2026 Fantasy Football: Dalton Schultz Among Justin Boone's Top Sleeper Picks At Te

Fantasy managers are smarter than ever, so finding a player who's actually being slept on can be difficult. 

With that in mind, let's shine the spotlight on some players available in the late rounds or even off the waiver wire who could surprise in 2026. 

Over the next week, I'll revisit my favorite sleeper candidates at every key fantasy position. Let’s take a look at tight ends. 

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Dalton Schultz, Texans

You hate to see players get injured, especially when it's a rising star like Jayden Higgins. That's life in the fantasy world though, and we need to react accordingly. 

Nico Collins is an elite top target in Houston with Jaylin Noel now taking over as the promising sophomore wideout to target in the offense. However, fantasy managers shouldn't sleep on Dalton Schultz. 

The veteran tight end seems like a boring pick, but he's quietly coming off a strong fantasy campaign where he averaged the 11th-most points at his position over the final 13 weeks. That included finishing tied for third in receptions among tight ends (82) and sixth in receiving yards (777). 

With Higgins sidelined for the season, Schultz now has a chance to be C.J. Stroud's No. 2 target once again. 

You're not going to impress your leaguemates by taking the 30-year-old Texans tight end. But if you somehow miss out on the top 13 options at the position, Schultz is in the next group of high-end TE2s who could easily end the year as a fantasy TE1. 

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Greg Dulcich, Dolphins

The fact that I am currently writing a sleepers article highlighting Greg Dulcich in the year 2026 is what makes fantasy so fun. 

The former third-rounder is an athletic receiving tight end who got his career off to a promising start in 2022, catching 33 balls for 411 yards and two scores as a member of the Broncos. Unfortunately, hamstring injuries cost him the final two games that year and eventually derailed his 2023 campaign, as well. 

Following that solid rookie year, Dulcich only managed to post eight catches for 53 scoreless yards over the following two seasons combined — while splitting time between the Broncos and Giants. 

After being waived by New York last August, Dulcich joined the Dolphins practice squad, but wasn't promoted until Week 8 when Darren Waller was sidelined with a chest injury. 

Despite only suiting up in 10 games, Dulcich finished with the third-highest receiving yards total on the team (335 yards), which says more about Miami's offense than it does Dulcich. However, the pass-catching options have only gotten worse since then, with Jaylen Waddle being traded away and Waller becoming a free agent. 

Those aren't only changes that have occurred in Miami. A new coaching staff and new quarterback will make this attack look a lot different in 2026. The team has also added a variety of new receivers in free agency and the draft, but this remains one of the weakest WR depth charts in the league. 

Though Dolphins dual-threat QB Malik Willis projects to be a low-volume passer, the roster lacks a No. 1 receiver — with third-year wideout Malik Washington being the top candidate for the job. 

That leaves Dulcich in an excellent position to build off his strong stretch run in 2025. In those 10 appearances, he posted at least 40 yards in 50% of his games, including four of his last five outings. 

When we're searching for a sleeper tight end, one of the simplest situations to look for is a player who can finish top two in targets in his offense. Dulcich definitely has a chance to accomplish that feat.

The 26-year-old is a complete free square in fantasy, going off the board well outside the top 150 picks. While he remains a long shot to turn into a weekly fantasy starter, we've seen several tight ends in recent years come out of nowhere and enter the top 12 at the position. Dulcich could be that guy in 2026. 

More positional sleepers

• Quarterbacks

• Running Backs

• Wide Receivers

• Tight Ends

A.J. Barner, Seahawks

Barner took a big step forward in his second season, finishing 16th in receptions among tight ends (52), 20th in receiving yards (519) and eighth in touchdowns (six). He was a top-15 fantasy tight end eight different weeks, with six of those landing him inside the top 10.

Despite playing through injuries, the former fourth-round pick even made his mark in the Super Bowl with a 4-54-1 stat line. 

A week later, Barner underwent shoulder and ankle surgeries, which he's still rehabbing from. The good news is that he was already working off to the side with trainers during OTAs and reports have him as a "ascending" player in the offense so far at training camp.

There's also no shortage of confidence from the 24-year-old, which he expressed via the Seahawks' website. 

"I expect myself to be one of the best tight ends in the league, and I think I've played up to that standard, not consistently maybe throughout the whole season, but definitely have done that. I hold myself to a high standard, and the goal is to win championships and play in big games, and also bring that same mindset to training camp when I'm back out there with the guys. That's how I'm feeling. I think I can take it to another level, and I think it's going to make my job hopefully easier and my process leading up to gameday that much easier."

Even with a change at offensive coordinator, Seattle's offense projects to remain very similar to last year's scheme. That means Barner will be a big part of the passing attack, providing him with an opportunity to make another jump in Year 3. 

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