The tight end position was a soft spot for many fantasy teams. Other than the top few at the position, there were very limited options. The 2013 season should see an increase in production from tight ends as there are several that are emerging as stars and others that are coming back healthy from previous injuries. Here are my top sleepers at tight end.
– Brandon Myers – Oakland Raiders
Brandon Myers should be available at the end of your draft, and would be a great tight end sleeper pick. Myers showed decent promise last season even on a bad team. He had 79 receptions, 806 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns. Myers had at least one reception in every game last year for the Oakland Raiders, and had 9 games with 5 or more catches. The Raiders will be making a lot of changes this offseason, and most of those should benefit Myers as a fantasy option at tight end.
– Dwayne Allen – Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts drafted two quality tight ends in the 2012 NFL Draft in Coby Fleener from Stanford University and Dwayne Allen from the University of Clemson. Although they shared time throughout the season, Allen emerged as the better overall threat down the stretch. Allen ended the season with 45 receptions, 521 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. Andrew Luck played well in the second half of the season and should continue to improve, which will help the production of all receivers, including the tight ends. Look for Allen to still share time, but to separate himself from Coby Fleener and have a good shot at putting together a solid fantasy season.
– Rob Housler – Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals need to find a reliable quarterback before any of their offensive players are worth anything in terms of fantasy football. Despite their woes, Arizona Cardinals’ tight end Rob Housler is a fantasy sleeper for 2013. Housler finished the 2012 season with 45 receptions and 417 yards receiving. The Cardinals were 1-11 in their last twelve games and only had a couple of bright spots. Housler looked solid on a terrible team, and he should benefit from their turnaround if they can get some consistency at quarterback.
– Logan Paulsen – Washington Redskins (RFA)
Washington Redskins’ tight ends Fred Davis and Chris Cooley are free agents, which means that a starting spot may be open for Logan Paulsen. Paulsen had just one catch over the first six games, but finished the season with a solid performance while catching a pass in all ten of the remaining regular season games and added a couple of catches and a touchdown in the playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. It looks like the starting tight end job is his to lose in 2013. Paulsen is a solid sleeper candidate for your fantasy football team.
– Craig Stevens – Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titan Jared Cook is a free agent and it looks like Craig Stevens will finally get his chance to shine in 2013. Stevens will be 29 and is a 6th year player out of the University of California. He finished the season with just 23 receptions, 275 yards and 1 touchdown. Stevens’ value comes from the opening at tight end. If the Titans re-sign Cook or pick up another tight end, don’t take a chance on Stevens.
Rookie Tight End Sleepers
Rookies are not usually major contributors at tight end due to the complexity of the position in terms of blocking and route running. Although they should be considered deep sleepers, here are a couple of rookies to watch at tight end.
– Tyler Eifert – Notre Dame
Tyler Eifert was not used appropriately at Notre Dame, so don’t let the numbers fool you, he is a legitimate threat at tight end. Eifert had 50 receptions for 685 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2012. Eifert should be a late first round pick and could have an immediate impact in the NFL depending on the team he is drafted by.
– Joseph Fauria – UCLA
Joseph Fauria is a dangerous receiver at tight end. He is 6’7 and always a target in the redzone. Fauria had 12 touchdowns on 46 receptions for UCLA. Fauria could be an ultimate breakout tight end and should be used right away by the NFL team that is lucky enough to draft him.
*All statistics from NFL via NFL.com
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