Week 3 Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football

Tight end continues to be a headache-inducing position for fantasy football managers. While elite options made a little noise in Week 2, there were still a lot of dud performances. The position also had some surprise appearances, with Elijah Higgins, Brenton Strange, and Darnell Washington finishing in TE1 territory in half-PPR formats. As we turn to the Week 3 tight end rankings, I’d like to ease your mind and provide you with some sure-fire options. But I’m not a fortune teller, and that’s not how this works. Instead, I’ll highlight tight ends with opportunity and exploitable matchups this week. So, with that in mind, let’s get to the Week 3 tight end rankings and notes.

Injury Notes for Week 3

• Evan Engram is week-to-week after suffering a hamstring injury during warmups in Week 2. Brenton Strange filled in nicely, playing 68.3% of snaps and running a route on 72.2% of pass plays. He also tied for the team lead with seven targets. Strange could be a viable tight end if Engram misses more time.
• David Njoku is questionable with an ankle injury he suffered in Week 1. Jordan Akin started in Week 2 but can likely be ignored outside of TE premium leagues.
• Jake Ferguson suffered an MCL sprain in Week 1 and is questionable for Week 2. If he gets the nod this week, Ferguson will slot back into TE1 territory.

Tight End Notes

• Brock Bowers is shaping up to be one of the more consistent tight ends this season. He’s seen at least eight targets in each of the season’s first two games and leads the position with 156 receiving yards. Further, Bowers’ 23.9% target share ranks third at the position. Bowers should continue to soak up the looks in Week 3. The Panthers’ defense has ceded the second-most passing touchdowns in 2024 (5), with two of those scores going to tight ends. Consistency is key at a volatile position, pushing Bowers up to TE3 in my Week 3 tight end rankings.
• Hunter Henry hauled in 8-of-12 targets for 109 yards in Week 2. He didn’t find the end zone, but his 83.8% snap share and 87.5% route rate are what you want to see from your tight end. Additionally, Hunter racked up a whopping 47.6% target share last week. Up next is a favorable matchup against a Jets defense that allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends last season. They also ceded eight touchdowns to the position, tied for second-most. Henry should keep rolling this week and ranks as TE10 in the Week 3 tight end rankings.
• Zach Ertz could surprise this week. He gets a soft matchup against a Bengals unit that coughed up the most receptions to tight ends in 2023. They also surrendered the second-most fantasy points and receiving yards to the position. Ertz has four targets in each of the season’s first two games. While that’s not an eye-popping total, he’s getting looks, and those eight targets rank as second-most for the Commanders this year. Washington could be playing catch-up in this one, and Ertz could benefit. He’s a low-range TE1 for me in Week 3.
• I’m conflicted about Mike Gesicki this week. On the one hand, Gesicki leads the Bengals with 13 targets and a 20% target share through two weeks. On the other hand, he’s part of a three-man tight end committee, and his route rate is just under 50% for the season. Blech. It’s clear Gesicki has a connection with Joe Burrow. But how long will those target rates hold up with a heavy tight end rotation and a Tee Higgins return looming? Gesicki ranks as TE14 in my Week 3 tight end rankings. But he could produce TE1 numbers if Higgins remains sidelined this week.

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

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Week 3 Tight End Rankings

Note: Ranks are based on half-PPR scoring

Rnk	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Trey McBride	ARI	DET
2	George Kittle	SF	@LAR
3	Brock Bowers	LVR	CAR
4	Sam LaPorta	DET	@ARI
5	Travis Kelce	KC	@ATL
6	Mark Andrews	BAL	@DAL
7	Kyle Pitts	ATL	KC
8	Dallas Goedert	PHI	@NO
9	Dalton Kincaid	BUF	JAX
10	Hunter Henry	NE	@NYJ
11	Zach Ertz	WAS	@CIN
12	Isaiah Likely	BAL	@DAL
13	Pat Freiermuth	PIT	LAC
14	Mike Gesicki	CIN	WAS
15	Colby Parkinson	LAR	SF
16	Dalton Schultz	HOU	@MIN
17	Noah Fant	SEA	MIA
18	Brenton Strange	JAX	@BUF
19	Taysom Hill	NO	PHI
20	Cole Kmet	CHI	@IND
21	Jonnu Smith	MIA	@SEA
22	Greg Dulcich	DEN	@TB
23	Luke Schoonmaker	DAL	BAL
24	Cade Otton	TB	DEN
25	Juwan Johnson	NO	PHI
26	Tucker Kraft	GB	@TEN
27	Tyler Conklin	NYJ	NE
28	Foster Moreau	NO	PHI
29	Hayden Hurst	LAC	@PIT
30	Gerald Everett	CHI	@IND
31	Chigoziem Okonkwo	TEN	GB
32	Tommy Tremble	CAR	@LVR

Make sure to check out all of our Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!