Tight End Start 'Em, Sit 'Em For Fantasy Football Week 3

Michael Fabiano | Sep 21, 2025

Mark Andrews is a sit in fantasy Week 3. / Sports Illustrated

Start ‘Em, Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Josh Allen, Bijan Robinson or Ja’Marr Chase. Instead, I'll look at the players who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings, which will be updated daily throughout the 2025 NFL season.

Fab's Top 10 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings Week 3

1. Trey McBride at 49ers
2. Brock Bowers at Commanders
3. Tyler Warren at Titans
4. Sam LaPorta at Ravens (Mon.)
5. Travis Kelce at Giants
6. Jake Ferguson at Bears
7. Tucker Kraft at Browns
8. Juwan Johnson at Seahawks
9. Dalton Kincaid vs. Dolphins (Thurs.)
10. T.J. Hockenson vs. Bengals

Complete Week 3 tight end rankings

Start Em, Sit Em: QBs | RBs | WRs | DEFs & Ks

Week 3 Start ‘Em: Tight ends

Start of the Week

Jake Ferguson at Bears (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Ferguson, listed as a start ‘em last week, went off for nine catches, 78 yards and 16.8 fantasy points in a win over the Giants. He has now seen 18 combined targets in the first two weeks, which ranks second among tight ends, so he’s clearly one of Dak Prescott’s trusted targets. Expect a lot of points in a game against the Bears with a total of 49.5 at DraftKings.

Start ‘Em

Zach Ertz vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Believe it or not, but Ertz is the third-best tight end in fantasy football after two weeks. He continues to be a popular target in the pass attack, and this week’s matchup against the Raiders makes him a viable starter. Dating back to last season, their defense has allowed the fourth-most points to tight ends. I'd still start Ertz even with Marcus Mariota starting in place of Jayden Daniels.

Juwan Johnson at Seahawks (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): Johnson has come out of nowhere to become fantasy relevant. He ran a route on 93% of the Saints’ drop backs in Week 2, and he saw a 26.5% target share. Johnson has clearly gained a rapport with Spencer Rattler, and this week’s matchup against the Seahawks makes him a startable asset. Seattle has allowed 10-plus points to two tight ends in two weeks.

David Njoku vs. Packers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Njoku has lost some of his luster while losing work to Harold Fannin Jr. Still, the veteran had a 78% route participation rate and played 14 more snaps than Fannin Jr. in Week 2. This week’s matchup against the Packers is positive too, as their defense has already allowed two tight ends to beat them for 13-plus points in their first two games. I see Njoku as a low TE1.

More Starts

• Dalton Kincaid vs. Dolphins (Thurs. 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
• Tyler Warren at Titans (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Kyle Pitts Sr. at Panthers (1 p.m. ET, Fox)

Week 3 Sit ‘Em: Tight ends

Sit of the Week

Mark Andrews at Lions (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC): Here we go again with Andrews. Much like last season, he’s started off slowly, with just 2.9 combined points in his first two games (he dropped a sure touchdown in Week 2). This week, he faces the Lions, who have allowed an average of just 8.7 points to tight ends in their first two games. Also, their pass defense has allowed the fewest points to tight ends since 2024.

Sit ‘Em

Cade Otton vs. Jets (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Otton has had a slow start to the season, scoring just 5.5 fantasy points in his first two games. What's more, he's seen just seven targets in that time. So, while this week's matchup against the Jets isn't overly unfavorable, it's tough to start Otton at this point. He would have more starting appeal if Emeka Egbuka misses the game due to hip and groin injuries, otherwise Otton is a sit 'em.

Dalton Schultz at Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Schultz was held to 5.9 fantasy points last week, and he’s now failed to score double digits in all but one of his last 19 games dating back to last season. Even without Cade Stover in the lineup, he played just 28 snaps and saw a modest four targets. So, while a matchup against the Jaguars might be good on paper, Schultz is a player I’ll be avoiding if possible.

Brenton Strange vs. Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Strange has been playing a ton of snaps, but he’s only produced a combined 14.6 fantasy points in his first two games. While I like him as a matchup-based starter, this isn’t a week to get some Strange when he faces the Texans. Dating back to last season, their defense has allowed just 39 yards per game to tight ends. Unless you’re desperate, Strange is a fade.

More Sits

• Ja’Tavion Sanders vs. Falcons (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Chigoziem Okonkwo vs. Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Mike Gesicki at Vikings (1 p.m. ET, CBS)