Late-Round Tight End Targets in FFPC Fantasy Football Leagues

Aug 13, 2024

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With preseason football, hard knocks, training camp reports, and inevitable injuries flowing, football is back. Along with all of that comes the return of fantasy football leagues! I am partial to FFPC leagues where they offer massive prizes and the upside to win a million dollars. All you have to do is win your league and advance to the championship rounds where you will arguably have the best chance at a million dollars in your life.

To briefly explain the FFPC. There are entries at $350 or $2,000. Both contests operate similarly. Everyone drafts in a league with 12 total teams. In Weeks 1-12, you play against all the teams in your league. Weeks 13 and 14 are the “league playoffs.” The top-4 teams make the playoffs and play in the semi-finals and finals. Then from there, the two best teams qualify for the “championship rounds.” This is where the big money is. The best two teams from every league from the entire contest get thrown into that pool for the championship rounds. The top-scoring teams from Weeks 15-17 in the championship rounds can win up to $1M. You can find all of the rules, prizes, and more here.

Since it is tight-end premium (1.5 PPR) scoring, tight ends are even more important, and finding late-round gems like Sam Laporta last year can be legitimate league-winners.

Late-Round Tight End Targets

Before we dive in, since FFPC is tight-end premium, all tight ends go much higher than normal in these leagues. I am defining “late-round tight ends” at pick 120 or later.

Tyler Conklin (ADP: 131st overall, TE18)

Conklin is coming off a career-best 61-621-0 season but might be ready to truly break out. In the last two years, Conklin has caught passes from Zach Wilson, Mike White, Chris Streveler, Joe Flacco, Trevor Siemian, and Tim Boyle. That list is honestly pretty hard to look at (outside of Flacco, of course.)

Aaron Rodgers figures to unlock a ceiling and make his floor even more stable. Conklin ran a route on 70% of dropbacks last season and figures to play a sizable role in the offense. The Jets added Mike Williams in the offseason but are taking it slow after a season-ending ACL tear last year. He may not even play much of a role until Week 3-4. Behind him, we are looking at Allen Lazard, Xavier Gipson, and rookie Malachi Corley.

Meanwhile, Conklin has been a legitimate target-earner. He earned 4+ targets in 13-of-17 games last season and 4+ receptions in 10-of-17.

With Rodgers in town, Conklin will has a great shot to be a TE1 this season.

Jonnu Smith (ADP 192nd overall, TE25)

Tight ends have not played a role in Miami the past few years but I think that changes here. Mike McDaniel said: “Some people think that just ‘whatever it was, it will always be’… There’s opportunities there, for sure.”

He also went on to compliment his YAC ability, something that Tyreek, Waddle, and Devon Achane are also notoriously good at. Jonnu even receiving some opportunity could go a long way given how efficient the offense is. McDaniel added:

“He (Jonnu) has become a master of YAC — not only because of speed, but because of a mindset”

#Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel on Miami’s use of tight ends:

“Some people think that just ‘whatever it was, it will always be’… There’s opportunities there, for sure.”

McDaniel on Jonnu Smith:

“He has become a master of YAC — not only because of speed, but because of a mindset” pic.twitter.com/o1l4yHEuf9

— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) June 4, 2024

On top of some coachspeak from June, reports from training camp are that McDaniel has been using Smith in unique ways. That’s all I need to hear to draft him, but his career is also trending upward. He had a career season in Atlanta, nearly out-performing former first-round pick Kyle Pitts in a low-volume, inefficient offense.

It won’t be hard for Smith to pay off at his TE25 ADP and his ceiling is being a weekly back-end TE1 this year.

Juwan Johnson (ADP: 193rd overall, TE26)

Johnson’s ADP is buried after undergoing surgery earlier this offseason. It was just a minor surgery and he has already begun practicing in some capacity. He should be ready for the regular season. Johnson has minimal target competition this season with just Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Taysom Hill as the potential target-earners. Last year Johnson was banged up for a good chunk of the season but did have multiple big games including an 8-90-1 game on 12 targets in Week 17. This came after a TE5 and TE11 performance in Weeks 15 and 16. Turning 28 in September, if Johnson is healthy he should be in great shape to be the Saints top tight end.

The Saints also brought in a new OC, Klint Kubiak, this offseason who previously worked with the San Francisco 49ers among other teams. He figures to increase motion rates and bring the offense into the 21st century.

Theo Johnson (ADP: 234th overall, TE31)

Rookie tight ends historically don’t perform well but Sam Laporta turned that narrative on its head last season with a TE1 overall performance.

Theo Johnson likely isn’t Laporta, but has minimal target competition and should play a big pass-catching role from the jump. After coming off PUP he has reportedly made a big impact. In their first preseason game, Theo Johnson ran five routes to Bellinger’s three.

Per Nathan Jahnke, “Johnson played all of the snaps in 11 personnel while Bellinger and Manhertz played all of the 12 personnel snaps on the first two drives. On the third drive, Johnson played all four 12 personnel snaps while Bellinger and Manhertz split them. Bellinger played two snaps in 11 personnel and Manhertz played one. On the fourth drive, Johnson and Bellinger played the whole drive outside of one play by Johnson in 11 personnel.”

Given it’s Johnson’s first preseason game recently coming off injury, the upside here is immense after ripping a 9.99 relative athletic score (RAS) and a big void of target-earners in the Giants offense. You aren’t drafting Johnson for Week 1 but he could be a factor in fantasy leagues down the stretch.