2023 Fantasy Football Creeper Preview

by Michael Nazarek (UPDATED - 8/24/2023)

Editor's Note: Below you will find a portion of our Fantasy Football Creepers for 2023. If you'd like to read about all 18 creepers, please click HERE to order our 2023 Pre-Season Draft Guide.

 

TIGHT ENDS

 

Kyle Pitts (Atlanta) - OVERRATED. Yes, the kid's got talent, but he failed to produce for the Falcons last year. Could that change in 2023? Yes, it could, but will it for sure change? Don't bet on it. Bottom Line: I want to see Pitts produce before I take a risk with a fairly high draft pick on him for fantasy. Many fantasy owners are drafting him ahead of players like TE Dallas Goedert, and I simply believe that is a mistake. Heck, he caught more than 3 passes in any one game in 2022 just twice and scored just two TDs! That is UGLY. ADP: Round 5-6. Update 8/24: Pitts' ADP has actually gone up into the 5^th round on average, but he's still limping around, seeing limited practice time after suffering a serious knee injury in 2022. Worse of all, he's played a limited number of snaps with the first unit in preseason action. I need a more reliable fantasy starter at TE, and Pitts just doesn't fit that bill!

 

Dalton Schultz (Houston) - Schultz goes from a TE-friendly passing game in Dallas with QB Dak Prescott to a total unknown with rookie QB C.J. Stroud in Houston. Could Schultz become Stroud's safety net? Sure, but what exactly does that mean? The only good thing here is the fact that Schultz's ADP is the 11/12 round area, so you could take him as a backup and play the waiting game with regard to when to consider starting him. That said, I'd rather have an established connection for TEs, even my backup. ADP: Round 10-11. Update 8/24: Nothing has changed here with regard to Schultz, but Stroud has struggled to produce consistent results in preseason action. As a result, the 10^th round is just too high to take a veteran TE in such a young offense with no real identity.

 

Cole Kmet (Chicago) - DEBUTS 8/24: Kmet produced most of his 7 scores (5) in 2022 in a few games in the middle of the season. He produced 11 games of under 10 PPR points last year, and the offense added WR D.J. Moore, which means even less targets for Kmet in 2023. As a result, he slides in our rankings and debuts on this list of creepers for 2023. There are plenty of other TEs with higher upside to choose from in the middle of your draft to waste a pick on Kmet. ADP: Round 10-11.

 

Hunter Henry (New England) - Henry saw most of the snaps and targets at tight end in New England last year and still produced a meager 41-509-2 stat line, which was not even top 20 TE material. This off-season, the Patriots signed TE Mike Gesicki to play alongside Henry, making Henry's impact likely even less. I know his ADP is very low, but I'd target someone with more upside who is not in a timeshare like Henry is in New England, even for my fantasy backup. ADP: Round 18-19. Update 8/24: Nothing has changed here with regard to Henry, but a separated shoulder for Gesicki could give Henry more targets early in the season, but that is not enough to outweigh all the negatives here.

 

The Deep-Creeper

 

Logan Thomas (Washington) - I used to love what Thomas could do in Washington, but that was years ago. Thomas has battled nothing but injuries in recent seasons, as he hasn't topped 39 catches or three scores in a season since his 72-670-6 stat line from 2020. Perhaps that changes in 2023, but I'm not feeling it, and with the QB situation totally unsettled, I will gladly look elsewhere for more potential late in my draft at tight end. For now, Thomas is my deep creeper at tight end in 2023. ADP: Round 20-21. Update 8/24: A calf injury has sidelined Thomas for much of camp, and he's still limited in practice. Simply put, he's just too injury prone to draft for fantasy in 2023.

 

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