Week 14 is the last time fantasy football players have to navigate bye weeks this season, but it’s a big one with six teams getting the week off. Whether you’re looking for a fill-in on your season-long roster or just a cheap DFS tight end, check out my five fantasy football sleeper tight ends for Week 14.
Last week, my five sleepers were Juwan Johnson (8.6 FPTS), Dawson Knox (7.6 FPTS), Dalton Schultz (17.1 FPTS), Austin Hooper (14.2 FPTS) and Tommy Tremble (12.7 FPTS). It was a big week for my sleepers overall, and even the cheap plays had big games. We’ll look to keep things rolling with some more fire picks this weekend.
Earlier this week, I ranked my top-10 plays at the position. The plays listed below are not in my top 10, but can be nice cheap plays at tight end if you’re looking for fantasy football sleepers to fill in.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Juwan Johnson ($3,400) was already in my fantasy football sleepers last week with Taysom Hill in the mix, but he should be even more of a factor this week now that Hill’s season is over.
He set season highs last week in catches and targets and finished with 8.6 fantasy points. Johnson has over six fantasy points in four of his last five games and has multiple catches in nine straight games. He has two touchdowns on the year, finding the end zone in Week 11 against the Browns and Week 1 against the Panthers.
In DFS contests like the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Johnson is still affordable at under $3,500. He is in a tough matchup, though, against the Giants, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to the position this season.
After Hill’s injury, Johnson’s ownership is climbing to around 10% in season-long leagues, but he’s still a solid option to scoop off the waiver wires and start this week if you are desperate.
Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
His overall numbers don’t leap off the page, but Chig Okonkwo ($3,000) has shown some positive signs the last few weeks and is in a great spot against the Jaguars. He isn’t a top-10 option at the position, but he isn’t that far from it given his high ceiling.
Okonkwo reminded everyone of his big-play ability with a game-winning 70-yard touchdown against the Texans in Week 12. The following week, the Titans were smashed early by the Commanders and had to play the entire game from behind. Okonkwo finished with a season-high six targets and converted three of those for 27 receiving yards.
The Titans get a good matchup at home to bounce back against the Jaguars, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends. Since Will Levis ($5,000) has been looking his way more and he has so much upside, Okonkwo is in a good spot to go off this week.
Grant Calcaterra, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles had to place Dallas Goedert (knee) on IR, meaning he’ll miss at least the next four games. When he was ruled out for this week’s matchup with the Panthers, I took an expanded look at Grant Calcaterra ($3,500) as a fantasy football sleeper.
Now that he gets an even longer look, Calcaterra is a solid play both in a favorable matchup with the Panthers and for the rest of the year since his ownership is under 5% in season-long leagues. Swapping Goedert for Calcaterra is definitely a downgrade, but in this offense, Calcaterra is a viable option if you need coverage for this week’s byes.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers offense has been trending in the right direction over the past few weeks, and rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders ($3,300) was a big part of the turnaround before suffering a neck injury two weeks ago against the Chiefs. He missed last week’s loss to the Bucs and Tommy Tremble ($3,000) filled in with a solid game.
Sanders is officially questionable for this week, but coach Dave Canales said he expects Sanders to play. The rookie from Texas had multiple catches in five of his last six games and had at least 8.8 fantasy points in four of those six contests. He scored his one touchdown of the year in Week 10 after posting a career-high 87 yards in Week 9 against the Saints.
Before his injury, Sanders was starting to get a little attention as a waiver wire add, but his ownership is still under 5% coming into the Panthers’ game in Philly this week.
Greg Dulcich, New York Giants
Usually, I wrap my fantasy football sleepers at tight end with a high-risk, ultra-cheap play under $3,000. This week, I’m going all the way to the minimum salary at $2,500 for Greg Dulcich. It’s very tricky to get a read on the Giants’ tight end situation coming into this week after they lost Theo Johnson (foot) for the season, leaving Daniel Bellinger ($2,700), Chris Manhertz ($2,600) and Dulcich to play the position. Dulcich was just claimed off waivers before Thanksgiving, but hasn’t been active yet for the Giants.
In 2022, Dulcich showed potential in 10 games, catching 33 of 55 targets for 411 yards and two touchdowns after the Broncos drafted him in the third round. He only played two games last year and four games this season while battling injuries. He was passed on the depth chart and had been inactive since Week 4 before being cut.
Dulcich has had over a week to get up to speed on the Giants’ offense under new QB Drew Lock ($4,700). Lock targeted Johnson five times in Week 13, and if Dulcich gets a similar workload, he’ll be a steal against the Saints this week. There’s also a chance that Bellinger takes over the top spot if it’s too much of a mix for any to have fantasy value. However, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on the situation for potential value, or even taking a flier on Dulcich if you think he’s ready to make a splash in his Big Blue debut.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
