In terms of tight ends, Greg Olsen and Delanie Walker are living up to the hype, while Jordan Reed (0 TDs) and Coby Fleener (3 catches on 12 targets) haven’t quite been as big as many had hoped. Baltimore got a great effort from Dennis Pitta last week, but he’s just so hard to trust given his extensive injury history. To say the least, tight end has been pretty fickle, so it’s important to try to get yourself a consistent producer at this vacillating position. You’ve heard this before, but trust me, you’re going to want to have one these guys below in your lineup.
Oh yeah, since Gronk played on Thursday night, I threw a bonus tight end in there! Here are this week’s Top 6 tight ends for Week 3 of the NFL season.
Jordan Reed @ NYG
Reed has the third most targets among all tight ends and this game with the Giants will likely see both teams above 20 points. In two games against the Giants last year, he caught 14 passes on 18 targets for 194 yards. Giants have been better against tight end this season, but they still have no solution for Reed.
Greg Olsen vs. MIN
Olsen is leading all tight ends in yards and even though Minnesota has covered tight ends pretty well this season, they haven’t seen a guy like Olsen yet this season. He’s averaging 8.5 targets per game and he’s going to be too much for Minnesota to contain.
Rob Gronkowski vs. HOU
If he does play, he’ll surely be on a limited snap count, but he’ll likely be out there whenever the team is in the red zone. Whenever he is playing, he’s a TE1, no questions asked. Keep close tabs on his availability as he’s a game time decision. [Editor’s Note: Tough break for Gronk owners as he put up a goose egg for Week 3. We still stand by the fact that he is a TE1 when playing. Whomever the Patriots have under center in Week 4, they will likely lean heavily on him.]
Delanie Walker vs. OAK
There are only three teams who have allowed more fantasy points to the tight end position this season. He may only be averaging 5.5 targets per game, but he’s sure to get more than that in this one. There will be plenty of points on the board in this one, which bodes well for Walker to build upon last week’s performance (6-83-1).
Antonio Gates @ IND
Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead are out with knee injuries, so Gates should see some extra targets. He caught just three balls last week, but the Colts have yet to force an incomplete pass to tight ends this season (9-for-9 for 97 yards). Fire up Gates as a TE1 this week. [Editor’s Note: Gates failed to practice Friday and is currently listed as questionable. Should he not play, his replacement, Hunter Henry, would not be a top five choice, but could very much be in play for DFS GPPs given the Colts inability to cover the tight end.]
Travis Kelce vs. NYJ
While Kelce doesn’t have the upside of some of the bigger name tight ends, he does have a very high, reliable floor. Through the first two games of the season, he’s averaging 5.5 receptions on seven targets for 54 yards per game. He’ll continue to serve as the second or third option in the Kansas City passing attack.
Don’t forget to check the rest of the NFL Week 3 Player Rankings here at Fantasy Alarm.
I’m Colby Conway and you’ll find me on Twitter right here: @colbyrconway.