Week 3 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings for PPR and Non-PPR Leagues

Week 3 fantasy football tight end rankings for PPR and non-PPR leagues, highlighting sleepers, studs, and surprising early-season breakouts.

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) runs after the catch against Minnesota Vikings in the fourthn quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The tight end position remains the thinnest and most volatile in fantasy football, with value dropping off quickly after the top-tier options. And some of the most reliable options at the position have already suffered injuries or failed to live up to expectations.

Brock Bowers entered Week 2 nursing a knee injury and, while he suited up, he was limited to just five catches for 38 yards with no trips to the end zone against the Los Angeles Chargers. Trey McBride has been steady but hasn’t quite matched preseason hype, slotting in as the TE5 in PPR scoring. Meanwhile, George Kittle—the consensus TE3 entering 2025—missed Week 2 and landed on Injured Reserve.

The position has flipped expectations early, with Tucker Kraft, Juwan Johnson, and Zach Ertz leading all tight ends in fantasy production. Rookie Tyler Warren has been another surprise, sitting as the TE4 ahead of both McBride and Bowers after two weeks. With Week 3 set to kick off tonight as the Bills square off against the Dolphins, let’s dive into where every tight end stacks up.

Trey McBride And Brock Bowers Continue To Lead The Way

Although neither of them have scored a touchdown yet, both of these top-tier tight ends were consistently selected as a late-second or early-third round draft picks this past draft season. Bowers is easily the best pass catcher on his team and faces a Washington Commanders secondary that is currently allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Geno Smith was out of synch in Vegas’ Thursday night loss at the hands of the Chargers so don’t be surprised if we see a massive rebound from Bowers in Week 3.

In Arizona, despite the presence of Marvin Harrison Jr., McBride is still Kyler Murray’s go-to option and in Week 3, he faces a San Francisco 49ers defense that surrendered a touchdown to Juwan Johnson in Week 2. And that was with Spencer Rattler under center. McBride will continue to serve as Murray’s security blanket on check downs and crossing patterns over the middle and has a great shot at scoring his first touchdown of 2025. McBride's lone knock was his inability to find the end zone in 2024. If he can turn that around, we're looking at the top tight end of the future.

Tucker Kraft Suffers Knee Injury, Falls Down Week 3 Rankings

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) looks on after the game against the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

With Jayden Reed sidelined for 6-8 weeks, Kraft becomes one of the most valuable tight ends in the NFL. He was the top tight end across the league in Week 2 after tallying six receptions for 124 yards and finding pay dirt in Green Bay's Week 2 victory over the Commanders. He’s now scored a touchdown in each of his first two contests of the 2025 campaign and is the TE1 after two weeks of the season.

However, on Thursday, fantasy managers are crossing their fingers after Kraft left practice with a knee injury. It's not believed to be a long-term issue according to Ian Rapoport, but it could leave the Packers without him heading into Week 3.

#Packers TE Tucker Kraft, who had his breakout game against the #Commanders with 124 yards and a TD, suffered a left knee injury in today’s practice, per The Insiders.

Kraft will have it fully evaluated, but the belief is it’s not a long-term issue. pic.twitter.com/ZTy1kPYCVH

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2025

This week, if healthy, Kraft faces a Cleveland Browns defense that was just torched for 41 points by Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Although Mark Andrews was incredibly quiet in that game, Kraft is a far more pivotal piece in Green Bay’s offense and should demand a ton of targets, especially as first-round rookie Matthew Golden slowly gets eased into the game plan.

The question for this week is how healthy Kraft is, and if he suits up, will he be at 100% or could he be deployed as a potential decoy? Kraft is still a top-10 tight end, but if he's not at full strength, he may not be the top-three option he was entering the week. He's currently the TE6 in PPR formats just ahead of kickoff as it looks likely he'll suit up against the Browns.

Zach Ertz Enters The TE1 Conversation

Veteran Zach Ertz is now in his 13th NFL season and second year with the Commanders, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down. After posting 654 yards, 66 receptions, and seven touchdowns in 2024, the three-time Pro Bowler has already carried that momentum into 2025 with nine catches for 90 yards and two scores.

Despite the hot start, Ertz is still sitting on waivers in nearly half of fantasy leagues. He currently ranks as the TE3 in PPR formats. He’s fresh off a primetime showcase against the Packers where he logged 90% of the snaps and delivered 18.4 PPR points. Even in Week 1, when he played just 64% of the snaps, Ertz still gave managers a solid 11.6 points. Although the Raiders have held opposing tight ends to 83 scoreless yards through two weeks, this could be the week that Vegas’ secondary is exposed as Ertz remains one of Washington’s top playmakers in the red zone. 

David Njoku Vs. Harold Fannin Jr.

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.

Entering Week 3, Njoku edges out the rookie just barely, coming in as the TE11 in PPR formats, while Fannin Jr. is the TE13.

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Let’s take a look at how the rest of the tight ends in the NFL stack up in our Week 3 rankings.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings