Chig Okonkwo And A Rookie Among Top 5 Tight End Fantasy Football Sleepers

We are a week away from the beginning of the 2025 NFL season and knowing a good value on your fantasy football tight end can make or break your drafts.

Dec 29, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo (85) during the warm ups before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Training camp has been flying by and the NFL season is a week away. Some of your fantasy football drafts might already be done, but many are still awaiting their draft in the coming days.

It's important to get good value when it comes to your tight end. Let's take a look at five 2025 fantasy football sleeper tight ends.

1. Zach Ertz

It feels like people are ruling out Zach Ertz from being an elite tight end because he's 34 years old. When in reality, Ertz and Jayden Daniels in his secons season behind center in the NFL...could be a force to be reckoned with for the Commanders.

Ertiz is ranked barely inside the top 20 at No. 19 among tight ends and can fully perform higher than that in this Commanders offense. With lots of focus going to the newly extended Terry McLaurin along with Deebo Samuel now in the offense, there's a good chance that Ertz will find plenty of targets down the middle of the field and in the redzone, where he finished with seven touchdowns last year. Look for Ertz to continue being a great tight end and a good sleeper find.

2. Tyler Warren

Tyler Warren is ranked outside of the top 10 in some rankings and is prime for a remarkable rookie season. Daniel Jones likes to get the ball down the middle of the field...but could also be a problem if he plays like he did for much of his Giants tenure. A fresh start in a smaller market with the Colts with a chip on his shoulder and less expectations could be the change of scenery that Jones needs.

Warren put up ridiculous numbers at Penn State with 104 catches, 1233 yards and eight touchdowns last year. He's very tough to tackle and could be effective in the slot as well. Warren also ran for 218 yards and four TDs last season, which makes him an incredibly dynamic option at tight end if he adds rushing yards and rushing TDs into the arsenal.

3. Chig Okonkwo

It feels like nobody is mentioning Chig Okonkwo in any sort of tight end discussion. While he's been a disappointment for the most part in three seasons so far, the emergence of Cam Ward as the Titans new franchise QB changes things. If the No. 1 overall pick lives up to the hype, the Titans may finally have their superstar behind center throwing balls to Okonkwo.

Okonkwo is ranked right around No. 23 among tight ends, meaning you can snag him later in your draft and get good value. While he only put up 52 catches for 479 yards and two touchdowns last year, he also had some poor QB play with Will Levis and company. A rookie QB in Ward is going to look down the middle of the field for Okonkwo as a third option after Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett.

4. Evan Engram

If Evan Engram can stay healthy, he could turn out to be a machine in Sean Payton's Broncos offense. Some rankings have him outside the top 15, when he can easily end up being a top 10 player at the tight end position. An injury-plagued 2024 season in Jacksonville saw his numbers plummet, but in 2024, Engram finished with a whopping 114 catches and 963 yards.

Payton has already said he plans to make Engram the "joker" in their offense. Hearing that alone should make fantasy owners salivate. An amplified role in Denver with a QB in Bo Nix who shined in his rookie season makes Engram a really good option to take as a second-tier tight end.

5. Hunter Henry

Some rankings have Hunter Henry outside the top 20, which is a bit insane. If Drake Maye can see some improvement at QB, the pair showed signs of greatness last year. Henry finished with 66 catches, 97 targets and 674 yards last season. Those were all career highs for the 30-year-old.

The Patriots depth chart at receiver is not elite and Henry is going to be used at times in the slot. He will have plenty of low-end TE1 value this season, especially if Maye can find him more in the redzone to improve upon the two touchdowns. The targets and catches will certainly be there.