We’re approaching the 2025 season. Every year, a few players seize on the right opportunity and surprise fantasy players. The value comes from trying to predict who it will be this time of year and stashing them. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at some 2025 sleeper candidates at each of the key fantasy positions: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. Hopefully, these are players you can acquire at a value that will propel you to fantasy glory.
The 2024 season was a disaster in Jacksonville. The team suffered injuries to key players and inconsistent play, resulting in a 4-13 season. This led to several off-season changes, including the appointment of a new Head Coach. It also led to personnel changes. While Trevor Lawrence remains, his pass catchers look different. Standout second-year receiver Brian Thomas, Jr. leads the receiving group, while the Jaguars will lean on rookie Travis Hunter, too.
One of the other young targets getting a shot in 2025 is Brenton Strange. The third-year tight end made little impression as a rookie, but after veteran Evan Engram was lost in 2024, Strange stepped up. Now, with Engram in Denver, Strange is poised to assume the starting role for the Jaguars. Should he start for you in fantasy, too? Let’s weigh the evidence.
The Case for Brenton Strange
Strange was taken in the Second Round of the 2023 NFL Draft. It was an interesting pick, given that the team had Engram, but Strange found a way to contribute last season. He appeared in all 17 games, starting 10, and saw 53 targets after seeing only nine targets during his rookie year. He caught 40 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns. He seemed to be a good fit for Doug Pederson’s tight end-friendly offense, especially one that was depleted by injuries.
Now, Engram is gone. The Jaguars released him this offseason, seemingly a sign that they had a replacement ready. Strange finished as just TE31, but showed flashes. He has the potential to step in and be a consistent target for the Jaguars. The fact that the team didn’t make a major selection at the position in the draft or target a marquee free agent lends confidence to Strange’s standing on the team. And new Head Coach Liam Coen deployed the tight end well last season in Tampa Bay, with Cade Otton finishing as TE14.
The Case Against Brenton Strange
But will Strange get the volume? In 2023, Engram saw 143 targets as a focal point of the Jaguars’ pass game. Even in just nine games, Engram saw 64 targets in 2024, 11 more than Strange saw in 17 games and 10 starts. Strange filled in for Engram, but he wasn’t deployed with the same volume and usage. Some of that was a result of the offense struggling, but some was because the focus shifted.
Thomas stepped up as the Jaguars’ top target in 2024. He saw 133 targets, more than double the next closest receiver. He figures to again be the team’s top target, while explosive playmaker Hunter joins as a rookie. How much volume does that leave for Strange, free agent receiver Dyami Brown, and other targets? Additionally, the Jaguars added tight ends this offseason. Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long don’t profile to start over Strange, but it could indicate more of a committee approach to the position. That would limit the upside Strange has for fantasy.
The Bottom Line
I like Strange, and I like him as a Sleeper this season, but he’s not without risk. The Jaguars’ pass offense is a work in progress with a new coach, new receivers, and a quarterback recovering from a major injury. Most of Strange’s starts last season came with Mac Jones at quarterback, and he’s no longer on the roster. Strange is currently going as TE21, meaning some of that risk is baked into his cost. That feels like fair value for a player that could have a higher upside. Still, if you’re snagging Strange, you should have other options to play a hot hand approach as the season begins.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
