Fantasy football 2017: Tight end sleepers to watch in preseason Week 2

We look at some potential tight end sleepers heading into the second week of preseason.

The second week of the NFL preseason is underway. While most of the league’s starters played sparingly last week, look for them to get more extended snaps as we get closer to the regular season. That also means fantasy owners should be looking closely for potential sleeper candidates, with many leagues beginning their drafts over the next two weeks.

It’s still too early in the preseason to make any serious predictions, but we have a general idea of where most players stand on the depth chart at this point. Before the majority of games kick off over the weekend, let’s examine some sleeper candidates at the tight end position worth keeping an eye on.

Rico Gathers, Dallas Cowboys

Everybody loves a former basketball player tearing it up at tight end, and Gathers has made a name for himself this preseason, going from Baylor basketball to probably an NFL roster in just two years. He still has a ways to go and won’t unseat Jason Witten this year, but Gathers has played himself into dynasty league consideration. He’ll be an exciting player to track for the rest of the preseason.

Dwayne Allen, New England Patriots

Allen never put it all together in Indianapolis and likely won’t be a major factor in New England, but he should stay on your radar if you’re drafting Rob Gronkowski, who hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2011. Martellus Bennett had some fantasy value filling in for Gronk last year, and Allen could easily find himself in the same role if Gronk goes down again.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, New York Jets

A 2015 second-round pick, Seferian-Jenkins’ career looked done when drinking problems and a DUI led to his release from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s suspended for the first two games this season, but ASJ has since sobered up and looks to have the starting tight end job when he comes back. His on-field talent has never been in doubt, and with so few weapons in the Jets offense, ASJ has the right circumstances to be a fantasy asset at a bargain-bin price.