.

George Kittle. Sam LaPorta. Brock Bowers. Trey McBride.

But what about the tight ends that people aren't talking about? Let's break down a few can't miss tight end sleepers you should be targeting in your fantasy drafts.

Five Can't Miss Tight End Sleepers

1. Brenton Strange

Strange, indeed. With Evan Engram not in Denver, Brenton Strange is No. 1 on the tight end chart for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Strange is a player nobody is talking about that should end up getting a ton of targets from QB Trevor Lawrence. The 24-year-old had 40 receptions for 411 yards and two touchdowns in his second NFL season last year as the Jaguars backup and filling in for when Engram was out with injuries.

Engram had 47 catches and 64 targets in just nine games last year for 365 yards and a touchdown. That comes after the best year of his life in 2023, where he had a whopping 114 grabs and 143 targets for 963 yards and four TDs. Combine Engram's insane 2023 season with the strong amount of targets between him and Strange last year and you got yourself a potential monster ahead for Strange in 2025.

2. Evan Engram

Since we just mentioned Engram, let's put him on this list after an injury-riddled 2024 season. The 30-year-old tight end is due for a monster 2025 campaign as he joins a Broncos offense with a coach in Sean Payton that absolutely loves using tight ends. Payton said he plans to make Engram the "joker" in the offense. Hearing that alone should make fantasy owners drool.

Bo Nix was sensational in his rookie season and did it without dominant tight ends. He's going to have a feast now with Engram. The Broncos will probably mix in some Adam Trautman and Lucas Krull, but Engram is the dynamic playmaker that makes an impressive Broncos offense even scarier. Look for him to come closer to what he did in 2024, if he can remain healthy.

3. Zach Ertz

People need to stop sleeping on Zach Ertz, who isn't ranked in the top half of tight ends on the fantasy charts. The 34-year-old still has plenty in the tank and now with a year under his belt with Jayden Daniels, he can be a real weapon this season in an offense that now has Deebo Samuels as part of it. You might see Ertz catch passes from Daniels and Samuels. (has a nice ring to it)

Ertz finished with 66 catches and 91 targets last season, to go along with 654 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a real redzone threat for the Commanders. Ertz could be a sneaky-good pickup after the first batch of tight ends go in drafts.

4. Hunter Henry

The Patriots enter the 2025 season with another depth chart at wide receiver that isn't too appealing. That means Drake Maye will be looking to his tight ends a lot. Hunter Henry should get a ton of targets this season. The 30-year-old had 66 receptions and 97 targets last season for 674 yards and two touchdowns.

The key will be whether Henry can be more dynamic in the redzone. If he does, it could be a tremendous connection between Maye and Henry. The second-year QB played in 13 games last season, so now he gets a full 17-game slate to prove himself in his sophomore campaign. Austin Hooper also had 45 catches last year, which could have an impact, but Henry has the ability to not just be a tight end, but a guy catching balls in the slot as well.

5. Cade Otton

Cade Otton and Baker Mayfield continue to grow as a duo each year as he has become the clear-cut No. 1 option in Tampa Bay for the Bucs. Otton snagged 59 balls for 600 yards and four touchdowns and 87 targets. If Otton can just reel in some more of those targets, his numbers will dramatically increase.

Otton is right in the prime of his career at 26 years old and does not have a ton of competition at the tight end position on the roster. Mayfield is going to look to find him and Otton could be an absolute steal in fantasy drafts as he is currently ranked right around No. 16 amongst tight ends. Otton's ceiling is certainly top 10 in the NFL at the position.