Fantasy Football: 6 Sleeper Tight Ends to Target in 2018

Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

Mike Gesicki is one of the most -- maybe the most -- athletically gifted tight end prospects the NFL has ever seen. He paced all tight ends at the 2018 NFL combine in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 3-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle. Only Dallas Goedert bested Gesicki in the bench press. His SPARQ-x rating is in the 97th percentile, per PlayerProfiler.

While it is rare to see rookie tight ends succeed, Gesicki is already penciled in as the starter in Miami and played on all 11 of Ryan Tannehill's snaps in the first preseason game. In the second exhibition, he started and played in 22 first-half snaps, pacing all Miami Dolphins tight ends. Not only is Miami dealing with the departure of Jarvis Landry's 161 targets, there are also 78 targets missing from the tight end position.

If you focus on just the red zone, Landry's absence leaves a massive gap. He was responsible for almost 26% of the Dolphins' red zone targets since the 2016 season. DeVante Parker is second over this span with 17%, and he is nursing a broken finger, which leaves his availability for Week 1 in question. With Landry and Parker in the fold over the past two years, Miami tight ends have still averaged 13 red-zone targets per year. Departures and injuries will likely increase the red-zone workload, but even if it doesn't, 13 red-zone targets would've been enough to rank Gesicki sixth among tight ends in 2017.

Some may criticize the quarterback situation in Miami, but Tannehill posted an absolutely absurd 120.5 passer rating in the red zone in 2016, which is the second-highest red zone passer rating for a season since Pro Football Focus began tracking in 2006.

The best part about Gesicki is his cost. He is being drafted as the 17th tight end off the board, available in Round 14. He may be too risky to take as your only tight end, but there aren't many late round tight ends who have legitimate upside. With elite measurables, the enormous target chasm left by Landry, the only other red zone threat (Parker) possibly missing the start of the season, and playing for a team that loves throwing to the tight end in the red zone, take the plunge with Gesicki. --Patrick Waterman