Top Sleeper Tight Ends for 2020 Fantasy Football

Tight end is usually a pretty straightforward position for fantasy football purposes. Over the last few seasons, there have generally been about three-to-four elite options followed by a lot of other guys with both talent and legitimate question marks. In other words, once you get past the top-tier options, the position can be a bit of a crapshoot.

This year is no different (well, at least in that respect). But if you miss out on the Travis Kelces and George Kittles of the world, don't panic, there's plenty of value to be had at TE. Here are three of the best sleeper tight ends for the 2020 season.

Note: All average draft position (ADP) data is courtesy of FantasyPros' ADP data.

Sleeper Tight Ends 2020 Fantasy Football

3. Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota Vikings (ADP: TE22)

Let's start this list off with a total flyer, Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. Entering year two, his services might be needed a lot more than they were last season when he finished as TE33. Stefon Diggs leaves 94 vacated targets in his wake. Justin Jefferson should soak up plenty of those, but rookies are even more unreliable than usual in 2020, due to the pandemic. He's stuck playing behind Kyle Rudolph, but Minnesota used the second-most 12 personnel in the league last year. It's fair to expect a similar usage given the roster construction. Smith should see the field plenty next season, and if Kirk Cousins looks his way more often, the 2019 second-round pick has more than enough talent to take advantage. Plus, he's currently going undrafted, so if he doesn't, no harm done.

2. Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins (ADP: TE15)

Mike Gesicki was one of the trendiest sleeper tight end picks of the offseason, and that was before his fantasy outlook received another huge boost. With Miami Dolphins wideouts Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson opting out, Gesicki doesn't have much competition for targets outside of DeVante Parker and Preston Williams. And that's exciting for a player as talented as Gesicki. Over his final nine games last season, he turned 7.1 targets into 4.0 receptions, 46.3 yards and 0.6 touchdowns per game. He was fantasy's TE8 during that stretch. Entering year three on an improved team, and facing even less competition, Gesicki has a real shot to breakout.

1. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos (ADP: TE13)

Tight end is a notoriously difficult position for rookies to adapt to, but that didn't slow Noah Fant down. Since 2000, only five first-year tight ends had more receiving yards than Fant (563). Notably, he did it on just 66 targets while the five players ahead of him saw a combined average 92.6. Forget rookies, though. Fant's freakish size-speed combo instantly made him one of the league's most explosive tight ends, as his 14.1 yards per catch was the second-best mark at the position. Playing in a suddenly-crowded offense with an unproven second-year QB, Fant might struggle to be consistent, but he's going to have some week-winning games in 2020.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.