It was good to see Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce get back to their dominant ways in Week 2. Both players were disappointing Week 1, but they each broke 100 yards receiving with a touchdown on Sunday. Kelce’s day was a bit more impressive since he put up numbers against the Eagles, who are usually very good at defending tight ends. Gronkowski did two very Gronkesque things on Sunday. He had a highlight reel catch-and-run touchdown. Then he followed it up by leaving the game with a groin injury. Sounds like it shouldn’t be too serious, but you knew what you were drafting when you added him to your team.
Fantasy football rankings, 2017: Tight ends for Week 3
The SB Nation fantasy staff rounds up the rankings for the top 25 tight ends for Week 3.
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Jason Witten and Ben Watson continued to show that you don’t have to be a spring chicken to be a fantasy-relevant tight end. They combined for 21 targets, 188 yards, and a touchdown in Week 2. Both should remain solid options going forward. Each makes a strong replacement for Greg Olsen for those who lost the veteran this week. I wouldn’t use a waiver claim on Olsen’s backup, Ed Dickson.
Young whippersnappers Jack “MF’n” Doyle, Evan Engram, and Hunter Henry all saw a big jump in production coming off a quiet Week 1. Even Eric Ebron showed up so it was a good week to be a tight end.
Week 3 will show us who is the most consistent and worthy of keeping on your roster going forward. This mostly concerns the tight ends who are usually ranked in the 5-15 range. The TE slot can be frustrating to field each week if you don’t have a guy like Gronkowski or Jordan Reed, but there is always a chance a player like Ebron or Doyle finds his groove and becomes a safe option all year.
Speaking of Jack Doyle, he is a great streaming option or DFS play on Sunday when the Colts face the Browns. Jacoby Brissett targeted Doyle eight times, leading to eight receptions for 79 yards. A touchdown would have been nice, but you’ll take that stat line in PPR formats. Also look for Austin Hooper to have a good game against the Lions, who get burned by tight ends each week.
Below are the tight end rankings for Week 3. If you have a question, please leave a comment and we’ll be happy to help you figure out your best option.
Tight end rankings, Week 3
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
TE rankings, Week 3
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | SK | JG | DG | KB | ZS | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | vs. HOU | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Travis Kelce | KC | @ LAC | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Zach Ertz | PHI | vs. NYG | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 4 | Jordan Reed | WAS | vs. OAK | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | vs. TB | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Jason Witten | DAL | @ ARI | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| 7 | Martellus Bennett | GB | vs. CIN | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 8 | Eric Ebron | DET | vs. ATL | 12 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| 9 | Delanie Walker | TEN | vs. SEA | 5 | 5 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 10 |
| 10 | Jack Doyle | IND | @ CLE | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| 11 | Hunter Henry | LAC | vs. KC | 9 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | Jimmy Graham | SEA | @ TEN | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| 13 | Coby Fleener | NO | @ CAR | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 13 |
| 14 | Austin Hooper | ATL | @ DET | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
| 15 | Charles Clay | BUF | vs. DEN | 18 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
| 16 | Jared Cook | OAK | @ WAS | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 17 |
| 17 | Evan Engram | NYG | @ PHI | 17 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 11 | 18 |
| 18 | Ed Dickson | CAR | vs. NO | 25 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 16 |
| 19 | Cameron Brate | TB | @ MIN | 20 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| 20 | Tyler Eifert | CIN | @ GB | 15 | 17 | 23 | 18 | 24 | 22 |
| 21 | Antonio Gates | LAC | vs. KC | 24 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 22 | Benjamin Watson | BAL | @ JAC | 19 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 24 |
| 23 | Maxx Williams | BAL | @ JAC | -- | -- | 16 | -- | 14 | 21 |
| 23 | Julius Thomas | MIA | @ NYJ | 22 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 23 |
| 24 | Zach Miller | CHI | vs. PIT | 21 | 24 | -- | 24 | -- | -- |
| 25 | David Njoku | CLE | @ IND | -- | -- | 24 | -- | 23 | 25 |
| -- | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NYJ | vs. MIA | 23 | -- | -- | 25 | -- | -- |
| -- | Seth DeValve | CLE | @ IND | -- | 25 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
