Week 3 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Candidates: Tight Ends
Wondering whom 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 3 of the 2022 NFL season.
Week 2 Review – Half-PPR scoring
Starts
- Albert Okwuegbunam (Denver Broncos) vs. Houston Texans – 0.0 fantasy points (N/A)
- Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. New England Patriots – 10.2 (TE10)
Sits
- Mo Alie-Cox (Indianapolis Colts) @ Jacksonville Jaguars – 1.4 fantasy points (TE40)
- Noah Fant (Seattle Seahawks) @ San Francisco 49ers – 2.1 fantasy points (T-TE35)
Tight Ends – Starts
Tyler Conklin (New York Jets) vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The New York Jets opened 2022 with a pair of solid tight ends in Tyler Conklin and C.J. Uzomah but Uzomah suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 and experienced a setback in practice ahead of Week 2. Uzomah’s participation went from full participant to limited participant, to did not participate from Wednesday to Friday. Per Adam Hutchison’s positional Injury Index, hamstring strains cause tight ends to miss an average of 2.6 games, and their average dip in production in their first game post-injury is a devastating 38.1%. It is highly unlikely that Uzomah plays, but even if he does he is largely a non-factor.
Conklin’s 84.4% route participation and 15 targets both rank sixth at the position and tight end coverage looks like a weak spot for his Week 3 opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh’s Pat Freiermuth and Zach Gentry combined for seven catches on 12 targets and 115 receiving yards. Dallas’ Dalton Schultz earned four targets, playing with backup quarterback Cooper Rush, before exiting with a knee injury after 55 snaps. As mentioned in the Joe Flacco section of the Quarterback Starts and Sits piece, Cincinnati’s pass defense is failing to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks and has yet to record an interception this year.
*4for4's full TE rankings can be found here.
Gerald Everett (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Through two weeks, tight end Gerald Everett is tied for the team lead in targets and is eighth at the position overall, with 14. Part of that target total stems from slot receiver Keenan Allen exiting Week 1 after 22 snaps due to a hamstring injury. Per Adam Hutchison’s positional Injury Index, wide receivers average 2.6 missed games with hamstring strains and see a 17.8% dip in production in their return after one week. Allen is far from a guarantee to play this week, as is starting quarterback Justin Herbert, who suffered a rib cartilage fracture last Thursday. One would prefer to have Herbert under center but should backup quarterback Chase Daniel play, Everett’s 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame would offer teddy bear/safety blanket appeal when under duress.
Tight Ends – Sits
Dawson Knox (Buffalo Bills) @ Miami Dolphins
Dawson Knox has proven to be a non-factor in the Buffalo Bills offense this year, despite quarterback Josh Allen sitting No. 4 in passing yards (614) and tied for first in passing touchdowns (seven). All hope for Knox, at least in the short term, was lost when he saw a dip in route participation in Week 2, despite No. 2 passing game weapon, Gabe Davis, missing the contest with an ankle injury. On the year, Knox has run a route on just 61.3% of Josh Allen’s dropbacks, which ranks 22nd at the position overall. Knox can be dropped.
Austin Hooper (Tennessee Titans) vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Tennessee inked tight end Austin Hooper to a one-year, $6 million deal this offseason, which comes out to $1 million per target after two weeks of regular season play. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill had once shown a proclivity towards targeting the tight end position but Hooper’s 14.0% targets per route run rate is tied for 28th at the position and he is running a route on just 68.9% of Tannehill’s dropbacks. Hooper does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues.
