Week 3 is here and tight ends are as problematic in fantasy football as ever, with unexpected players getting in the endzone and big names seeing very little of the ball. Week 1 saw the Isaiah Likely-Mark Andrews dynamic, before both had relatively quiet days the following Sunday.
While Travis Kelce only saw one catch for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Evan Engram suffered a pregame injury and David Njoku was also ruled out. The good news is that some tight ends looked very promising and could be picked up in many leagues. Let’s look at five:
5 Tight End streamers for Fantasy Football Week 3
#1, Hunter Henry, Patriots
Hunter Henry may have just been picked up by a lot of managers after a decent start to the season with the New England Patriots. Henry has been a good outlet for Jacoby Brissett as the Patriots look to prove everyone wrong.
Henry has 10 receptions for 127 yards and 17.70 fantasy points (HPPR), so you could do a lot worse than starting him. The Patriots face a tricky defense in the New York Jets on Thursday, so Brissett will likely look to him several times again. Henry is rostered in 39.4% of leagues, so could be gettable.
#2, Mike Gesicki, Bengals
Mike Gesicki had a quiet Week 1, although he did have a TD grab pulled back for a flag, which the NFL reportedly agreed was a bad call. Gesicki followed up an arguably undeserved 3.30-point week with a 91-yard display, good for 12.60 in HPPR leagues.
The Bengals look to get their season back on track in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders, and Gesicki seems to be forming good chemistry with QB Joe Burrow. It would be a surprise if he doesn’t blow past his 5.50-point projections here. Rostered in only 21.8% of leagues, Gesicki is a tight end you should target and potentially start every week.
#3, Zach Ertz, Commanders
Starting against Mike Gesicki is Commanders tight end Zach Ertz, who may become a real staple of the passing game Washington has yet to really get going. QB Jayden Daniels has had a frantic first two NFL games and is in need of some confidence, which is where Ertz should come in.
Ertz is building chemistry with Daniels and saw a jump from 4.30 points in Week 1 to 8.20 against the New York Giants on Sunday. Expect around that number as a baseline, but a TD would push Ertz to what you would imagine is his ceiling of around 14 points. Rostered in only 6.2% of leagues, Ertz really is worth a shout if you are in a pinch.
#4, Cole Kmet, Bears
The Chicago Bears have not yet seen the offensive masterclass many were predicting in preseason. While many are still pointing to QB Caleb Williams’ text to punter Tory Taylor about not being needed much this year, the Bears are 1-1 and can only improve.
A big part of that will be getting the ball out early as Chicago’s O-line is not doing as good a job of protecting Williams as it would like. That means more targets for tight end Kmet, and volume means points.
Volume and yards have not exactly been Kmet’s friend thus far, with him securing 4 of 5 targets for 27 yards in Week 2. This is why he may be available as a free agent, as he is rostered in 35.4% of leagues. That said, he should get frequent better looks as the Bears start to get their offense firing.
#5, Pat Freiermuth, Steelers
Another team looking to get its offense firing is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who defeated the Denver Broncos 13-6 in Week 2. The sole TD on the day was scored by a Steelers TE, but to the dismay of Pat Friermuth’s fantasy owners, it went to Darnell Washington.
As the commentary lamented the Steelers’ lack of height at receiver, the 6-foot-7 Washington lined up out wide and seconds later, caught an easy ball.
Friermuth is the least likely of the players on this list to be available, as he is rostered in 74.3% of leagues. However, if he is available he should be snapped up. Friermuth is a major part of Pittsburgh’s offense and his four receptions and 39 yards led the Steelers for receiving, and better days are surely ahead.
If Pat Friermuth can put up 5.90 points (HPPR) when the Steelers struggle on offense, he could really ball when it starts to click with Justin Fields. The Steelers play the Chargers in Week 3, which profiles to be another hard-fought, short-yardage-gained type of game.
Also read: Fantasy Football Week 3 Defense Rankings & Streamers ft. Bucs, Chargers, Raiders & Patriots