X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

The Deepest Dive - TE Sleepers in 16+ Team Leagues

Jonnu Smith - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Antonio Losada evaluates ADP data related to deep fantasy football leagues and comes up with a few tight ends that can become valuable TE sleepers in 16-plus team leagues and formats.

Can you name every fantasy league you played in last season? Probably not. But can you think of their average structure? The most probable question is yes because most leagues are often comprised of eight to 12 teams with 15 roster spots each and use the now-standard PPR format of scoring. That is not always the case, though, and some fantasy GMs engage in way deeper leagues yearly in order to have a tougher challenge on their hands.

Fantasy leagues can be as large as the commish wants them to be, but for our purposes, we're going to define a deep league as one in which at least 16 teams take part. That means each draft round would consist of 16 picks and there would be 240 (15 rounds multiplied by 16 teams) players drafted overall. So for this exercise, I will be looking at players with ADP over 240 using a dataset comprised of drafts based on leagues with such structure. The data comes from PPR-format leagues, and whenever I mention stats, projections, and fantasy points, those would all be spoken of on the basis of that format.

Here is a look at a few tight ends that can be considered sleepers in super deep, 16+ team leagues. Keep an eye on them and track their presence on the draft board as they can become interesting pieces down the road during the development of the 2022 season!

Editor's Note: Find sleeper picks, undervalued ADPs, and draft targets to help you dominate your fantasy football drafts. Try our free who to draft tool for personalized recommendations.

 

TE Sleepers Worth Drafting in Super Deep (+16 Teams) Leagues

Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts (ADP: 222) 

I know, I know. I'm cheating with that ADP, but there is just a tiny difference between Mo's ADP and the 240-threshold I set above, so you'll have to deal with this little detail and give me some room, folks. It's quite incredible that Alie-Cox just got into the NFL four years ago after going undrafted in the 2017 draft with the man about to turn 30 as soon as next calendar year. That probably limited his options (draft age is a hella important indicator of pro-football success) and performances, but he's still a more than capable player at his position in a very nice situation given Indy's offense.

MAC has had to deal with very tough competition at the TE position in his short career in Indianapolis. He's gone against a three-headed monster made out of Eric Ebron, Trey Burton, and Jack Doyle in the 2018-2021 span and he's often fallen to a TE2 role in the franchise's depth chart. That should change in 2022, if only on paper. With Ebron long gone, Burton a washed free agent, and Doyle retired for good, only second-year TE Kylen Granson poses a (meaningless, in principle) threat for MAC's upside.

Mo has definitely not been anything incredible in any of the four seasons he's been doing it as a pro. Combining his best fantasy-receiving stats in all categories, he would have posted a made-up career-best of 45/31/394/4, good for around 95 FP in PPR leagues. No bueno. But remember, that always happened while playing a secondary role. Alie-Cox's underlying numbers are intriguing at the very least. His 9.5-yard aDOT ranked fourth among 33 TEs with at least 500 snaps last season, making him a deep-field option. He was über-efficient at scoring touchdowns given his low target-tally (11.3 targets between TDs) and he was above-average in terms of getting YAC/Target, which is also a positive. Matt Ryan is a veteran and should know how to exploit MAC to his best talents. Under-the-radar starting TE for his team with upside for a high-end TE2 finish if he can stay healthy and get in sync with Matty-R from the get-go.

Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks (ADP: 250+) 

It will take a lot to turn you into a believer after four disappointing/uncomplete years of NFL football by Will Dissly, but here we are. Dissly, a fourth-round pick in 2018, is entering the final guaranteed season of his rookie deal with Seattle and it's probably a make-or-break campaign for the veteran tight end. Dissly has always been good on a per-game basis, but having to point out that point is precisely why his upside has never been quite high: the injuries and the missed time. Ugh.

Dissly scored 8.9 PPR points per game as a rookie and improved to a mighty 12.3 mark as a sophomore. Of course, that comes with the little caveat of playing just four and six games, respectively, while getting 14 and 27 targets in those two seasons. Of course, when he was fully healthy and playing 16 and 15 games in the past two seasons, those figures cratered to 3.8 and 3.3 FPPG, respectively. Not that good, I guess. Dissly had to fight with veteran free-agency acquisition Greg Olsen in 2020 and with another signee in Gerald Everett last year. That forced Dissly to the sidelines and to get fed only 29 and 26 balls by Russell Wilson the past two years.

While Russ won't be around anymore, Dissly has been a ridiculously efficient player throughout all of his career. He's got catch rates above 80% in the past three years catching 23, 24, and 21 passes for at least 10.5 YPR each season. He's scored at least one touchdown in all years he's played in the NFL, and his number looks much better (and paints a much-closer picture of his real talents) on a per-route basis than a per-game/per-season one. Dissly was the absolute best YAC/Target tight end last year (5.4 yards) while also having a top-six Contested Catch Rate (he hauled in half of those balls) and an extraordinary TE1 Red Zone Catch Rate on top of everything.

Jonnu Smith, New England Patriots (ADP: 258) 

Whatever HC Bill Bellichick was thinking about last season when he brought both Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry to New England didn't quite work out nicely for the Patriots. The two tight ends combined for just 13.9 PPR points per game, and that's barely a higher score than the 10.1 FPPG Rob Gronkowski scored in his last season with the Pats back in 2018 (Gronk's worst season since his rookie year). Henry, at least, got the bulk of the pass-play opportunities with 75 targets to Smith's 45 as the latter played more of a blocking-TE role.

Nothing of that might change next season as Henry and Jonnu will remain in the depth chart and sharing duties, but with the receiving corps rather slim, the Pats could benefit from deploying both TEs more often than not. I say that because Jonnu was an above-average performer--with the exception of scoring TDs though, again, he didn't get so many looks in the Red Zone--in all fronts and statistical categories and he already proved his worth in Tennessee just a couple of years ago culminating with a TE16 finish in 2020 with the Titans in which he averaged 9.3 FPPG.

Smith's numbers didn't get worse in New England compared to those he put up in Tennessee if looked at from the proper angle. He caught 62% of his targets compared to 63% in 2020 and averaged virtually the same YPR (10.5 to 10.9). For some reason, fantasy GMs went crazy drafting Jonnu as high as at an ADP of 121 overall, which never made sense considering Henry would share the field with him and most probably eat from the TE opportunity share pie. This summer, after a disappointing 2021 season more because of a lack of usage than anything else, Jonnu's ADP is hyper low (more than it should) and he should rebound a bit with upside for a great campaign if Henry can't stay on the field all season long--which happened as recently as in 2019-2020 when he missed four and two games, respectively... after skipping the 2018 season entirely.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Uchenna Nwosu

Seahawks Place Uchenna Nwosu on PUP List
Taylor Decker

Alim McNeill, Taylor Decker Placed on PUP List
Tyrion Davis-Price

Titans Waive Tyrion Davis-Price
Tre Harris

Chargers Relying on Tre Harris to Be Starting X Receiver
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Micah Parsons

Will Become Highest-Paid Non-QB
MarShawn Lloyd

Vying for RB2 Role
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith Finds End Zone in First Training Camp Practice
Tyler Shough

Pushing for Fully Guaranteed Rookie Deal
Ar'Darius Washington

Goes on PUP List
Lamar Jackson

to be Even Better in 2025?
Tre Harris

Agrees to Terms on Rookie Deal
Justin Herbert

Off to Good Start at Training Camp
Jameson Williams

Earning Rave Reviews from Lions Coaches
Christian Mahogany

Expected to Start for Lions
Zach Allen

an Extension Candidate in Denver?
Zaire Franklin

May Miss Start of Training Camp
Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard Returning to Portland
Mason Taylor

to Play "Crucial" Role in Jets' Offense
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
T.J. Watt

Once Again Becomes Highest-Paid Non-QB
RJ Harvey

Reaches Agreement on Four-Year Rookie Contract
Rashee Rice

Chiefs Believe Rashee Rice Will Receive Two- to Four-Game Suspension
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hit In Pinky In All-Star Game, X-Rays Negative
MLB

NL All-Stars Win On Tie-Breaker Home Run Swing-Off
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF