Tight end is always a fascinating fantasy football position, and in Week 1, that continued with big names going down, rookies stepping up and plenty of fantasy football sleeper opportunities opening up. As we look at the position for the Week 2 main slate on DraftKings, there are plenty of matchups to break down and good options to consider. Even with a small sample size from just one week, some strong potential fantasy football sleeper options emerge who could make a huge difference in your lineup in Week 2.
The fantasy football sleeper plays at tight end in this Saturday post each week can be excellent value plays for DFS contests, and they can also be sneaky plays in your season-long league since they should be poised to exceed expectations. Earlier this week, I highlighted my top 15 starters at tight end, and in this list, we’ll focus on players mostly outside those 15 players who still bring a high fantasy football ceiling in their Week 2 matchups.
Week 2 Fantasy Football Sleeper TEs (analysis below)
- Jake Tonges, San Francisco 49ers ($3,200)
- Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns ($3,100)
- Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers ($3,100)
- Grant Calcaterra, Philadlephia Eagles ($2,500)
- Tanner Conner, Miami Dolphins ($2,500)
Week 1 Results:
- Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars ($3,300; 9.9 FPTS)
- Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns ($3,100; 13.6 FPTS)
- Mason Taylor, New York Jets ($3,100; 3.0 FPTS)
- Theo Johnson, New York Giants ($3,000; 1.5 FPTS)
- AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks ($2,800; 1.2 FPTS)
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 tight ends for Week 2 of the 2025 season:
Jake Tonges, San Francisco 49ers ($3,200)
The 49ers won Week 1 over the Seahawks, but they lost both George Kittle (hamstring) and Brock Purdy (toe) to injury. This week, it’ll be Mac Jones ($4,000) spreading the ball around to the 49ers receivers that may or may not include Jauan Jennings ($4,800; shoulder, questionable). Without Kittle and possibly Jennings, there will be more work for Christian McCaffrey ($7,500), Ricky Pearsall ($5,300) and possibly Jake Tonges.
Tonges caught the game-winning score from Brock Purdy and finished with three catches on three targets for 15 yards.
Tonges will likely get most of the receiving work at tight end, although Luke Farrell ($3,500) may actually play more snaps since he’s better known for his blocking.
If you’re looking for a bargain fantasy football sleeper with a chance to step up this week in a larger role, Tonges is a great option to consider since he looked good last week. He will be working with a different QB in Mac Jones, but coach Kyle Shanahan’s system is fantasy-favorable for tight ends, so even with Jones at the helm, there should be targets and opportunities available for the fourth-year tight end from Cal.
The Saints are a favorable matchup for Tonges, but how effective the offense will be without Purdy and Kittle leaves some question marks around Tonges’ production.
Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns ($3,100)
Fannin is my only repeat pick from last week’s list after having a big game in Week 1, delivering on the hype he’s been getting all preseason from the Browns’ coaching staff.
The third-round pick from Bowling Green made an instant impact even though he’s still sharing the top spot at the position with David Njoku ($4,400). Njoku played 84% of the team’s offensive snaps while Fannin played 72%, but Fannin led the team with nine targets, while Njoku had six.
Fannin also had more catches than Njoku, finishing with seven receptions for 63 yards and even a three-yard rush as well. Fannin has all the tools to be a top tight end contributor this season even as a rookie, and if he keeps getting the usage, he could be a fantasy football sleeper who quickly becomes a star.
In Week 2, he and the Browns face the Ravens, who allowed the Bills’ tight ends to catch seven passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Njoku and Fannin are both solid plays in Week 2, but Fannin makes a good sleeper play even though he’ll be popular after Week 1’s breakthrough.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers ($3,100)
If you’re looking to differentiate your lineup and Fannin is a little too chalky, Sanders is a pivot play at the same salary who has a good ceiling due to his role in the Panthers’ passing game.
The second-year tight end from Texas played ahead of Tommy Tremble ($2,500), logging 61% of snaps compared to 45% for Tremble. He was targeted three times and hauled in two passes for 27 yards, highlighted by a nice 18-yard pickup down the seam of the defense.
The Panthers may have to play from behind a lot this season based on their defensive struggles, and if they have to go pass-heavy, Sanders should be a fringe tight end to pay attention to as a bargain option. With Adam Thielen traded and Jalen Coker (quad) on IR, the Panthers need pass catchers to step up, and Sanders showed he can rise to the occasion with a solid rookie season and last week’s heavy snap load.
Sanders is a high-risk play in Week 2 compared to Fannin, but he is his team’s primary tight end and has a favorable matchup against the Cardinals, who have been generous to tight ends over the last few seasons.
Grant Calcaterra, Philadlephia Eagles ($2,500)
The Eagles won’t have Dallas Goedert (knee) for their Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs. He handled a 92% route share in Week 1 and led the team with seven targets against the Cowboys, but he hasn’t been able to practice since then and was ruled out for Week 2.
Calcaterra will fill in for Goedert and showed last year that he does have fantasy football sleeper potential. The fourth-year tight end from SMU had 24 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown last year, including a four-game stretch that included three games of at least three catches and at least 30 yards in each contest.
In Week 1, he was on the field for 59% of the team’s offensive snaps, while Goedert played 83% and third tight end Kylen Granson ($2,500) played 27%. Without Goedert, his playing time and route share will spike, and Jalen Hurts ($6,800) already showed he trusted Calcaterra last year.
He may not go off, but getting him at the minimum salary is a strong option to consider to free up more cap space to stock the rest of your roster. You could even use Calcaterra or my next fantasy football sleeper as a flex play since they’re cheaper than any receiver or running back. Utilizing their low salary to squeeze in expensive stars or stacks is a strong strategy for Week 2.
Tanner Conner, Miami Dolphins ($2,500)
Another fantasy football sleeper at tight end with a minimum salary and the potential to make an impact in Week 2 is Tanner Conner of the Dolphins. Conner split the snaps in Week 1 exactly evenly with Julian Hill ($2,500), but Conner got four targets from Tua Tagovailoa ($5,300) while Hill was only targeted on the successful two-point conversion near the end of the game.
The Dolphins traded away tight end Jonnu Smith ($3,900) to the Steelers and brought back Darren Waller (hip) out of retirement, but Waller missed Week 1 and has been ruled out for Week 2 as well, leaving Conner and Hill to step up once again.
Conner hauled in two of the four passes thrown his way for 20 yards, and he’ll remain a secondary target for the Dolphins behind the top receivers and De’Von Achane ($6,900), who is a strong pass catcher out of the backfield.
He could still bring flier upside, though, since the Patriots gave up the second-most fantasy points in the NFL to tight ends in Week 1, allowing both Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer to have strong performances last week. This week, Conner will look to attack the same holes, and he brings enough contrarian upside to be a potential leverage play as a fantasy football sleeper in Week 2.
