Fantasy Football Week 3 Tight End Projections and Rankings: Dalton Schultz Ascends, Colston Loveland Sinks
Trey McBride is a man among boys. The NFL's top tight end has no plans to be dethroned, and for the third straight week, McBride is the far-and-away TE1 in fantasy football. Among those in the chase are Dalton Kincaid and Isaiah Likely. Those who are falling include Colston Loveland and Tucker Kraft. Week 3 is a new week, a fresh slate for new beginnings.
Top-12 Tight Ends
Dalton Kincaid leads all Bills pass-catchers in every single major category. He is the real No. 1 receiver for Josh Allen, not DJ Moore. It just so happens that Moore is also dealing with a shoulder injury that can mildly reduce his output as the thought-to-be top target.
Dalton Schultz set career-highs in targets (14), receptions (12) and yards (140) on Sunday, while running the most routes he has since 2021.
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) September 22, 2026
He had previously never scored more than 19 points without scoring a touchdown. pic.twitter.com/CPTrOmNs1U
Dalton Schultz is the beneficiary of volume without Nico Collins. If that remains in Week 3, Schultz comes to TE4 status. He has 22 targets, 16 receptions, and 175 yards through two games.
It sounds like Brock Bowers will play on Sunday. If he does, a conservative approach would have Bowers as TE5. He is capable of being TE1 on any given Sunday.
High-Upside Plays
Now that David Njoku has been placed on the IR, and Charlie Kolar has injured his forearm, the TE1 job belongs to Oronde Gadsden II. There were a handful of weeks in 2025 when Gadsden II was a top-10 tight end. Hoping the Chargers flip the script on their 0-2 start, Gadsden may have start-worthy volume.
Harold Fannin Jr. is nowhere near his top-5 preseason ranking. He is worth a stab this Sunday. Fannin Jr. is having a pleasant season through two games, despite a deduction in his volume. Fannin Jr. has caught 7 of his 9 targets for 75 yards. His target share is 18%, and Fannin Jr. is averaging 7.0 YAC/Reception.
Fade These Tight Ends
People are going to overreact to Jake Ferguson's two touchdowns in Week 2. He still only has 6 targets this season, the 5th most on the Cowboys.
Colston Loveland is a high-upside option. Under Tyson Bagent, the hope is that Loveland's top-5 expectations will be better met in Week 3. However, the offense is expected to take a downtick, and Loveland's projection is as risky as it is rewarding.
Sleeper of the Week
The TE1 in Los Angeles should be viable in theory, right? Well, Terrence Ferguson is that guy. The TE1 on a top-3 Rams offense, Ferguson now has 9 targets on his 36 routes run. 8 of those came in Week 2, so 6+ targets per game can be expected going forward.
Ferguson takes on the Broncos this week, but more importantly, he takes on Talanoa Hufanga and Alec Singleton in most coverage looks. Hufanga allowed a mediocre 103.4 passer rating when targeted in 2025. Singleton allowed a 122.9 passer rating when targeted himself in 2025.
Week 3 Projected Leaders
- Targets: Trey McBride (11.9)
- Receptions: Trey McBride (8.3)
- Yards: Trey McBride (83.5)
- Touchdowns: Trey McBride (0.7)
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.