Fantasy Football Week 3 Rankings: Tight end

Tony Fortier-Bensen

Fantasy Football Week 3 Rankings: Tight end image

On both sides of the coin, it was a big week for tight ends after a poor showing during opening weekend. On the bad side, Rob Gronkowski (groin), Jordan Reed (chest), and Jimmy Graham (leg) all had to leave their respective games, and those injuries could have an impact on their Week 3 statuses. Also, Greg Olsen suffered a broken foot (out for six-to-eight weeks), and Tyler Eifert is struggling yet again with back and knee issues, putting his status for Week 3 in doubt. All this made our Week 3 fantasy football rankings for TEs a nightmare.

But as we said, it wasn't all bad. Top tight ends like Gronkowski, Travis Kelce and Delanie Walker put up big numbers, while sleepers like Hunter Henry, Jason Witten, Benjamin Watson and Jack Doyle showcased why they were sleepers in the first place. Rookies David Njoku and Gerald Everett came through with big games, putting themselves on the waiver-wire map given all the injuries.

For now, Olsen is the only notable TE we took out of our rankings, but as more information trickles in about Gronk, Reed, Graham, and Eifert, we'll be ready to add Dwayne Allen, Vernon Davis, Luke Willson, and Tyler Kroft.

WEEK 3 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | D/ST | Kicker

For those with Ravens or Jaguars TEs, be sure to remember that they play in London on Sunday, which means kickoff is set for 9:30 a.m. ET.

Reminder: We'll update our rankings throughout the week and add player analysis, so please check back often. And here's how your team could lose in Week 3.

WEEK 3 DFS: 
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Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings: TE

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues

1 Rob Gronkowski, Patriots vs Texans. If Gronk (groin) is healthy and active, he'll always have a chance for a big day. 
2 Zach Ertz, Eagles vs Giants.  Ertz hasn't found the endzone this season, yet he's still managed to post back-to-back top-seven TE fantasy weeks. That's rare in fantasy TE world. The Giants have given up touchdowns to TEs each week this season, so if Ertz adds a touchdown to high yardage, he'll have a top fantasy week.   
3 Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ Chargers.  Kelce is an integral part of the Chiefs offense, so he'll always get a major share of touches. However, it's interesting to note that he's never found the end zone in six career games against the Chargers and only twice recorded more than 50 yards.
4 Jack Doyle, Colts vs. Browns.  The Browns have given up the most fantasy points (20+ each game) to opposing TEs this year.  Jacoby Brissett targeted Doyle the second most in Week 2, and Doyle led the team in receptions and yards.  He's in line for a big day.
5 Jason Witten, Cowboys @ Cardinals.  Dak Prescott has leaned heavily on Jason Witten this year, targeting him second-most on the team.  He's posted 90- and 100-yard games with touchdowns, and in Week 3, he faces the Cardinals, who struggled to stop Jack Doyle.  Witten leads all fantasy TEs in points this year, and there's no reason to suspect he'll slow down anytime soon with the amount of targets he gets.
6 Hunter Henry, Chargers @ Chiefs. After zero targets in Week 1, Henry was targeted seven times, hauling in all seven for 80 yards. It's a good sign that Henry wasn't a sole focus for redzones like he was last year, targeting him outside it many times.  The Chiefs struggled to stop Ertz in Week 2, making Henry a candidate for a big day.
7 Jordan Reed, Redskins vs. Raiders.  Reed is listed day to day with a chest injury, but he's played through injuries before and produced solid fantasy days.  Reed is second on the team with 14 targets and seventh among TEs.  Cousins throws to him a lot, and that volume gives him a top-10 fantasy TE potental each week. 
8 Benjamin Watson, Ravens vs. Jaguars (in London). Watson was the most targeted Ravens receiver in Week 2, and he plays against the Jaguars, who have given up the second-most points to opposing TEs.  The Baltimore offense revolves around the TE, so Watson is in for a solid fantasy day.
9 Martellus Bennett, Packers vs. Bengals.  Bennett has the third-most targets among TEs, but a low eight receptions and yet to score a touchdown.  The Bengals have given up a league-best 0.95 points to TEs in two games.  The injuries and possible absence of Randall Cobb (shoulder) and Jordy Nelson (quad) boost his chances for more points, but like most TEs, he's dependent on that TD this week.
10 Kyle Rudolph, Vikings vs. Bucs.  The Bucs were solid in stopping opposing TEs last year, and they picked up where they left off this year by holding Zach Miller to only 42 yards. Rudolph can still produce a good day based on the volume of targets, but adding the possibility of Case Keenum starting again or a cautious Sam Bradford (knee) to a strong defense might limit his chances.
11 Delanie Walker, Titans vs. Seahawks.  The Seahawks have held opposing tight ends to a mere eight points in two games.  On the plus side, he's one target shy of the most targets on the Titans, so the volume may save him. But like many TEs, he'll be dependent on that TD this week.
12 Coby Fleener, Saints @ Panthers.  In two games without Willie Snead, Fleener has found the endzone both times, and Snead has one more game until his suspension is over.  Before the season started, the Saints said they were looking to throw to Fleener more this season.  They are living up to their word.
13 David Njoku, Browns @ Colts.  Njoku hauled in his first career touchdown in Week 2, and the loss of Corey Coleman could mean QB DeShone Kizer looks his way for more redzone targets.
14 Evan Engram, Giants @ Eagles.  Engram is one of the few bright spots for the Giants offense.  The Eagles have struggled to contain the TEs in two games, so this could be a game where he finds a redzone target and touchdown.
15 Ed Dickson, Panthers vs. Saints.  Playing against such a weak defense, Dickson may be in line for a touchdown catch, but don't expect him to turn into Greg Olsen 2.0.
16 Jimmy Graham, Seahawks @ Titans. Graham (ankle) is questionable for Week 3.  If he plays, it's hard to imagine he'll have any success
17 Julius Thomas, Dolphins @ Jets
18 Zach Miller, Bears vs. Steelers
19 Gerald Everett, Rams at 49ers
20 Austin Hooper, Falcons @ Lions
21 Eric Ebron, Lioins vs. Falcons
22 Charles Clay, Bills vs. Broncos
23 Jared Cook, Raiders @ Redskins
24 Tyler Croft, Bengals @ Packers
25 Jesse James, Steelers @ Bears
26 Cameron Brate, Bucs @ Vikings
27 Antonio Gates, Chargers vs. Chiefs
28 O.J. Howard, Bucs @ Vikings
29 George Kittle, 49ers vs. Rams

Tony Fortier-Bensen