2025 Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Draft TE Sleepers - Gunnar Helm, Elijah Arroyo, Terrance Ferguson

Finding tight-end sleepers who end up being good for fantasy football is remarkably difficult. As the position is easily the lowest-scoring (on average) of all the positions in fantasy football, especially outside of TE-premium leagues, the bar is already pretty low.

Adjusting for the few elite tight ends who heavily drag up that average, the majority of dynasty fantasy managers' experience with the position is hell. Trying to find one who isn't a liability can become a miserable chore year after year.

It's unlikely either of these three players will magically pull you out of the doldrums if you're in them, but they're worth at least taking a shot on. If you want to pick a TE with one of the later picks in your rookie drafts, it's worth considering one of the below players. Let's dive in.

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Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami

Arroyo is a bit of an awkward mover, but he has sufficient suddenness in his routes that give him a chance of producing in the NFL if he cleans some things up. That will be important, as he likely doesn't possess the deep speed to beat most one-on-one coverage assignments in the NFL.

Here is every one-on-one rep by Miami (FL) TE Elijah Arroyo pic.twitter.com/VjjmBUxrKG

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 28, 2025

He only caught 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns in his final season in college, though, and that was with quarterback Cam Ward, who produced very well. The touchdown numbers are nice, but it would've been great to see him average more than three catches per game.

Career receiving from TE draft prospects pic.twitter.com/Km3djmfyj8

— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) February 19, 2025

When he was targeted, though, it usually led to solid results. He averaged around a 125 passer rating when targeted, the fifth highest in the class, and he has enough short-area quickness to get open on double moves, comebacks, and horizontally breaking routes. It's tougher to beat coverages on the outside against NFL cornerbacks, but he could have success in the slot.

Here is every one-on-one rep by Miami (FL) TE Elijah Arroyo pic.twitter.com/VjjmBUxrKG

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 28, 2025

While many NFL Draft analysts tend to rave a bit too much about simple out/in routes, and the values of tight ends and wide receivers are often pushed up slightly more (proportionally) as a result, Arroyo flashes good talent where it matters -- winning in the intermediate parts of the field.

It's not as easy in the NFL with the narrower hashes, so there could be some growing pains. And obviously, the landing spot will matter -- if he ends up buried on a depth chart somewhere, it might not be good news. But it's more likely that a team that has a serious need for the position will pick him up.

His quick change-of-direction skills when turning vertical routes horizontally are solid for his 6-foot-4, 245-pound frame, but his top speed is lackluster on tape and could be an issue. His ceiling will largely be capped, as it's tough to win on routes like he runs if the quarterback's timing with him isn't on point.

Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas

Helm is one of many pass-catchers at Texas who has suffered under the reign of terror that quarterback Quinn Ewers has made them suffer through. Helm is rough around the edges as a prospect, but showed nice development over his career. In his final season, he showed flashes of solid athleticism and receiving ability.

Let me introduce y’all to Texas TE Gunnar Helm!

🔥 Only 2 drops IN HIS CAREER

💪🏼 Best run blocking TE in this class

🤘🏽 Fluid athlete, sneaky athleticism

He’s a 2nd round grade for us, where do you have this Longhorn? pic.twitter.com/cKrW5frhUB

— 2025 NFL Draft (@DraftRT) January 23, 2025

His game isn't without criticisms. For one, there have been questions about his speed and burst, which weren't helped by his unfortunate ankle sprain at the 2025 NFL Combine. He ran a 4.84 40-yard dash, but most notably, the injury destroyed his chances of having a good day.

Gunnar Helm TE Texas🤘 spraining his ankle on a false start before his first attempt at the 40 yard dash NFL Combine 2025. pic.twitter.com/kaL2A7PdZG

— AsleepT (@AsleepT) March 2, 2025

There now float questions about his durability, though he didn't miss any time in 2024, playing in 16 games. He amassed 60 catches for 786 yards and seven touchdowns, including two scores in the playoffs. He wouldn't be a sleeper if there wasn't debate about how he could do at the next level.

He will likely need time to develop, but he showed improvements in each of his last three seasons as a Longhorn. He has sufficient athleticism and run-blocking ability to get good playing time, and if he can continue to improve in both of these areas, he has a chance of becoming start-worthy in fantasy football down the road.

It will be important to track his progress throughout the season.

Terrance Ferguson, TE, Oregon

Ferguson turned heads when he ran the fastest 40-yard dash time among all tight ends, clocking in at 4.63 seconds. His production profile was much less impressive. At Oregon, quarterback Dillon Gabriel's top targets were wide receivers Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart, each of whom amassed much more impressive stat lines than Ferguson.

Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson improves his 40 time on his 2nd attempt 👏

📺: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/oBDpVsVMNS

— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2025

Yet, the presence of two target-hog WRs shouldn't take your attention away from Fergie, who's a surprisingly nimble mover for his size. He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 255 pounds, so he's not on the lighter end of the spectrum for tight ends. This makes his run even more impressive, as it would be significantly easier to run that fast at 245 pounds.

Nice move at the top of the route by Tight End Terrance Ferguson pic.twitter.com/MXF3W0z05v

— Unnecessary Bluntness Owner/Coach/QB (@DuncOnDemand) January 28, 2025

Ferguson has surprising fluidity and suddenness out of his route breaks. He's able to make sudden moves at the stems of his routes to create quick separation, which should make him a good target on timing routes, and helps him match up with linebackers very well.

Dillon Gabriel -> Terrance Ferguson pic.twitter.com/c3z3Tz60G9

— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) January 29, 2025

And his ability after the catch is impressive, pushed largely by his speed. He can be a nice weapon on screen pass attempts, and if he gets to the second level on some of these plays, he could be a problem for smaller defensive backs to bring down.

A TE that should be on the #Browns board after the combine- Oregon Terrance Ferguson

1st in TEs in
-40yd dash (4.63)
-10yd split (1.55) tie
-vert (39.00”)

Makes sense how he was 5th among CFB TEs in YAC (387yds-9.0 avg)#DawgPound
pic.twitter.com/8GnaaxEn0G

— Mac🦬 (@tha__buffalo) March 3, 2025

Of the three players on this list, Ferguson's abilities seem to be the most immediately impactful at the next level. TE is a position that requires large men to be surprisingly athletic for their size, and his combination of surprising quickness and pure speed should be enough to give him an edge. His ceiling is thus the highest of the three here.

He could develop into a multiyear starter in fantasy football in the right situation. He's worth picking late in rookie drafts, and though he's flying under the radar slightly less than he was before the combine, he should still be available in the later rounds.

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