Updated Fantasy Football TE Rankings Week 2: Who to start, best sleepers at tight end

A lot of words were published in Week 1 and during the preseason about how deep the tight end position was now compared to the last several years. Well, the results from Week 1 suggest otherwise. Luckily, there is a lot more football to be played, so it's not time to panic for most of these players just yet. 

But that doesn't provide consolation to managers who started and suffered through the performances of Dalton Kincaid, Mark Andrews, Evan Engram, Dallas Goedert and others. On top of players underperforming, we also had big names like Jake Ferguson and David Njoku go down with injuries. While early reports suggest Ferguson may be ok, Njoku is likely dealing with a high ankle sprain, which is typically a multi-week absence. 

It wasn't all bad though, as Kyle Pitts found the end zone in the first week of the season after being stuck in Arthur Smith purgatory the last two years, and Isaiah Likely emerged as a second Baltimore tight end worth rostering and potentially starting. 

We still expect the big names to rebound, so don't expect huge shifts for the bigger names after just one week. How will things shake out in Week 2? 

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Fantasy TE Rankings Week 2: Who to start, sit at tight end

Rankings based on PPR scoring. These rankings were updated on Sept. 15 following the release of inactives. 

Italicized players have already played this week.

What are the notable TE rankings changes?

Evan Engram was a very surprising scratch following pregame warmups for the Jacksonville Jaguars. There really aren't any fantasy-viable options on the Jags, so if you're an Engram manager, sprint to the waiver wire and pick up someone among the week's highest-projected performers. A.J. Brown was also surprisingly ruled out already as it was widely thought we'd have to wait until Monday night to definitively find out about his status. Expect Dallas Goedert to see increased production this week given Brown's absence. Below were the notable changes from the previous rankings update. 

By far, the biggest mover among tight ends since our initial Week 2 rankings dropped is the Rams' Colby Parkinson. In the Rams' Week 1 clash against the Rams, Parkinson ran a route on 84% of his plays, and registered a 10% target share, which is very encouraging. Puka Nacua also went down with a knee injury, so with him out of the equation, and a full week to prepare for that situation, Parkinson has room for a bigger target share given the number of routes he's running. 

We also bumped Dalton Schultz up three spots to TE11. With Chicago being so strong with their coverage on the outside, it could funnel things into the middle of the field where Schultz could see an uptick in production. Editor's Note: It has since been reported that Schultz sat out practice again on Thursday, making us more leery of his status for Sunday. We will update as we receive more information. 

And the biggest faller was Cole Kmet. After a pretty strong 2023 season, there were high hopes for Cole Kmet very early in "drafting szn". But then Gerald Everett put a damper on things as the two were splitting reps. And then it played out in Week 1 as well. Kmet ran a route only 27% of the time, while Everett's route share was 58%. Both had a lowly 3% target share, so neither are very high in the rankings, but Everett has now jumped Kmet. 

Who are the best fantasy TEs Week 2?

We're sticking with Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce as our top tight ends. While the Chiefs have more weapons this year, I also don't think Kelce receiving just four targets will be a weekly occurrence. Look for Mahomes to make sure his top target receives a bigger portion of the targets pie against the Bengals this week. 

The Rams did a nice job of really limiting LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown on Sunday Night Football, but again, expect this to course-correct against the Buccaneers in what should be a pretty high-scoring game. 

Who are the best fantasy TE waiver pickups Week 2?

Isaiah Likely isn't just the best tight end waiver wire pickup, he's the best overall waiver wire pickup. Reports of Mark Andrews' demise are very premature, but even as Andrews' production picks up, Likely isn't going away. With a lack of dangerous wide receiver options behind Zay Flowers, it only makes sense for the Ravens to deploy plenty of 2-TE sets. Don't expect 100+ yards every week, but Likely should see enough usage to be a weekly option, especially against weaker defenses. 

Tucker Kraft is another interesting name to keep tabs on. His status was murky heading into Week 1 as he was dealing with a minor injury, but not only did he suit up against the Eagles in Brazil, but he out-snapped Luke Musgrave 68-14. That's a staggering difference that we can't ignore. Unfortunately, Jordan Love went down with an MCL sprain and will be out at least a few weeks, so Kraft won't be startable yet. But if he continues to see that much action, he could be viable once Love returns. 

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Who are the best fantasy TE sleepers Week 2?

Taysom Hill didn't see a ton of usage in Week 1, but the Saints also beat the Panthers in a 47-10 blowout, and his skillset wasn't really needed. He rushed five times for 35 yards and caught one pass for one yard. Next up for the Saints are the Cowboys, and they'll likely need more offensive firepower. Hill's ability to throw, run, and catch, makes him as good a bet as any to add some extra punch to the offense in Week 2. 

Cade Otten also has sleeper potential for the Buccaneers for similar reasons. Tampa blew out the Commanders, and Otten only hauled in one reception for five yards on just two targets. But the Bucs travel to Detroit next, and this one should be much more of a back and forth contest with Tampa potentially playing from behind. That game script should lend itself to expanded usage for Otten. 

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What are the biggest TE injuries Week 2?

The biggest injury was to David Njoku who is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain. While not every high ankle sprain is the same, it's often a multi-week absence. This injury doesn't directly correlate with a tight end pickup, though, as we don't expect Jordan Akins to be a major factor. 

Jake Ferguson went down with a knee injury in the same game against the Browns. Dak Prescott commented that he thinks the Cowboys dodged a major bullet, but if he does miss time, Luke Schoonmaker is the next man up, but again, we don't see him being a major factor. Ferguson is still working with the "return to play" group at practice and his status is still uncertain for this week.