3 TEs to start and 3 TEs to fade in Week 2 fantasy football

Tight ends annually present challenges for fantasy managers, and that hasn’t changed in 2022. Several highly drafted players at the position saw minimal action in Week 1 while others starred in unexpected ways. It’s a tradition as old as fantasy football itself. As such, betting on upside and matchups remains the move, though some exceptions apply.

Tight End Starts

Kyle Pitts, Falcons at Rams

Don’t let last week’s two catches for 19 yards fool you. The Falcons plan to make Kyle Pitts the fulcrum of their passing game and will have every opportunity to do so this week against the Rams. With Atlanta likely to lean into more quick passes to account for Aaron Donald, getting the ball to the team’s most athletic playmaker in space seems paramount.

Dalton Schultz, Cowboys vs. Bengals

The loss of Dak Prescott to a thumb injury will deflate the value of several Cowboys skill-position players, but perhaps not all. Schultz served as a safety blanket for backup QB Cooper Rush and could realistically do so more frequently in Week 2 as the Bengals gave up the sixth most points to tight ends on opening weekend.

Darren Waller, Raiders vs. Cardinals

Teammate Davante Adams stole the spotlight in the opener, but Waller still looks like a stud tight end. With a more favorable matchup this Sunday — the Cardinals gave up the most points to tight ends than any team last week — he should do even more damage.

Tight End Sits

Gerald Everett, Chargers at Chiefs

In his first regular-season game for the Chargers, Everett demonstrated the athletic tools that have long made him a fascination for NFL coaches. He turned his four targets into three catches for 54 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown. But the low usage rate remains a concern, and so much of his value in the opener came on a single play.

David Njoku, Browns vs. Jets

The Jets still don’t have the ideal defensive talent to run head coach Robert Saleh’s scheme, but that might not matter when they see the Browns and Njoku. The tight end played 71 snaps from scrimmage in Week 1 but saw just one target. The latter figure will almost certainly improve, but Njoku just doesn’t seem like a focus of the offense at the moment.

Mike Gesicki, Dolphins at Ravens

The days of 80-plus targets for Gesicki seem to have come to an end in Miami. The Dolphins’ new coaching staff wants a traditional “Y” tight end, not a glorified slot receiver. Gesicki saw just 25 snaps from scrimmage last week, just 42% of the offensive plays marking a fall of 30 percentage points from the previous season. If he doesn’t catch a touchdown, he probably won’t perform well for fantasy managers.