Week 3 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

With a second week of data and game performances added to our toolbox, things are beginning to take shape across the tight end landscape. Of course, just as I said that, things are going to go off the rails. The good news is that so far, there’s not a true disappointment in the mix. There are a few ascending tight ends, as we keep a close eye on Tyler Warren and Juwan Johnson and their strong starts. Let’s jump right into our Week 3 Tight End Rankings.

Week 5 Top-Five Performances

Tucker Kraft – 6 catches, 124 yards, TD
Zach Ertz – 6 catches, 64 yards, TD
Jake Ferguson – 9 catches, 78 yards
Juwan Johnson – 9 catches, 49 yards, TD
Trey McBride – 6 catches 78 yards

Injury Notes for Week 3

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Officially placed on Injured Reserve, George Kittle is guaranteed to miss at least the next four weeks. As Kittle works his way through his hamstring injury, Jake Tonges (four catches) and Luke Farrell (touchdown) have a role. However, that’s really only relevant to the 49ers and not necessarily fantasy football managers.

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

From a health perspective, there’s nothing to worry about here. Brock Bowers played without issue on Monday and caught five of his eight targets. The problem, though, is that it was just for 38 yards. The good news is that, despite his knee brace, there were no limitations. Well, other than Geno Smith’s inconsistent play and struggles.

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

As Darren Waller comes out of a brief retirement, it looks like he’s still another week away from returning from his hamstring injury. Let’s be honest, though, I’m not sure we’re looking at any fantasy value when Waller does return, as he’s past his prime.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

A knee injury kept Dallas Goedert from the field on Sunday. Heading into Week 3, this will be a situation to keep an eye on. Grant Calcaterra takes Goedert’s spot in the lineup but he doesn’t show enough from a fantasy perspective to be on our radars.

Tight End Notes

Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers

After a solid finish to the 2024 season, the Carolina Panthers were an interesting team heading into 2025. That extends to Ja’Tavion Sanders, who’s an interesting tight end as he enters his second season.

Game flow certainly moved things in the correct direction, but it was a strong showing for Sanders on Sunday. He was targeted nine times and finished with seven catches for 54 yards. Sanders is clearly the receiving option among Carolina’s tight end room, and he figures to be busy this year. Using Sanders in the role of a possession receiver works for his fantasy value as the Panthers figure to be trailing a lot.

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

How high will Tucker Kraft go this season? After a solid start to his season, Kraft stepped things up a few notches on Thursday. He finished with six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. That included a 57-yard catch as Kraft continues his strong start. It was the second straight game in which Kraft found the endzone as he continues to take on a large role in the Green Bay offense.

Seeing Jayden Reed exit with a shoulder injury did help with Kraft’s workload. Kraft looks to be increasing his role in Green Bay’s offense as someone needs to step up within the hierarchy. Right now, it looks like that’s Kraft’s role for the taking as long as he continues to produce. At this point, he’ll be one of the highest-ranking tight ends for the season. Just don’t overinvest as these

Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders

So far this season, Zach Ertz picked up right where he left off. The veteran finished with six catches in Week 2 even as the Commanders struggled. Ertz did improve after a pedestrian Week 1, but it’s hard not to like his second straight week with a touchdown.

This week, Ertz was truly involved with six catches for 64 yards as his target total jumped to 13. With Jayden Daniels now out for the next few games, Marcus Mariota should pick up where the former left off. Situations like this generally favor solid, veteran, tight ends such as Ertz.

Evan Engram, Denver Broncos

Don’t give up on Evan Engram just yet. The veteran appears to be healthy after leaving late in Week 1 with a calf injury. However, Engram was only on the field for 43% of the snaps this past week. He was outsnapped by Adam Trautman, but with just three catches for 10 yards (although he did score), Trautman doesn’t pose a real threat.

At this point, I’m not looking to give up on Engram as he figures to still have a strong role in Denver’s offense. However, if there’s a better option or streamer out there, you could go in that direction for a week. Just keep Engram on your bench for now.

Check out all of our Week 3 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings