In 2025, fantasy managers are circling late-round tight ends as the year of the post-hype breakout returns. Four sleepers stand out: Brenton Strange, Elijah Arroyo, Mason Taylor, and Chigoziem Okonkwo. Each offers a clear path to meaningful snaps and targets despite a crowded position league-wide. Strange benefits from Evan Engram’s departure in Jacksonville, with a likely rise in route participation and a larger share of the offense with Trevor Lawrence healthy. Arroyo profiles as Seattle’s athletic, high-upside option who could seize a bigger role as a third passing-game threat. Taylor eyes the Jets’ TE1 spot amid a thin WR room, while Okonkwo—an explosive athlete in Tennessee—could finally realize a top-tier ceiling as a trusted check-down and big-play mismatch. Collectively they represent four complementary late-round targets to round out rosters and fuel down-ballot fantasy success.

Six late-round lottery tickets headline Thunder Dan Paylo's 2025 fantasy football sleepers, with clear paths to breakout if things break right in the offense. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Woody Marks, Dont'e Thornton Jr., Elijah Arroyo, Adonai Mitchell, and Isaac TeSlaa are highlighted as high-upside targets you can realistically snag in the final rounds for upside rather than roster fill.

Strategy centers on exploiting depth-chart openings: Croskey-Merritt could gain touches if Washington moves on from Brian Robinson Jr.; Marks steps in as a potential early-down/backup weapon for Houston; Thornton Jr. profiles as a big-field WR who could emerge as Raiders’ WR2; Arroyo offers big-play upside at tight end with Noah Fant gone; Mitchell and TeSlaa carry upside as late-round bets in Indy and Detroit, respectively, if their quarterbacks improve or injuries create opportunities.

The piece stresses the draft’s middle rounds as the frontier, where knowing top handcuffs and rookie depth charts matters. Autodraft aside, these sleepers form a cohesive late-round group that could anchor fantasy rosters in weeks to come, especially in best-ball and superflex formats, where volatility can translate to weekly rewards.

Seattle rolled out Sam Darnold in his Lumen Field debut and looked the part of a franchise quarterback on a crisp first-series scoring drive: 4-for-4 for 34 yards, using both legs and his tight ends to move the ball. Seattle’s ground game followed suit, piling up 268 rushing yards with five different backs topping 30 yards. On the other sideline, Kansas City rested Mahomes and Kelce, rolling Gardner Minshew at QB and passing game to Robert Tonyan, while Skyy Moore flashed on a late punt return. The night underscored Seattle’s intent to lean on the run and a tight-end rotation that could shape early-season fantasy value, especially around Arroyo and Barner, as Darnold cultivated chemistry with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo.

Backups did their part: Drew Lock threw two TDs to Bobo and moved the chains with a 10-of-12, 129-yard effort, while Charbonnet and Damien Martinez punched in rushing scores and helped lift a revamped Seahawks offense in wet conditions. The KC depth chart showed growth at wideout and tight end behind the stars, with Minshew connecting with Tonyan for a short score. Five Seahawks broke 30 rushing yards, a clear signal the 2025 ground attack is more fearsome than 2024, even in preseason. Noah Fant’s move to Cincinnati left a clear TE vacancy and a path for Arroyo/Barner to seize the Seattle TE job, a storyline fantasy managers will monitor as the schedule tightens.