Jesse James

5 TE Sleepers to target for fantasy football week 1

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Some of the biggest names in fantasy football tight ends won’t be available in Week 1, so check out these five TE sleepers if you need a new option.

Jesse James (81) is one of my top TE Sleepers for fantasy football week 1. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

There are some big names absent from the top of the tight end ranks for fantasy football week 1. Tyler Eifert didn’t make it back from his rehab in time, Rob Gronkowski is also surprisingly sidelined due to a hamstring injury. When they are healthy, both are regular starting options in fantasy football, but this week their owners will have to go a different direction. If you’re in search of TE Sleepers, check out my top five targets in the slides to follow.

Every week, you can find these position-focused last-minute sleepers hear on FanSided along with plenty of other posts to help you throughout the week. Check out my top 10 WR sleepers from earlier this morning and my top 5 RB Sleepers if you need help in those spots.

FanSided has assembled some great tools to help you get your lineup set for fantasy football Week 1. You can find all our coverage by checking out (and bookmarking) the fantasy football hub where you’ll find the top 10 matchups to attack for the week as well as full Week 1 rankings. You can also get any lineup question answered by checking out the new start/sit tool.

For the purposes of this post, I’m going to skip past some of the more widely owned fantasy football tight end options. While Dwayne Allen, Martellus Bennett, and Jason Witten are solid plays for today, they’re pretty widely owned and not true “sleepers.” Instead, I’ll look at a few options that are off the radar but could step up. As of Sunday morning, these options were available in over half of ESPN standard leagues.

All these TE sleepers are risky to one degree or another, but I think they can be used as cheap DFS plays or as plug-and-play options off of many league’s waiver wires. Overall, I expect each of them to out-perform their expectations in week 1.

A quick word of caution before we start–don’t forget these are sleeper TEs so don’t go crazy and take a flier on one of them over a more established play. For example, I like Jesse James a lot this week, but I wouldn’t start him over Travis Kelce, Jordan Reed, or even Coby Fleener. The picks appear in order from most well-known to deepest sleeper.

Let’s jump in to my five TE Sleepers for week 1.

Aug 18, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jesse James (81) catches passes before playing the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Jesse James-Pittsburgh Steelers

I mentioned James in my Grokowski replacement post, and since then he has become an even better option since the Steelers won’t have Markus Wheaton this week. Wheaton will be sidelined with a shoulder injury which could leave even more targets for the bit second-year tight end.

James is a massive option at 6-foot-7 and could become a nice red zone weapon for the pass-heavy Steelers. Remember, they already were without the services of Martavis Bryant (for the year) and Le’Veon Bell (for the first three weeks), and both Bell and Bryant were big-time red zone producers.

James wouldn’t be in the lineup if it wasn’t for the absence of another Steeler–Ladarius Green. The Steelers signed the former Chargers backup this offseason, but Green is on the reserve/PUP list with an uncertain ailment and an uncertain timetable to return.

His absence allowed James to work with the first team offense this preseason and develop a good connection with Big Ben. In Preseason Week 3, Roethlisberger threw him five passes which he covered to four catches, 25 yards, and a touchdown.

James is in a good matchup this week against the Redskins who allowed at least 50 yards to their opposing TE in each of their last seven games last season. If you need a pickup-and-play for this week or a cheap DFS option, James is one of my favorite TE Sleepers.

Aug 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tight end Clive Walford (88) is unable to make a catch in the end zone against the Tennessee Titans in the second quarter at Oakland Alameda Coliseum. The Titans defeated the Raiders 27-14. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Clive Walford-Oakland Raiders

The Raiders open their season with a trip to the Big Easy which is enough to make Walford one of the TE Sleepers with the most upside. No team allowed more fantasy points to opposing TE last season than the Saints, and Derek Carr should be able to get Walford the ball in a place to make plays regularly today at the Superdome.

Walford does share time at the tight end spot, but it’s with blocking specialist Lee Smith. Smith doesn’t really hurt Walford’s value although the platoon does limit his overall snap count.

Walford is now owned in 40% of ESPN leagues as his ownership has been on the rise as Gronk owners search for a one-week fill-in. He makes a solid pickup for this week based on his matchup, and is one of the sleeper TEs to roll with if you are looking for a short-term fix instead of higher long-term upside.

Aug 14, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vance McDonald (89) catches a touchdown against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at Levi

Vance McDonald-San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers don’t have a lot of fantasy-releavnt options since they’re definitely short on skill players in Chip Kelly’s second stop as an NFL head coach. It is worth noting, though, that Blaine Gabbert did throw for over 350 yards last year in the season finale against the same team San Francisco opens this season against, the (now LA) Rams.

Aside from questions about Gabbert as an NFL QB, there are real question marks around who exactly he’ll throw the ball to. Torrey Smith is still around, but Gabbert isn’t a great fit for Smith’s vertical abilities. Anquan Boldin left the 49ers for the Lions this offseason, so he’s not around either. Bruce Ellington was getting some sleeper buzz before his injury sidelined him as well. With all those non-options, someone has to catch Gabbert’s passes and one option to consider is Vance McDonald.

If McDonald gets targets, he could be a solid option as one of the sleeper TEs in the second game of this week’s Monday night doubleheader. There’s a real chance that McDonald could lead the 49ers in receptions after developing a good connection with Gabbert this preseason. McDonald was Gabbert’s most-targeted receiver this preseason and he also presents the biggest red zone target for the starting quarterback.

McDonald is only owned in 6.2% of ESPN leagues coming into week 1, but he could pay off if you had to start him especially in PPR leagues. He’s a bit of a longer shot than James or Walford, but he’s still worth a look as one of the sleeper TEs this week.

August 26, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Jared Cook (89) runs with the football against San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (29) during the first quarter at Levi

Jared Cook-Green Bay Packers

Cook is available in just about half of ESPN leagues coming into week 1. He currently is listed behind Richard Rodgers, but he has the better set of receiving skills at the position. The Packers offense is usually very fantasy-friendly, and starting against the Jaguars should give Cook a chance to contribute early.

Cook played well in the preseason including catching our passes for 54 yards in the team’s Preseason Week 3 dress rehearsal. He has a fascinating blend of size and speed, and maybe moving to Green Bay will give him a chance to have the breakout many have been waiting for.

He’s very high-risk for this week since his role is undefined, but he could emerge as one of the better TE sleepers as the season progresses.

Jun 14, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta (88) catches a pass during the first day of minicamp sessions at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Pitta-Baltimore Ravens

If you really want to go crazy deep, Dennis Pitta was recently announced as the starter for Joe Flacco and the Ravens in their opener against the Bills. Pitta used to be an ingrituging fantasy option, but he has missed the last two years with hip injuries.

Pitta is a total shot in the dark since he has barely been on the field the last two years. However, when he did play he was pretty productive and showed a good red zone connection with Joe Flacco.

He’s someone to monitor in his start today since there is playing time available in Baltimore after Ben Watson was lost for the season. The fact that he’s starting is a pretty big surprise, but it does show that the Ravens still think he has value.