Fantasy Football Draft Or Pass: Will Evan Engram Rebound In Denver?

Evan Engram is coming off a forgettable 2024 campaign that saw him miss eight games due to an injured shoulder. He was having a disappointing fantasy campaign before going down, averaging just 9.9 points. He had averaged a much more attractive 13.6 points in his prior season. He also experienced a decline in targets, dropping from 8.4 per game to just 7.1.

The Jacksonville Jaguars cut Engram this offseason, but he quickly landed with the Denver Broncos on a two-year deal.  It’s a very favorable landing spot, which I’ll discuss below. He’s participated in OTAs and appears to be 100 percent, which is a positive as he looks to return to the 2023 form that saw him post 114 receptions and 963 yards.

Evan Engram 2025 Fantasy Outlook

Engram projects to be one of the most targeted players in the Broncos' offense, behind only Courtland Sutton. In fact, I see him as maybe the new favorite target of second-year field general Bo Nix in the short and intermediate pass attack. The Broncos have plenty of receivers behind Sutton, including Marvin Mims Jr., Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant, but I still see Engram’s usage being prominent for head coach Sean Payton.

Evan Engram Draft Or Pass

Payton has liked to use his tight ends in the offense when he had a prolific pass catcher at the position. Jeremy Shockey posted good totals in his system, and Jimmy Graham became a fantasy superstar in his offense. Ben Watson also had a huge season (2015) for Payton, and Coby Fleener posted more than 600 yards in 2016. Jared Cook also found success, as he recorded 705 yards and nine touchdowns for Payton and fantasy managers in 2019.

Clearly, this offense is conducive to pass-catching tight ends putting up nice totals both in real and fantasy football terms. Payton didn’t have that sort of player at the position in his first two years in Denver, but he does now in Engram, who should see plenty of work.

Evan Engram Verdict

While I’m not expecting Engram to repeat his incredible 2023 totals, there’s no reason to think he can’t post top-12, starting-level fantasy numbers among tight ends this season. He’s a pretty good bargain in drafts too, as Engram is currently the TE8 on the NFFC website with an ADP of 101. He’s going a few spots later at Underdog Fantasy (ADP: 110.1), but Engram is a potential value nonetheless. In this range, he’s a big-time “draft” for me.