Through two weeks, tight end continues to be one of the most frustrating positions in fantasy football. Like all spots in your lineup, there have been some surprise breakouts and disappoints — neither of which we can say are “for real” yet — but tight end is seemingly the most random. Aside from the top tier, it’s tough to know who to trust, but our Week 3 fantasy TE rankings for standard leagues are here to help you decide who to start.
Of course, it would be easier if we had more matchup data. The Cardinals, Lions, and Ravens have had issues covering TEs in both Weeks 1 and 2, which could mean good things for Tyler Higbee (@ Cardinals in Week 3), Irv Smith Jr. (vs. Lions), and Hunter Henry (vs. Ravens). On the flip side, a lot of teams have done well against TEs in the season’s first two weeks, with the 49ers, Rams, and Bears among the best. That spells bad news for Albert Okwuegbunam (vs. 49ers in Week 3) and O.J. Howard (@ Bears), who did nothing last week anyway, but we’re not going to shy away from Zach Ertz (vs. Rams) just because of a possible unfavorable matchup.
Ertz remains a “must-start” for now, but a couple guys losing their grips on that status are Dalton Schultz (@ Giants) and T.J. Hockenson (@ Vikings). Generally speaking, we’d still trust them more than the average TE (when healthy — Schultz went down late last week with an apparent knee injury), at least until we get more matchup numbers, but there are very few “set ’em and forget ’em” plays at this position. It doesn’t help when one of the old reliables, George Kittle (@ Broncos), is battling a groin injury. We’re hoping Kittle can make his season debut this week in what should be a decent matchup, but that obviously that’s still in question. Fortunately, Ertz looks to be completely over his calf injury, so that’s a plus.
If you drafted Kittle, hopefully you picked up someone like Gerald Everett (vs. Jaguars), who’s been one of the true “breakouts” so far this year with 14 targets, 125 yards, and a score. Everett has undoubtedly been helped by Keenan Allen’s hamstring injury, so it remains to be seen how he’ll perform with a fully healthy Allen for a full game. Still, we like what we’ve seen from Everett so far, and at this position, that’s a ringing endorsement. Logan Thomas (vs. Eagles), Evan Engram (@ Chargers), Hayden Hurst (vs. Jets) and Tyler Conklin (@ Bengals) have also been early surprises, at least in terms of targets. Thomas and Engram look especially good this week, but all could pop for six-plus catches or a TD at any time.
Conversely, Noah Fant (vs. Falcons), Robert Tonyan (@ Buccaneers), and Cole Kmet (vs. Texans) have all disappointed mightily so far. It’s tough to completely write off any of these talented players, but they have to start producing soon. Chances are, they will right after you drop them, but in shallow leagues, you might not have much of a choice. At the very least, continue to monitor their targets, and if even those start to increase, it’s probably a sign they’re due for solid games. Fant and Kmet both face soft defenses this week, so perhaps breakouts are in order.
Chasing points is usually a fool’s errand at any position, and that’s especially true at tight end. However, this early in the year, if a TE is getting consistent snaps and targets, it might not be chasing points. It might just be chasing this year’s surprise breakout. As long as you pay attention to the numbers that really matter, you should be able to give yourself a good chance at production from this notoriously fickle position.
We’ll be updating these standard TE rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes and analysis.
Week 3 fantasy TE rankings for standard leagues
Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring
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