Pat Kerrane explained that Brenton Strange’s fantasy thesis hinges on route volume: coaches intend to leave him on the field in a K-Dotton–type every-down role, but with actual pass-game design behind it. That expected 75-plus % route participation bumps Strange into the high-end TE2 range—he has been ranked ahead of Hunter Henry in Kerrane’s Week 1 ranks—making him a viable start for managers who drafted him as a speculative second tight end.

Calling him "this year’s Tucker Kraft," Polzin spotlighted Brenton Strange as a $3.3K punt who flashed more than Evan Engram down the stretch last season. Strange has shown rapport with Trevor Lawrence, and Polzin believes that’s one reason Jacksonville felt comfortable with Engram trade rumors. If Travis Hunter (currently banged up) misses Week 1, Strange’s route share would spike, giving him legitimate top-10 tight-end upside at a near-minimum salary.

Chris Raybon pegged Brenton Strange as a classic late-round tight end who might simply win on route volume. He expects Strange to be Jacksonville’s starting TE and finish near the league leaders in routes run, similar to what Cade Otton delivered under Liam Cohn. That workload alone makes Strange draftable in all redraft formats, with room for more if Doug Pederson schemes him red-zone usage.

Matt Okada flagged Brenton Strange as a near-free tight end who could crack the TE1 tier. Strange’s eight games without Evan Engram last season produced five outings of four-plus targets, three games over 60 yards and an 11-catch, 73-yard spike in Week 15. Now in his third year he sits atop the Jaguars depth chart and projects as Trevor Lawrence’s No. 3 target behind Brian Thomas Jr. and rookie Travis Hunter. Okada reminded readers that coordinator Liam Coen previously shepherded Cade Otton to a year-three breakout and believes the same scheme, Strange’s second-round pedigree and TE24 price tag create a perfect late-round dart.

JSU said Brenton Strange is one of his favorite throw-in tight ends at the very end of DraftKings Best-Ball drafts. His logic is simple: the entire Jacksonville offense is set for ‘a big upgrade’ under new play-caller Lee & Cohn after the team added vertical threat Dyami Brown and spent premium draft capital on wideouts. With defensive attention shifting outside and Strange running almost every route out of 12 personnel in preseason, JSU expects a spike in red-zone looks for the second–year tight end. Strange is free in the 19th/20th round, giving drafters cheap exposure to what JSU believes will be a top-12 scoring attack.

Sia Nejad spotlighted Brenton Strange as a last-round tight-end target. Strange flashed in 2024 with lines of 5-59 against Green Bay, 11-73 versus the Jets, and 4-60 in the Indianapolis finale—production that mostly came with backup Mac Jones at quarterback. Now he steps into an offense where Trevor Lawrence targets tight ends on 24.5 % of throws, the fourth-highest rate among quarterbacks over the past three seasons. Nejad does not view Strange as Evan Engram-level talent but believes the role alone gives Strange streaming value and makes him a strong TE2 if you fade the position early.

When deciding on a second tight end, Best Ball Guy leaned toward Brenton Strange over Hunter Henry because Jacksonville’s playoff path sets up better for shoot-outs. He highlighted Week 16 versus Denver and the final-week matchup with Indianapolis as spots where Strange could catch the one or two touchdowns that swing an advance. Both Strange and Henry face the Jets’ pass funnel, but Henry also draws Baltimore and Buffalo—two defenses he’d rather avoid. The schedule edge combined with Strange’s cheaper price made him the preferred late-round tight-end dart for tournament finals.

Josh Shepardson called Strange a priority late-round best-ball swing at 161.3 ADP (TE19). He pointed out that among 52 tight ends who ran 150+ routes last season, Strange ranked tied-15th in targets per route run (0.21), tied-19th in yards per route run (1.56) and 15th in expected half-PPR points per route (0.38). Shepardson likes the coaching change to Liam Coen, noting Coen coaxed a third-year breakout from Cade Otton in Tampa Bay and now has another third-year tight end in Jacksonville. With Brian Thomas and two-way rookie Travis Hunter stretching defenses, Shepardson expects a much friendlier scoring environment than the 2024 “mess.” He projects Strange to be the every-down route runner, thinks touchdown variance could push him into weekly spike weeks, and believes the floor is high enough that he “won’t bust completely” as a TE3 on Underdog.

Best Ball Guy said the Brenton Strange–Juwan Johnson combo is his go-to TE2/TE3 pairing when rolling with three tight ends. Strange routinely slides past pick 180, giving drafters a dirt-cheap attachment to Trevor Lawrence in Weeks 16-17, while Johnson provides weekly touchdown equity as Derek Carr’s preferred red-zone target. Together they create what he called "guaranteed volume" without sacrificing premium capital elsewhere, a perfect fit for structures that open with a single early tight end and need late depth at the position.

James Koh highlighted Brenton Strange as a screaming value at TE21. Evan Engram is gone, and Strange flashed plus athleticism—255 pounds with a 36-inch vertical—during limited rookie-year work. New coordinator Liam Cohen comes from Tampa Bay where Cade Otton soaked up 87 targets, signaling that Jacksonville’s scheme will feed its primary tight end. Koh also expects the Jaguars’ offense to produce more red-zone trips than last season, and touchdowns are the lifeblood of fantasy tight ends. Given the near-free cost, Koh is happily scooping Strange in every draft.

Best Ball Guy said Brenton Strange is a sneaky late-round tight-end target because he could see "80 to 100 targets" in his second season. He reminded listeners that Evan Engram, now with Denver, handled heavy underneath volume for Trevor Lawrence the past two years and believes Doug Pederson will keep that possession-TE role baked into the offense. With Lawrence already trusting the position in high-leverage spots, Strange needs only average efficiency to pay off his near-undrafted ADP in best-ball tournaments.

Referencing his own tight-end advanced-stats series, Kevin Szafraniec said Brenton Strange is one of his favorite last-round punts. Strange matched Evan Engram in yards per route (1.40) on limited snaps and posted a 76 th-percentile burst score coming out of Penn State, numbers that suggest he could step right into Jacksonville’s high-tempo passing attack if Engram ever misses time. Even without an injury, Kevin thinks the Jaguars’ 12-personnel wrinkles under new OC Press Taylor could push Strange toward a 45-target season, which is plenty when you grab him in Round 17/18 as your TE 3 behind an elite like George Kittle. Kevin said he would have jammed Strange even harder had they drafted Trevor Lawrence, but he still likes the low-cost attachment to an offense projected top-10 in pass attempts.

Kevin Szafraniec flagged Brenton Strange as a Round-17/18 tight-end punt that pairs nicely with other Jaguars pieces. Citing his own advanced-stat study, Kevin noted Strange’s rookie efficiency metrics lined up surprisingly well with Evan Engram’s despite limited routes. He thinks Jacksonville will stay pass-heavy and that Strange could carve out red-zone work even if Engram holds the starting gig. Kevin is more willing to click Strange when he already has Trevor Lawrence or other Jags, but said the profile is strong enough to use him as a third tight end on any Kittle-anchored build that wants ceiling without burning early capital.

Best Ball Guy said Brenton Strange is a "comfy click" at the back of drafts because Jacksonville just let multiple pass-catchers walk—he rattled off Christian Kirk, Evan Engram and Gabe Davis—leaving a pile of vacated targets. Strange has already flashed competence when forced onto the field, and BBG likes pairing him with Trevor Lawrence for a cheap double stack that costs nothing in Sprint or Dalmatian rooms. The thesis is simple: in a suddenly wide-open receiver hierarchy, Strange can soak up short and intermediate looks, giving drafters a playable TE2 who still offers spike-week access if the Jaguars’ new cast fails to separate.

Andy Holloway highlighted Brenton Strange as his favorite third tight end in best-ball builds. With Evan Engram’s 104 targets out the door and Liam Cohen’s scheme historically featuring plenty of TE seams and boot-action crosses, Strange now sits atop a depth chart that wants to keep the football in-line. Holloway recalled Strange’s lone 2024 spike week—4-67-1 on six looks—arguing it showed the athleticism (4.70 forty, 71st-percentile burst) to pop for multiple TD games if Travis Hunter’s snaps are managed or if the rookie wideout is busy on defense. Because Strange is undrafted in most redraft leagues and lingers in the 18th–20th round of best-ball lobbies, Holloway views him as a virtually free way to capture whatever tight-end volume Cohen decides to recycle after Engram’s exit.

Christopher Allen said Brenton Strange deserves sleeper status under first-time head coach/OC Liam Coen. In 2022 Coen helped Sean McVay’s Rams rank 14th in early-down pass rate and throw on 69 % of snaps inside the 10-yard line. Last year only Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow attempted more passes inside the 10 than Baker Mayfield in Coen’s Bucs attack, and Cade Otton parlayed that approach into a 23.5 % target share whenever Tampa’s top receivers were out. Because Coen spreads routes to any player who can catch, Allen expects Strange to see far more red-zone and overall targets than the market projects, making him a cheap TE2 with weekly touchdown upside in both best-ball and redraft formats.

Sean Koerner said Brenton Strange is the smash Round-14 tight end because Evan Engram’s move to Denver leaves Strange as the clear No. 1 in Jacksonville. Koerner reminded listeners that whenever Engram missed time last year Strange was almost a one-for-one replacement, finishing TE9 over the first four-game stretch and TE17 over the second while posting an 11-catch blow-up in Week 15. He framed Strange’s ceiling around new OC Liam Cohen, noting Cohen coaxed career years out of Tyler Higbee in 2022 and Cade Otton in 2023. A second-round pedigree plus a likely every-down snap share make Strange an easy bet for 80-plus routes per game and a possible outlier TD season, especially if Trevor Lawrence’s historically low red-zone conversion rate positively regresses. Koerner called him the perfect final tight end in best-ball builds that are already heavy on Jaguars stacks but added he’s plenty viable in season-long formats given the thin tight-end landscape.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound argued that Brenton Strange should keep rising because Jacksonville vacated a massive chunk of short-to-intermediate targets with Evan Engram and Christian Kirk no longer on the roster. The GM has been hyping Strange all offseason, and early camp reports echo that optimism. With no clear competition for snaps, Strange projects as the every-down tight end in a Doug Pederson scheme that historically feeds the position (Engram averaged 6.3 targets per game the past two seasons). Given those circumstances, Pat believes Strange’s late-round ADP still understates his ceiling and is worth mixing into best-ball portfolios.