After a few primetime matchups to start Week 1, the first DFS main slate of the season is set to kick off on DraftKings on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. To help you get your squad assembled, in this post, you can find the top fantasy football sleeper options at tight end. Every Saturday on DraftKings Network, I’ll dive into the bargain bin and search for some extremely affordable TEs who have more upside than their salaries indicate.
Earlier today, I took a look at five fantasy football sleeper plays at wide receiver as well. If you’re looking for tight ends, though, the five sleepers here are off-the-radar options who are lined up to exceed expectations. Earlier this week, I highlighted my top 15 starters at tight end, and in this list, we’ll focus on players well outside those top 15 who still bring enough upside to be good fantasy football sleeper plays. We’ll keep these plays off the beaten path, for the most part, looking for deep dive bargain plays with upside.
Whether you’re looking for value plays in your DFS contests like the NFL $3.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] or looking for a last-minute addition from the waiver wire, here are my top five fantasy football sleeper options at TE for Week 1 of the 2025 season:
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars ($3,300)
The Jaguars traded veteran Evan Engram ($4,500) to the Broncos this offseason, opening up the primary tight end role for Strange to take over in Jacksonville. Strange gets a great matchup to start his first season as the full-time starter when the Jags take on the Panthers, who allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends last year.
The Jaguars have a new coach in place with Liam Coen, and last year in Tampa Bay, Coen’s offense made Cade Otton a viable producer at the position. Strange had 40 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns last year, highlighted by an 11-catch game against the Jets in December.
The Jaguars are hoping Coen’s offense can jump-start Trevor Lawrence ($5,300) and help him turn things around after a down year last season. Strange’s role will be critical to that turnaround, and he reportedly built a strong chemistry with Lawrence in training camp.
This matchup should be a good spot for him to get off to a big start this season, and he could emerge as a top-10 tight end play for the rest of the season if he gets the volume from Lawrence.
Harold Fannin Jr, Cleveland Browns ($3,100)
One of the most exciting rookie tight ends to watch this season is Harold Fannin Jr., who the Browns snagged in the third round out of Bowling Green. Fannin doesn’t have a clear path to playing time like some of the options lower on this list, but he does have a very high ceiling in the Browns’ passing game.
He’s a boom-or-bust play in Week 1 since his role is a little uncertain with David Njoku ($4,700) in place as the starting tight end. The Browns have been using both Fannin and Njoku at the same time in some formations, and they could get both pass catchers involved in Week 1 against the Bengals, who gave up more fantasy points to tight ends than any other team in the NFL last season.
Fannin impressed throughout training camp and caught both his targets for 16 yards and a touchdown when working with the Browns’ starters against the Rams in preseason.
If the team can find ways to get him and Njoku on the field together, Joe Flacco ($4,900) could make both viable for fantasy this season, especially if this Buckeye State battle turns into a high-scoring contest.
Mason Taylor, New York Jets ($3,100)
The Jets drafted Taylor out of LSU in the second round of the NFL Draft, and the rookie has quickly claimed the starting role in New York. He worked ahead of Jeremy Ruckert ($2,500) and free agent signee Stone Smartt ($2,500) all training camp and preseason.
Taylor didn’t post huge numbers at LSU, finishing with 546 yards and two touchdowns in 2024. He was very sure-handed, though, dropping just one of 79 targets.
In training camp, he was praised by coach Aaron Glenn for his blocking work and also established himself as able to make catches away from his body and in traffic. Taylor did get sidelined for a little bit with a high-ankle sprain, but he was able to return for the second preseason game and played with the starters, catching the only completion from starting QB Justin Fields ($5,400).
Taylor could grow into a go-to option for Fields, who focused on short passes last year and worked well with the Steelers’ tight ends. Since he’s only a little over $3,000, he has huge value potential as the starter in an offense that doesn’t have many playmakers aside from Garrett Wilson ($6,300) and Breece Hall ($6,400).
Theo Johnson, New York Giants ($3,000)
On the other side of New York, Theo Johnson is lined up to start once again for the Giants, who also have a new quarterback in place as Russell Wilson ($5,000) takes the helm. Johnson played a decent role last year as a rookie, catching 29 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown in 12 games.
He caught 5-of-5 targets for 54 yards in Week 13 last year, but after the game, he was diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury that required surgery and cost him the rest of the season. He has fully recovered, though, and coach Brian Daboll confirmed that Johnson is “good to go” after going through training camp and preseason without any setbacks.
Last year, he had a 35-yard touchdown and a season-high 14.1 fantasy points against the Commanders in Week 9 when two teams met, and he’ll look to attack that same matchup on Sunday.
Wilson has made his tight end a fantasy contributor in the past, and Johnson could be a solid second or third option in this offense this year. He has good upside going forward and could get off to a great start in this specific matchup.
AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks ($2,800)
Barner could be the Seahawks’ third option in the passing game behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($5,800) and Cooper Kupp ($5,800). He will have to hold off rookie Elijah Arroyo ($2,600), but so far Barner seems to have locked down the starting job coming into the year.
Last year, Barner caught 30-of-38 targets for 245 yards and four touchdowns while filling in for Noah Fant. Barner’s emergence allowed the Seahawks to release Fant this offseason, and Fant landed with the Bengals. Without Fant, Barner should be the top option in Seattle at tight end.
In Week 1, he’ll face the 49ers, who replaced both safeties over the offseason with SS Talanoa Hufanga leaving in free agency and FS Malik Mustapha (knee, PUP) out with an injury. Instead, Barner will match up with SS Jason Pinnock and FS Marques Sigle. It should be a very favorable one-week matchup for Barner, and he could be a boom-or-bust flier worth taking a shot on with his salary under $3,000 in Week 1.
