Sleeper TEs to Target as Value Picks in Your 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts

Tight end is the toughest position to find consistent production in fantasy football.

Outside of the top-tier stars who always come off the draft board early, it can feel impossible to unearth a regular starter. This lack of stability leads many managers to either go all-in by expending an early-round pick or eschewing the position almost entirely, streaming the perceived best of the underwhelming bunch still sitting on waivers each week.

There is a middle ground to be found, though, and that's by hunting sleepers in the latter rounds of a draft.

Only nine tight ends have an average draft position in the top 100 this year. Even if the consensus rankings turn out to be completely correct—which almost never happens due to the wildly unpredictable nature of fantasy football—that still means there will still be a handful of top-12 starters up for grabs in the waning stages of a draft, value that managers should focus on hunting if they pass up on the likes of Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and George Kittle in the early rounds.

Whether you prefer a more stable veteran in the 10th round or want to roll the dice with a 15th-round boom-or-bust prospect, there are plenty of tight end options for managers seeking sleepers this year.

Read on for a look at five tight ends who should be on your radar as the 2025 fantasy draft season approaches.

Fantasy points, rankings and ADP courtesy of FantasyPros.com using PPR data.

Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers swung a blockbuster trade earlier this month, acquiring both Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a late-round pick swap.

While the defensive stars involved won't move the needle in standard fantasy leagues, Smith could be a potential league-winner for shrewd managers looking to maximize the value of a late-round draft selection.

Despite finishing 2024 as the TE4 with a respectable 222.3 fantasy points—making him one of just four tight ends to eclipse the 200-point mark last season—Smith is only being drafted as the TE12 with an ADP of 116.

Even with a new quarterback in a new system with new competition for targets, the 29-year-old has strong potential to vastly outperform that draft position.

It’s understandable why Smith is being written off. His performance last year stands as an outlier—he posted career highs in targets (111), receptions (88), receiving yardage (884) and tied his personal-best in receiving touchdowns (8)—and he will be working alongside 2024's TE9 in Pat Freiermuth now he's in Pittsburgh.

Don’t discredit Smith's efforts, though, as he managed to thrive in Miami despite having to contend with stars such as De'Von Achane and Tyreek Hill for touches.

The 2024 Pro Bowler also worked with several low-end QBs due to Tua Tagovailoa's injuries and still managed to feast with the likes of Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle under center.

The Steelers should be far pass-happier in 2025 than they were last season when they threw on a meager 51.7 percent of offensive plays—the fifth-lowest mark in football—now that Aaron Rodgers has taken the reins from Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Rodgers' New York Jets posted a 64.1 passing percentage last year, airing it out more than all but three teams.

There will be more than enough looks to go around, especially with the receiving corps lacking elite talent outside of DK Metcalf. Expect Smith to quickly emerge as one of Rodgers' preferred targets and push for another top-five finish at his position.

Elijah Arroyo, Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks made the cost-cutting decision to release Noah Fant this week, ending the tight end's three-year run in the Pacific Northwest.

With Fant out of the picture, a path has been cleared for second-round rookie Elijah Arroyo to shine.

Although Fant had been a consistent starter for Seattle, his fantasy production left much to be desired. He amassed a pedestrian 104 points (ranking as the TE26) and only found the end zone a single time in 14 games last year.

Expect Arroyo to have a far bigger impact than his predecessor. The 6'4", 235-pound tight end was a major scoring threat during his final season at Miami, a campaign in which he tallied 590 yards and seven touchdowns on 35 catches.

While Arroyo didn't tally up a ton of catches in college, he profiles as an explosive receiving tight end who could contribute immediately in the passing attack. With a new quarterback in Sam Darnold looking to get comfortable quickly, Arroyo could be peppered with plenty of short-yardage targets—especially in the red area.

The Seattle receivers room makeover also works in Arroyo's favor. The team parted ways with both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf this offseason, moves that have left Jaxson Smith-Njigba as the clear-cut No. 1 option, talented but injury-prone veteran Cooper Kupp as the second option and lots of question marks beyond that.

Given he's just the TE38 with an ADP of 214 right now, Arroyo is well worth taking a late-round flier on in most formats. It's far from guaranteed he will be one of the rare TEs who makes a successful transition to the pros as a rookie, but his upside and potential are worth betting on.

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes

Isaiah Likely has been on the list of players poised for a breakout for several years now, but this could finally be the season in which he usurps longtime Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews and takes over as Lamar Jackson's preferred option at the position.

Likely has flashed his incredible potential throughout his three-year NFL career, notably exploding for 26.1 points (on a 9/111/1 line) in last season's opener to finish as the week's TE1.

While that didn't translate to immense season-long successes, Likely did have four other top-12 finishes and ranked as the year's TE16 despite contending with a healthy Andrews each contest.

It's worth noting Andrews is now entering an age-30 season and saw his impact diminish in 2024. Despite being healthy for all 17 games—the first time since 2021 he didn't miss time with injury—Andrews notched 3.2 receptions and 39.6 yards per game, his lowest marks since his rookie season.

That regression, coupled with his final look being a costly drop of a game-tying two-point conversion attempt in the playoffs, could mean it is finally time for Likely to overtake Andrews in the pecking order.

With a low-risk ADP of 141, Likely's chances of posting a top-eight finish in 2025 vastly outweigh the negligible costs of acquiring him. His current TE17 ranking is his floor and the potential for far more is readily apparent.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

Kyle Pitts opened his career as a blue-chip fantasy asset and delivered on the hype with one of the best rookie tight end performances in NFL history.

The fading Atlanta Falcons star has massively underwhelmed in the years since, though, and that fall from grace is finally being reflected in his ADP.

After entering each of the last four seasons as the TE8 or better, Pitts comes into 2025 as the TE18 with low expectations. It’s hard to fault fantasy managers for giving up on the once-promising prospect, especially since he hasn't posted a top-12 finish in three years and was a disappointing TE15 last season.

While Pitts has only averaged 50 catches, 634.5 yards and 3.5 touchdowns over the last two seasons, there is a realistic chance he breaks back out now he's working in an offense led by second-year signal-caller Michael Penix Jr.

The Falcons are expecting Pitts to return to prominence now he's in his second season of offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's system. He projects the tight end will make a "big jump" and that it is "going to be a lot of fun to see his growth" in 2025.

Considering Pitts was stellar in Year 1 with Matt Ryan still at the helm, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him reemerge as a Pro Bowler if Penix can continue to deliver on the promise he displayed late last season.

The rookie QB breathed some much-needed life into Atlanta's flailing offense after he took over for the beleaguered Kirk Cousins down the stretch and should make a leap of his own with a full offseason to prepare as the starter.

There are few, if any, tight ends who fantasy managers can target around the 12th round who possess anywhere close to the same potential to put up massive numbers that Pitts does. His ceiling is tremendously high and that makes him well-worth taking a late-round flier on in nearly every format.

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

AP Photo/Bryan Woolston

Darren Waller opened July with a splash, announcing he would come out of retirement to join the Miami Dolphins this season.

They agreed to acquire him from the New York Giants in exchange for a late-round pick swap, a risk-free move that could pay dividends for Miami.

Waller may be a half-decade removed from his lone Pro Bowl campaign, but he still has the ability to put up respectable numbers at his best.

While it would be a tad optimistic to expect the 32-year-old to breach the 1,000-yard receiving mark—something he did in back-to-back seasons for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019-2020—he could still realistically find himself in the mix for a top-12 finish at his position.

The Dolphins are the perfect team for Waller to return to action with. The system head coach Mike McDaniel has installed allowed Jonnu Smith—who profiles as a similar talent to Waller—to explode for a TE4 finish in 2024.

With Smith now suiting up for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Waller could seamlessly take over that role with little in the way of competition.

Miami's tight ends room has a severe lack of pass-catching talent outside of Waller. Prior to trading for the veteran, the team's lone move to improve the position this offseason was adding journeyman Pharoah Brown, a blocking TE who has caught just 72 passes across his seven professional seasons.

Given how much usage Smith saw in 2024—his 111 targets were only 12 behind team-leader Tyreek Hill and his 88 receptions were the most of any Dolphin—it wouldn't be a huge surprise for a healthy and motivated Waller to pick up most of that slack, turning back the clock and turning in fantasy production well beyond the normal expectations for a TE27 with an ADP of 189.