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 Thursday night as the Bills square off against the Dolphins, let’s dive into where every tight end stacks up.
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.
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.
This week, 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. Kraft should be a staple among the top five tight ends on a weekly basis until Reed returns from his injury. Even then, Kraft may have earned more targets after his solid early-season showing.
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.
Let’s take a look at how the rest of the tight ends in the NFL stack up in our Week 3 rankings.
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