Week 3 Tight End Projections And Rankings: David Njoku & T.J. Hockenson Bounce Back

In Week 2, Tucker Kraft (6/124/1 on seven targets) had the best tight end game so far this year. No other tight end has scored more than 20.00 fantasy points in PPR formats. Zach Ertz scored a touchdown in back-to-back games (3/26/1 and 6/64/1), moving him to third in tight end scoring. Juwan Johnson (5/49/1) rewarded his waiver wire supporters with another competitive showing, earning him the most consistent tag at tight end over the first two weeks (15.60 and 15.90 fantasy points).

Here’s a look at the top tight ends after two weeks in PPR formats:

Tucker Kraft (34.30)
Juwan Johnson (31.50)
Zach Ertz (30.00)
Tyler Warren (26.80)
Brock Bowers (24.10)
Jake Ferguson (24.10)
Harold Fannin Jr. (23.40)
Travis Kelce (22.80)
Dalton Kincaid (22.50)
Kyle Pitts (20.60)
Sam LaPorta (19.50)

Tight End Bust of the Week

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Two games into 2025, the Ravens’ tight ends only have two catches for five yards on five targets, leading to two losing days by Andrews (1/5 and 1/4 on four targets). He scored a touchdown last week, but the ball was knocked out late by a defender. The Ravens decided not to challenge the catch.

Last year, the Ravens’ tight ends led the NFL with 18 touches while ranking highly in catches (106), receiving yards (1,281), and targets (138). Baltimore scored 81 points by scoring 10 touchdowns and four field goals over their 23 possessions.

Many fantasy teams will sit Andrews this week, but Baltimore features their tight ends too much historically, with Lamar Jackson starting to expect his poor stats to continue. In addition, the Ravens continue to have Andrews on the field for a higher percentage of their plays (Week 1 – 75% and Week 2 – 80%).

I expect Andrews to be a winning showdown play on Monday night against the Lions.

Runner Up: Hunter Henry (1/4), T.J. Hockenson (1/12), Evan Engram (1/12)

Surprise of the Week

Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young had 55 pass attempts last week due to falling behind early against the Cardinals. As a result, Sanders (7/54) had the most targets (9) of his career (previous high – 7 in Week 6 in 2024).

Runner Up: Brock Wright (3/28/1), AJ Barner (2/26/1), and Adam Trautman (3/10/1)

Each week, I’ll release my weekly depth charts and projections on Wednesday, with a neutral eye that is dictated by hinting stats from previous results or in-season injuries. These statistics represent baseline outlooks, with their potential already factored in. Touchdowns create impact scores and winning fantasy days, especially in non-PPR formats. Who scores them each week is the Holy Grail that the fantasy market searches for weekly.

My projections will be sorted into rankings, which won’t look anything close to the weekly consensus. My man, Matt Brandon, is in charge of finding a balance between my player outlooks and the public view of each week's rankings.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Tight End Projections And Rankings Preview

Here’s a look at our opening Week 3 top 12 tight ends projections:

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

Over the first two games, Njoku has been on the field for 83% of the Browns’ snaps, compared to 68% by Harold Fannin Jr.. Unfortunately, he has lost the catch (7), receiving yards (77), and target (11) battle to Cleveland’s rookie tight end (12/111 on 14 targets). Njoku is a talented tight end, and his opportunities and scoring chances should rise as the season moves on.

Fannin brings versatility to the tight end position, while he almost feels like the Browns’ WR3 in terms of targets. Over the two games, the Packers’ defense has allowed 13 catches for 150 yards and one touchdown on 18 targets.

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

I’m less confident in Hockenson based more on their poor offensive line blocking than the switch at the quarterback position. He only has four catches for 27 yards on seven targets over the first two games.

The fantasy market expected him to be active early in the year while Jordan Addison served his three-game suspension. In Week 1, the Browns' tight ends had 10 catches for 100 yards on 15 targets against Cincinnati, suggesting a better outcome by Hockenson this week.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Tight End Projections And Rankings

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Here's the tight end projections updates on Friday night (9/19):

Isiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens

He returned to practice this week, but I don’t expect Likely to play against the Detroit Lions on Monday night.

Evan Engram, Denver Broncos

The Broncos ruled out Engram (back) this week, giving Adam Trautman a slight bump in chances. I shifted some of Denver’s tight projections to the wide receiver position, leading to all options being adjusted.

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

After a sensational game (6/124/1) last Thursday against the Commanders, Kraft picked up a knee injury late this week. He is listed as questionable, so I left his outlook the same while waiting for a Sunday update on his status.

Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

A toe issue knocked Warren out of practice on Wednesday, but he turned in two limited sessions over the next two days. I expect him to play against the Titans.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

After missing last week’s game with a knee issue, Goedert has a quick turnaround with his injury, leading to him being cleared of an injury tag. As a result, I bumped Jalen Hurts by a half a touchdown, adding some value to his top wide receivers and Goedert.

Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers ruled out Dissly this week with a knee issue, giving Tyler Conklin a bump in value.