Fantasy football rankings, Week 3: Tight ends

While tight ends, after the top tier, aren't guys you can count on for huge fantasy production, when they get hurt, their replacements are often even less reliable. Rob Gronkowski went down, and his replacement was Michael Hoomanawanui, otherwise known as "Nope, not in fantasy." With Jordan Cameron out, the Cleveland Browns used Jim Dray and Gary Barnidge Sunday, who are similarly irrelevant.

Sure, sometimes Jordan Reed will go down and Niles Paul will step right up, but even then, did you enter last weekend with significant confidence in Niles Paul? No, you didn't. Stop lying to me.

So health matters a silly amount in tight ends. That's part of the reason guys like Greg Olsen and Jason Witten -- who might not put up Jimmy Graham-like numbers but still are out there every dang game -- have so much value. They might only give you 5-8 points a game, but those are a reliable 5-8 points. Meanwhile, Graham, Gronkowski, Reed, Cameron, Julius Thomas -- these guys could put up 16 in a week, but if they miss, you might be stuck with an absolute zero as replacement.

• Vernon Davis left late in Sunday night's game with a left ankle injury. News since indicates that it's a mild injury, one that might not even keep him out for Week 3. With Vance McDonald banged up as well, if Davis does miss Week 3 his likely fill-in will be Derek Carrier. Translation: If Davis doesn't play, get your tight end from a non-San Francisco team.
• There hasn't been any real news about Cameron since he was announced as inactive for Sunday. That makes sense, though, because he was close enough to playing in Week 2 that it seems even more likely he'll play in Week 3, and it's still early enough in the week that they don't have to divulge too much quite yet. Cameron owners should expect him to play barring more news later.
• Washington has at least been discussing Reed as though he could play Sunday, which is a marginally good sign. Still, the team hasn't been promising anything, and there's no way to count on the guy with a hamstring injury to come back and be at full strength. Meanwhile, Paul has played really well in his absence. Washington likely won't rush Reed.