Week 2 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Candidates: Tight Ends
Wondering who to start and sit at quarterback this week? Below are two top-notch start and two sit options at the tight end position for Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season.
More Week 2 Start/Sits: QB | RB | WR
Week 1 Review – half-PPR scoring
Starts
- TE T. J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions vs. Philadelphia Eagles – 5.8 (T-TE21)
- TE Albert Okwuegbunam, Denver Broncos @ Seattle Seahawks - 5.8 (T-TE21)
Sits
- TE Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals vs. Kansas City Chiefs – 10.4 (TE7)
- TE Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – 6.0 (TE20)
Tight Ends - Starts
Albert Okwuegbunam (Denver Broncos) vs. Houston Texans
Denver Broncos tight end Albert Okwuegbunam was one of four Denver pass catchers to receive five or more targets in Denver’s Monday Night Football upset loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The fourth-year tight end ran a route on 77.3% of quarterback Russell Wilson’s dropbacks, the third-highest rate on the team, and the 11th-highest route run percentage among all NFL tight ends with at least five targets.
That type of route participation was a promising first step towards locked-in TE1 status. If Okwuegbunam can increase his routes run rate by 3.05% or more, clearing the 80.0% threshold, he will enter the position’s elite usage tier. Tight ends like Travis Kelce, T.J. Hockenson, Tyler Higbee, Darren Waller, George Kittle, Zach Ertz, and Kyle Pitts all lived in the 80.0%-86.0% routes participation range. Denver was 13th in pass rate over expectation last week and Wilson’s 41 pass attempts were tied for sixth most in the NFL.
*4for4’s full TE rankings can be found here.
Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. New England Patriots
Like Okwuegbunam above him, Freiermuth shot out of the gates with an enticing 79.5% route participation rate last week, tickling the elite 80.0% threshold. Freiermuth showed savvy route development, earning 10 targets on the week; a mark that landed him both second on the team overall and second at the position across the entire NFL. Initially, there were concerns as to whether Freiermuth could force Mitchell Trubisky’s hand in such a crowded pass-catching corps and Freiermuth’s above-average blocking ability threatened to reduce his route participation. The second-year tight end erased all doubts as to his pass-catching potential though, finishing top-three in both tight end receptions, five, and tight end receiving yards, 75.
Tight End – Sits
Mo Alie-Cox (Indianapolis Colts) @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox had a fantastic matchup against the Houston Texans’ inept linebacking corps but second-year man Kylen Granson was clearly deployed ahead of Alie-Cox last week. Both Alie-Cox and Gransen attended Tight End U this offseason, a training camp of sorts hosted by Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Greg Olsen, and Granson evidently emerged as the superior route runner in the eyes of Indianapolis’ coaching staff. Granson’s 53.7% route participation was both significantly more than Alie-Cox’s 35.2% and yet far too infrequent for fantasy managers to rely on him.
Noah Fant (Seattle Seahawks) @ San Francisco 49ers
Tight end Noah Fant landed in Seattle this offseason, as a featured part of the infamous Russell Wilson trade. The writing was on the wall then, Fant would transition from a potential passing game dominator to a featured blocker in Pete Carroll’s ancient system, but many refused to acknowledge it. Fant did manage to lead the Seattle tight ends in route participation with an unhelpful 58.1% rate, but it was the embodiment of The Tin Man, veteran Will Dissly, and youngster Colby Parkinson who (bizarrely) both recorded 43 receiving yards and one touchdown. Fant is now a card-carrying member of the fantasy tight end doldrums.
