The third game of the NFL preseason is traditionally the “dress rehearsal,” the week where most teams play their starters into the second half. It’s the one week of preseason that most feels like real football, even though we’re still waiting two weeks for the games to start mattering in the schedule. So if you’re looking for final starting lineups and depth charts getting settled, look no further than the third preseason game.
Fantasy football 2017: Tight end sleepers to watch in preseason Week 3
The third preseason game is when the starters get the most playing time. We look at some fantasy sleeper candidates at tight end to watch this weekend.
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This is probably the most crucial weekend in fantasy football preparation. After this week’s games, draft season really kicks into gear as owners get their teams set up for the season-long grind ahead. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some potential sleeper candidates to watch at tight end this week, and some final notes to take into your draft room.
Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills
A knee injury limited Clay early in training camp, but he’s back in the lineup and set up to be one of the few reliable pass catchers in Buffalo’s offense. Last year, Clay had 57 catches for 552 yards, a career-low 9.7 yards per reception. He’s hardly an inspiring fantasy option, but tight ends in low-volume passing games tend to be useful checkdown targets. Clay will be on the TE2 map this year.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, New York Jets
The third preseason game will be Seferian-Jenkins’ last chance to make a big impression before he serves his two-game suspension at the start of the regular season. The Jets’ scorched-earth offseason left them with no proven playmakers in the passing game, and with ASJ getting clean and sober, his natural talent makes him an intriguing bench stash in deeper leagues.
Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This week’s game should give us a much clearer idea of how Brate and O.J. Howard will be used in the early part of the season. Howard is getting all the buzz as a first-round draft pick, but rookie tight ends have a steep learning curve in the NFL and are rarely helpful to fantasy owners. Meanwhile, Brate is still hanging around as a reliable red-zone weapon for Jameis Winston and could be a sneaky back-end TE1 if Howard hits a rookie wall.
