Last year, Darren Waller and Mark Andrews were late-round tight ends who finished in the top five at the position in fantasy football. Who will be this year's sleepers at tight end in fantasy? We had a summit to answer that question and many more.
The ESPN Fantasy Football virtual summit highlighted many key storylines as we look forward to 2020 fantasy football drafts. Our composite rankings, which will be updated throughout the offseason, are always a great starting point for fantasy owners as they prepare for draft day.
To give you a peek behind the curtain for some of our best discussions, we introduce our fantasy football roundtable series. Each entry will feature members of our ESPN Fantasy team offering their analysis on the hottest topics that came out of this year's summit, which hopefully will get you thinking about how you want to approach your drafts in the months ahead.
Which later-round TE are you most excited about?
This position is turned upside down each season, as a starter (or three) goes down with an injury and someone unexpected leapfrogs his way to the top. I'm going with Hurst, who proved his ability but didn't have much opportunity in Baltimore, something that changes in Atlanta's pass-heavy offense in which the recently departed Austin Hooper thrived.
Matthew Berry: Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
Somehow, Goedert is currently TE19 in ESPN ADP (average draft position). What?!?!? I know it's still early, but I have him as a top-10 TE, because, you know, he was a top-10 tight end last season. Count me in for a repeat. Even with Zach Ertz leading all TEs in targets per game, Goedert still finished that well, and while the Eagles added weapons this offseason, many are unproven and Goedert still will be on the field a ton for Carson Wentz, who loves to throw to his tight ends. Last season, Philly led the NFL in offensive snaps and had multiple TEs on the field for 57.2% of them, an NFL high. If you're looking a bit deeper, I also like Irv Smith Jr, Jonnu Smith, Blake Jarwin and Ian Thomas.
Matt Bowen: Blake Jarwin, Dallas Cowboys
With the amount of boot and play-action I anticipate from the Cowboys this season, Jarwin could be in the mix here. He averaged 11.8 yards per reception in '19 and there is some run-after-the-catch ability to his game. Scheme Jarwin up on middle-of-the-field throws from Dak Prescott or dump it off to the flat with open space for Jarwin.
Mike Clay: Noah Fant, Denver Broncos
There are several intriguing options, but Fant is my favorite of the bunch. The 2019 first-round pick averaged 8.9 yards per target and was fantasy's No. 16-scoring TE as a rookie (both rank fifth among rookie TEs since 2009). Fant is positioned for a bigger role in his second season and has elite upside. I also like T.J. Hockenson and the much less expensive Chris Herndon.
Tristan H. Cockcroft: Noah Fant, Denver Broncos
Fant is my favorite wait-on-TEs pick for 2020, a second-year player ready to take the next step toward being a potential top-five fantasy option at the position. While the Broncos loaded up on wide receivers in the draft, keep in mind the benefits for Fant: Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler -- along with incumbent Courtland Sutton -- can stretch the field, opening up the shorter routes for Fant, who is already great at generating yardage after the catch.
Daniel Dopp: Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins
Here's what you need to know. In 2019, Gesicki was TE3 in routes run (482), TE8 in targets (88) and TE16 in fantasy points per game. That tells me everything I need to know about the Dolphins' plans for him. He's on the field all the time and could easily finish inside the top 10 if things go even a little bit right for him this season.
Eric Karabell: Noah Fant, Denver Broncos
Wow, how can I be expected to stop at just one? he types sarcastically. I do like the explosive Fant as a potential fantasy starter right now, since I tend to wait until the double-digit rounds to select a tight end anyway. And while I would never select multiples from this position in a standard draft, Philadelphia's Dallas Goedert might be just as statistically successful as starter Zach Ertz, should that opportunity arise. It will in 2021.
Field Yates: Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons
Hurst has a chance to be a target vacuum for Atlanta this season. He was taken in the first round of the 2018 draft and scouts I've heard from remain bullish on his ability. With Austin Hooper now in Cleveland, Hurst looks likely to be Atlanta's third option in the passing game, a more-than-viable role for fantasy purposes.