Three potential breakout tight ends in fantasy football

The NFL preseason drawing to a close, which means fantasy football drafts are ramping up. Outside of Kansas City's Travis Kelce and Baltimore's Mark Andrews, the tight end position is a wasteland in fantasy. Unless you're spending high draft capital on the top options, you'll be choosing between several less-than-ideal options.

However, there are a few hidden gems, and if you land one, it could be the final piece to make your team a championship contender. Here are three tight ends with the potential to break out this season.

Pat Freiermuth, Steelers (ESPN ADP: 89)

Despite finishing with a non-losing record for the 19th consecutive season, the Steelers struggled mightily on offense as quarterback Kenny Pickett, who threw just seven touchdowns, adjusted to the NFL. The Steelers ranked 31st in touchdowns scored among teams in 2022 (29), which makes Freiermuth's TE7 finish all the more impressive.

While Pittsburgh has some intriguing receivers like Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, it utilized Freiermuth in the way of an elite tight end. Freiermuth's 19.84% target share and 20.15% of his team's air yards ranked fourth at the position last season. Those percentages should hold steady, if not rise, this season, assuming Pickett takes a step forward. 

And if that’s the case, Freiermuth should find the endzone more than the two trips he made there last season. With an ADP of 89 on ESPN, Freiermuth would be an ideal mid-round selection to ensure your team has a competent weekly starter at tight end.  

Chigoziem Okonkwo, Titans (ADP: 159.1)

Having little competition for targets, Okonkwo was historically successful in fantasy football last season. As pointed out by Pro Football Focus' Jonathon Macri, Okonkwo was only the sixth rookie tight end since 2006 to record two yards per route run or higher on at least 150 routes. 

Okonkwo really started to shine late in the season, to the point where from Week 11 of last season on, he was the TE8 overall in PPR formats. In light of this, it's puzzling why Okonkwo is ranked as the TE16 heading into this season, especially considering he's entering a more favorable situation.

Tennessee bolstered its receiving corps this offseason by adding All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins, indicating that quarterback Ryan Tannehill will likely surpass his 27.08 passing attempts per game from last season. Additionally, since wide receivers Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips will likely miss some time with injuries, Okonkwo has a chance to contribute early and often to start the season. 

Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (ADP: 169.4)

A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Ferguson is set to replace Dalton Schultz in Dallas' offense and will serve as the security blanket for tight end-friendly quarterback Dak Prescott. Ferguson was more of a blocking tight end for the Cowboys last season, catching 19 passes for 174 yards in 16 games, including eight starts. 

In their time together, Prescott turned Schultz into a consistent fantasy asset and showed a level of elite potential that could be similar to what's in store for Ferguson. Since 2020, Schultz ranks fourth among tight ends in targets (282) and receptions (198). In that span, the current Houston Texan finished as the TE11, TE3 and most recently TE10 overall. 

Prescott recently told reporters that he believes Ferguson is "close to becoming a big-time guy." Given that kind of trust from his quarterback, the Wisconsin product is poised to become the next Cowboys late-round fantasy tight end that emerges as a staple in your lineup.

Ferguson's ADP puts him as a 15th-round pick on ESPN, a platform where the draft is 16 rounds. As your leaguemates choose late-round fliers that will likely end up on the waiver wire, drafting Ferguson will one of your final selections won't be as much of a gamble as they're taking.