Evan Engram 2025 NFL Redraft Outlook: New Life in Denver?

I’ve been covering fantasy football long enough to know when a player’s situation screams “breakout candidate,” and when it whispers “proceed with caution.” Evan Engram’s move to Denver? That’s got me genuinely fired up, and here’s why every fantasy manager should be paying attention.

Evan Engram 2024 Stats and Fantasy Production

When Sean Payton gets his hands on a versatile tight end, beautiful things happen. We’ve seen this movie before, folks. Remember Jimmy Graham’s monster seasons in New Orleans? That wasn’t an accident; that was Payton turning a matchup nightmare into fantasy gold.

Engram’s heading into his age-31 season, sure, but he’s walking into what could be the perfect storm of opportunity. The Broncos don’t have much settled beyond Courtland Sutton on that depth chart, and Payton’s “joker” role has historically been a fantasy cheat code. We’re talking about a coach who knows how to maximize athletic tight ends better than almost anyone in the league.

The numbers back up the excitement, too. In the eight weeks Engram stayed healthy last season, he managed a 46/360/1 line despite Jacksonville’s offense looking like it was stuck in quicksand. His usage rates were solid: he just couldn’t stay on the field thanks to those pesky hamstring and shoulder issues that derailed what should’ve been a productive campaign.

Let’s address the elephant in the room: last season was rough. Real rough. Engram looked tentative with the ball, dealt with multiple injuries, and watched the Jaguars offense implode around him. His contract became so burdensome that new GM James Gladstone basically showed him the door.

But here’s the thing that gets me excited: when Engram was healthy and productive in 2022 and 2023, he was legitimately elite at the position. We’re talking about a guy who ranked second and 12th in target share during those seasons. He excelled against man coverage, ranking fourth and eighth in yards per route run versus man coverage in 2023-2024. That’s not luck, that’s talent.

The injury concerns? They were his first significant health issues since 2021. Sometimes players have down years. Sometimes offenses collapse. That doesn’t erase what we know about a player’s ceiling.

Evan Engram 2025 Fantasy Outlook

I know, I know, young quarterbacks and fantasy tight ends don’t always mix. But Bo Nix isn’t your typical rookie. This kid showed enough arm talent and decision-making at Oregon to suggest he can keep this offense functional from day one.

Payton wouldn’t have taken this job without believing he could develop Nix quickly, and historically, rookie quarterbacks love their safety valve targets. Engram’s route-running ability and sure hands could make him Nix’s best friend when the pocket starts collapsing.

The projected numbers look solid too: 63 catches for 649 yards and four touchdowns. In today’s tight end wasteland, those numbers would likely put him in the TE1 conversation, exactly where savvy fantasy managers want to be fishing.

Now, let me pump the brakes for just a second. Derek Brown from FantasyPros raised an interesting concern about Engram’s preseason usage. In Week 3 of preseason action, Engram posted just a 64% route per dropback rate. If that holds during the regular season, we’re looking at a significantly capped ceiling.

That’s the kind of detail that separates championship teams from also-rans in fantasy football. Route participation matters, especially for a player whose value depends on volume in an offense that might not be throwing 40 times per game.

Here’s where I land on Engram: this is exactly the type of calculated risk that wins fantasy leagues. His current ADP suggests the market is still spooked by last season’s injury-riddled campaign, but the underlying metrics tell a different story.

We’re talking about a proven NFL tight end joining an offense that’s historically maximized players in his skill set, working with a coach who’s turned similar players into fantasy gold. The injury concerns are real, but they’re also overblown based on his track record.

In a position as shallow as tight end, finding a guy with legitimate TE1 upside in the middle rounds feels like highway robbery. Sure, there’s risk, but that’s true for almost every player outside the elite tier.

Engram might be 31, but he’s not washed. He’s motivated, healthy, and in the perfect system to remind everyone why he was once considered one of the most dynamic tight ends in football. Sometimes the best fantasy plays are the ones hiding in plain sight.