Why Jaguars Tight End Brenton Strange Is A Sneaky Week 2 Fantasy Football Sleeper

In preparation for Week 2, the tight end position as a whole performed very well in the opening week of the season. Across PPR formats, 16 at the position scored double-digit fantasy points, and several were popular waiver-wire additions on Wednesday morning.

Looking at the slate for this upcoming week, fantasy managers should see which team defenses performed poorly against the tight end from Week 1. Additionally, should that defense have had trouble all season against tight ends back in 2024, there could be an obvious, but sneaky option this Sunday.

Jacksonville Jaguars Brenton Strange Moving Up the Rankings

Heading into the opener, fourth-year tight end Branton Strange was on the radar for waiver wire consideration. Strange caught all four of his passes during Week 1 for the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Carolina Panthers, and proved to be a powerful blocker, which should always help a tight end’s snap count. He gained 59 yards on those four catches for a very respectable 14.8 yards per reception.

.@BrentonStrange led the Jaguars in receiving yesterday but that's not what's going to catch the eyes of his peers in the NFL. Watch 85 on tape run block. Nothing makes offensive coordinators more happy then skill players who wanna drop their manhood on someone! Love this sh*t! pic.twitter.com/rEzvmIYDwx
— Breiden Fehoko (@BreidenFehoko) September 8, 2025

Among tight ends with multiple catches in Week 1, he had the fifth-highest yards per reception average. He finished with 9.9 points in leagues that fully credit the reception, and was the 18th-ranked tight end from last week in PPR formats.

The Bengals Had Trouble with the Cleveland Browns Tight Ends In Week 1

Last week, the Cincinnati Bengals gave up a league-high 10 receptions to the collective tight ends of the Cleveland Browns. David Njoku caught three passes for 37 yards, and rookie Harold Fannin Jr. reeled in a rookie record for receptions at the position during a Week 1 game with seven, gaining 63 yards.

55 snaps for Harold Fannin Jr. in his NFL debut

that's incredible

he did a bit of everything:
3 lead blocks at FB
29 inline snaps
16 out of the slot
6 out wide

even took one wildcat carry pic.twitter.com/37CQpDMWZ2
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 8, 2025

The pair combined for 100 receiving yards, the second-highest tight end yardage total against defenses last week, behind the New England Patriots, who gave up 141. The Browns knew what they were doing, targeting their tight ends a total of 15 times, the most of the opening week across the NFL for the position.

Dating back to last year, to no shock, the Bengals were the worst team in fantasy against the tight end, giving up an average of 10.1 fantasy points per game. They also allowed the most receptions to tight ends last season with 111, the third-most yards with 1,114, and the second-most touchdowns with 10.

Oddly Enough, Strange is Still Readily Available Across All Formats

As per FantasyPros.com, he is rostered in just 24.9% of fantasy leagues, making him a viable option for a streaming start should managers not be thrilled with their starter’s matchup. He could be an early steal of an addition, and time could be running out should he have one or two more impressive outings.

He played 78.8% of the Jaguars' snaps in Week 1, and actually led the team in receiving yards against the Panthers. In another interesting metric, Strange led all players in Expected Points Added (EPA) per Target.