Fantasy Football: 3 Sleeper Tight Ends to Target for the 2024 Season

Fantasy football drafts are in full swing, and we've come to know that sleeper picks should always be on our radar.

FanDuel Research's staff covered the top fantasy football sleeper options for 2024, and for this article, we'll turn our attention to sleeper options at the tight end position, in particular. Covering your bases at tight end can often be a draft-day headache, so finding late-round value at the position is key.

Let's check out three undervalued tight ends that could outperform their ADP this season.

3 Sleeper Tight End Picks for 2024

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

The Houston Texans figure to be one of the more fantasy-relevant teams in 2024. C.J. Stroud is at the helm and surrounded by awesome assets in Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins. Plus, Joe Mixon was added in the offseason, adding even more intrigue to this group.

But deciding who to back among Diggs, Dell, and Collins is an avoidable headache. There might be too much target share parity in this room for any to outdo their ADPs. Our Skyler Carlin notes Stroud as a potential fade, too.

If you want to get in on Houston's offense -- one that Jim Sannes projects out to be the 12th-highest scoring in 2024 -- and cover your bases at tight end, then Dalton Schultz might be your guy.

Schultz is currently being drafted as TE16 at pick 123. That's a low enough draft stock for me to quantify him as a sleeper, and we've got reason to believe he can outdo his ADP.

He notched 635 yards and 5 touchdowns through 15 games in 2023, which resulted in a TE11 finish by the season's end. He grabbed a TE10 standing in 2022 and finished as TE3 in 2021, behind only Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews. Fantasy success at the position is nothing new for him.

His durability is legit, and he had an appealing 20.9% red zone target share with Houston last year. Now, with Diggs and Mixon added to the mix and Dell back from injury, we should in no way expect Schultz to rank second on the team in red zone looks once again. But his size and lack of competition in the tight end room might allow him to stand out in some way.

Our fantasy football projections forecast Schultz to log 650.1 yards and 4.2 touchdowns this season, assuming all players participate in a full 17-game season. This makes out for 119.56 fantasy points, projecting Schulz out as the TE13 of 2024.

Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals

Mike Gesicki's 2023 campaign with the New England Patriots was marred by bad and inconsistent quarterback play. But we've seen Gesicki have success before. He finished as the TE11, TE7, and TE11 with the Miami Dolphins from 2019 to 2021. He's had two 700-plus yard seasons and has notched 5-plus touchdowns in three seasons.

The former second-round draft pick signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason. Can Joe Burrow make Gesicki fantasy relevant once again? I think so.

Cincinnati's tight end room is a bit fuller than most. Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson are still around, though Hayden Hurst is gone. However, I'm not too concerned with either Sample or Hudson. The former averaged 7.8 yards per catch in 2023. We saw what he could do with a bit of opportunity, and it wasn't pretty.

Hudson isn't too much of a threat, either. The undrafted tight end never saw more than 15 targets in a season prior to 2023, and he saw only 18 targets during Burrow's shortened 10-game season. Both he and Sample will certainly still be around, and their presence does lessen Gesicki's stock to some degree. But Burrow is said to be excited about working with the "explosive" Gesicki, who had solid overall numbers as a Dolphin.

He has a void to fill with Hurst now gone. Currently, Gesicki is being drafted as TE28 at pick 236, a practically irrelevant standing. But our projections have him forecasted for 407.6 yards and 3.6 touchdowns this season, moving him up to a TE24 finish.

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

Fantasy managers aren't giving Taysom Hill any love. Currently, Hill is being drafted as TE25 at pick 194. He's not making it to many rosters.

But our Aidan Cotter will be the first to point out his potential, as he pits Hill as a top sleeper pick for 2024. Hill finished as TE5 in 2022 before notching a TE10 standing in 2023 with the New Orleans Saints.

His rushing upside has been there, as he's notched 11 rush scores in the last two seasons. Hill has reportedly been adding more backfield work to his game, a great sign if we're looking for him to continue getting looks near the goal line.

Plus, Juwan Johnson, the Saints' TE1, underwent foot surgery this offseason and has a questionable timetable for return. With Johnson potentially starting the season on the sidelines, Hill should manage to carve out an even meatier role. Johnson's absence throughout training camp serves as an ideal kickstarter for Hill's 2023 campaign.

His ceiling is somewhat hampered by an underwhelming New Orleans offense, but we shouldn't be shocked if he is afforded the same role that earned him a top-10 finish at the position in the past two seasons.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.